A/N: Another chapter in less than 24 hours! I'm spoiling you guys. Literally only because Ammy has decided her story is important. I have no idea when the next update will be. Please read the A/N at the end of the chapter; It's really important to me!

Disclaimer: don't own lord of the rings or anything else you recognise. I do own Amaterasu, Kiyiya, Kajika, Menewa and the plot twists.

Chapter 15

Bonding

Ammy relished in the smooth movement of the wolf's body beneath her. The woman was greatly tired after the events of the past few days and was relieved to be able to rest. As Kiyiya made her way back down the stairs and into the dark forest of Lothlorien Ammy examined the fur beneath her in the limited light.

Kiyiya's fur was pitch black in colour save for a few places on her body; there was a long jagged stripe down her right flank where the fur was grey and white in colour and on the wolf's face and over her right eye were three long strips that were shockingly white in the darkness. The middle strip was longest and went from several centimetres over her eye down her muzzle until it reached the bottom of her jaw. The stripe on the inner most part of her face was rounded, like a crescent moon and curved around the wolf's eye socket. The outermost white marking was also curved but ran from her ear tip to the roundness of her jaw and down her neck.

The three marks on Kiyiya's face were almost reminiscent of being clawed by a large predator with three talons and Ammy shivered when she thought of the size the creature must have been to be able to reach the she-wolf's head and leave a mark.

"So, when did you arrive in Middle Earth?" Kiyiya spoke softly in the darkness and Ammy felt the vibrations of her voice rumble through her ribcage and into Ammy's legs. It was a strange feeling that Ammy wasn't quite sure she liked.

"Umm, we've been travelling for just over a month now I think. We left Rivendell in December. And we were there for a month and a bit from the end of October until we departed Rivendell. And I believe it is now January?" Ammy replied uncertainly. Travelling without phones or diaries was a new experience to her and she had quickly lost track of the days and had to guess as to the length of their journey.

"I see. I trust Lord Elrond and the elves were hospitable? It will have been a few years since I passed through Rivendell. I remember my first meeting with elves did not go down spectacularly well. Although that may have been because of my litter-siblings…" Kiyiya let out a barking laugh as she continued to navigate through the ethereal woods her steps sure and unfaltering.
"Talking of litter-mates, you will soon meet my brother and sister. They are larger than I so please do not shriek, it will aggravate them."

"Oh. That's fine. I'm so tired and exhausted that I think very little could faze me." Ammy buried her hands in Kiyiya's fur and wished she could enjoy the warmth of human skin against fur.

The pair continued on in silence, listening to the sound of the wind whistling gently through the branches overhead and the rustle of leaves brushing against one another. A raven swooped down overhead and Kiyiya stopped and looked up at it. The bird let out a harsh cry and settled on a branch in the tree ahead of them. Its iridescent feathers gleamed in the light of the pale moon that was just creeping through the foliage.

"If you wouldn't mind slipping off, we are nearly there; I just wish to alert my brethren of our approach." Kiyiya crouched down to the ground and Ammy slipped off and down the wolf's leg. Stepping back Ammy watched in wonder as the she-wolf rose up again to her full height, her head and neck pointing upwards towards the sky.

A soft exhalation came from the she-wolf and then white fire seemed to burst from Kiyiya's flesh and consumed the wolf. It roared over her head, down her spine, her legs and flanks until it reached the tip of her tail. It swirled and billowed around the wolf and began to grow smaller in size until it was centred where Kiyiya's head had been. With one final burst it flamed upwards into the sky and then ceased to be.

As Ammy turned her attention back to where the she-wolf had been she was astonished to see a small woman in her place. The woman was even smaller than Ammy, standing at about four foot seven high. Kiyiya's skin, for it was indeed the wolf turned human, was a light brown in colour similar to the skin tone of a Native American Indian and her hair was a tumultuous riot of ebony coloured curls that writhed down her scalp and back and rested just at the top of her hips.

Kiyiya raised her arm out to the raven, who had watched the proceedings with boredom, and it flew down and landed on her fore-arm. The small woman then turned and looked at Ammy. Kiyiya was clothed in a long black shirt, which was loose at the neck and had no arms, and looked as if it were for a man rather than a woman, and had a pair of tight fitting short-style leggings on under a thin dark blue wrap that knotted at her waist.

Ammy noticed that Kiyiya's feet were also bare but she did not seem to notice the twigs and rocks that lay underfoot. Returning her attention to the other woman's face Ammy noticed three white scars over and around Kiyiya's right eye. They matched the white fur on the she-wolf perfectly. Having seen Kiyiya's transformation there was no doubt in Amaterasu's mind that this new stranger was related to her in some way through their ancestors and she felt her body ease up at the company of someone who she could trust.

"This is my raven friend. His name is Direidus, meaning mischievous. He carries messages for me from my home." As the darker-skinned woman stroked the raven Ammy could see a small leather pouch that was tied to its leg and the bird began to preen and duck his head further into Kiyiya's hand.

"Come. We will set up camp just ahead for a few hours and then you and I will journey to Caras Galadhon. The Fellowship will worry about you're disappearance." Kiyiya transferred Direidus to her shoulder and the raven began to pick at part of her hair.

Stepping closer Ammy was able to see with her poor eyesight that parts of Kiyiya's hair were woven with braids and beads. There was a plethora of beads of different sizes, colours, styles and patterns dotted throughout the woman's hair and as they walked through the forest side-by-side Ammy could hear them clicking and chiming against one another.

Suddenly Kiyiya let out a low howl and then a short bark. Startled Ammy stopped and looked at her companion with wary eyes. Had she managed to walk off with a lunatic? An answering howl echoed from nearby and Kiyiya smiled and walked forward towards the howl. Stumbling after her Ammy hastened to keep her guide in sights and was relieved when light began to illuminate their surroundings.

A fire was burning in the centre of a wooded clearing and as Kiyiya and Ammy entered Ammy noticed that there was a small leather satchel with strange runes etched into, a pile of blankets and a spear lay on the opposite side of the clearing near a tree.

"This is a clearing that the Galadhrim use as a base when they are on scouting trips. We are permitted to burn a fire and rest here but we many not kill any living thing that enters here. So I'm afraid you will have to make do with vegetable soup." Kiyiya gestured to a small pot that was over the fire. Within it was a simple soup but Ammy was glad for the food and the rest and as the two women sat down to eat a loud bark was heard from the edge of their encampment.

"What was that?" Ammy asked her head spinning round searching for the culprit, her braid swinging in the air behind her. The woman was not entirely sure she was comfortable looking like an albino version of Mystique, albeit Ammy had better hair. She felt vulnerable despite the scales and was beginning to wonder if she should have taken some clothes from her friends before running off into the woods.

"It's my siblings. Don't move." Kiyiya rose from her place by the fire and Direidus fluttered down from her shoulder to land on Ammy's. The smaller woman went round the fire to the opposite side of the camp and let out another howl. Another howl replied and then the ground began to tremble. Peering round Kiyiya's body Ammy could just about make out four glinting eyes in the darkness and as the vibrations in the ground grew stronger the eyes made themselves known.

Two giant wolves ran into the campsite and came to a stop in front of Kiyiya. The wolves were almost identical in appearance both being a blend of brown, black and red fur with amber-coloured eyes sparkling in the firelight. The only differentiating feature between the lupines was that one was smaller than the other.

"Amaterasu, I would like to introduce my siblings: my litter brother Menewa" and Kiyiya gestured to the larger of the two wolves that appeared to be the size of an Asian elephant.
"And my sister Kajika." The smaller wolf was three-quarters of the size of Menewa and seemed to be more wary of the albino sat by the fire.

"Pleased to meet you…Are they…like us?" Ammy asked timidly as both wolves flopped down onto the ground with a sigh that shook the earth.

Kiyiya laughed and began to scratch Menewa's head with both hands. The male wolf closed his eyes and let a rumble of happiness. Kajika lay down on her side and rolled her eyes at her brother's behaviour.

"They are not Ame-no-Mihashira. My family is called Ithil Draug Tylwythau, the Full Moon Wolf Pack. They are descended from a great hound and a giant wolf. My mother Waya is the High Alpha of all the four packs in Middle Earth and she is directly descended from Huan who was wolfhound of the Valar. He sired a litter with a giant wolf that was roaming the northern reaches and my pack is descended from them. Huan was gifted with the power of speech, but could only speak three times. My mother and two of my brothers have also been given this gift, but the rest of them can only growl like a normal wolf. They understand the Common tongue, Khuzdul the language of the dwarfs and some Sindarin"

Kiyiya gave Menewa one final scratch and then returned to her seat next Amaterasu who was regarding the wolves with astonishment.

"We did not have wolves this large in my world. Middle Earth is full of wonders and I am only discovering a few of them. How large is your pack?" Ammy asked as the vet with a keen educational interest began to take over. "How many are there in total? How big are the pups?"

"Slow down!" Kiyiya laughed. "I can explain only a little about my family before we must return to the matter for which I removed you from your friends company. My pack is fourteen strong. Some of our number were lost many years ago in battle. My mother Waya is mated to Enapay and they have had three litters. I have four older siblings, two other siblings from Menewa and Kajika's litter and two younger siblings. There is also a Beta named Yuaan. Three of our pack were killed in battle, a sister, our beta female and the Omega. My last sibling went missing during the fighting and we have not seen her since.
The pack has not always been called Ithil Draug Tylwythau and during the War of the Ring the giant wolves almost died out. Waya's great-grandfather united the remaining wolves and led them away to Ice Bay where they recovered and then split up when the pack became too big.
I believe there are about fifty giant wolves in Middle Earth. Ithil Draug Tylwythau is the strongest pack and there are three other packs with fewer wolves. There are also around four or five nomads who wander Middle Earth.
There haven't been any pups for years. Waya sensed a change was coming and so forbade the birth of pups. The last litter was my younger siblings and when they were born they were the size of a large dog, their heads came up to the top of my ribcage."

Kiyiya fell silent as she gazed into the twisting flames of the fire and the air around her began to feel tense and taut. Ammy shivered as a menacing aura seemed to wash over and as it spread throughout the camp Kajika rose from the ground onto her front and looked to Kiyiya. Letting out a bark the she-wolf sniffed the air and then began to grumble in Ammy's direction.

Amaterasu was paralysed by the sense of power that was washing over her skin. Whist not evil like the Balrog this feeling was strong and full of emotions, grief, despair, pain, anger, violence and betrayal tainted the forest air and Ammy could not bring herself to go near the other woman. Finally the raven hopped from Ammy's shoulder down to the ground and toddled over to the dark-skinned female who was gone from the conversation. Her eyes were seeing something else and all recognition of her surroundings was gone.

Direidus went up to Kiyiya's crossed legs, hopped up them and then onto the woman's shoulder where he proceeded to yank the braid of hair at the front of her head which had the most beads. The raven pulled hard on the woven hair and was rewarded when Kiyiya let out a yelp followed by a whine.
The raven flew away from her cawing with a disapproving tone. The bird finally settled on top of Menewa's head and the male wolf, which had opened one eye when Kajika had begun to stir, let out a sigh and then returned to his slumber after regarding Kiyiya with a concerned look.

"I apologise. Sometimes I forget and get caught up in the past. It is one of my…gifts, you might say. But that is another story which I have not the time to tell you. We must discuss the evil that plagues you and the evil that you must face."

Kiyiya's tone was not the loving and fond sound that it had been when she had been talking of her pack and when she turned her scarred face to Ammy the albino could see a grim look on the other's face.

"You fought the Balrog didn't you?"

Amaterasu placed her empty bowl on the ground in front of her and then looked back up and nodded.

"It spoke to you. I could hear the echoes of its voice from within the mountain. You and I have a connection, similar to the one you have forged with Master Campfer but it is weaker between you and me. I'm afraid it's my tainted blood; you are a pure Ame-no-Mihashira whereas I am the product of thirteen generations mating with humans. I have only one alternate form but you have at least four now?"

Ammy nodded and began to play with the end of her braid.

"My first was a tigress, a cat from my old world, the second a rabbit, third a dragon and now a snake. Campfer told me that I would most likely have at least twelve forms."

"Being pure blooded I would expect you to have thirteen. Forms were lost to my ancestors each time they mated and produced an offspring. Thirteen generations since Sauron wiped out our people leaving me with but one form which I do not think I will pass down to my children. But you must tell me what the Balrog said to you."

Ammy swallowed nervously and then thought back to the Balrog's words.

"He devoured others. Some of our people fled into Moria after Tsukiyomi's betrayal. They hid in the dark hoping to survive long enough to return and begin anew but the Balrog found the ones that survived the lack of light and devoured their very being. The Balrog said that within me was the power to sustain an evil being or to destroy them. As it fell with Gandalf it told me to run because something wanted to devour me."

Kiyiya regarded Amaterasu with solemn green eyes, sadness and sorrow seeping into her expression. She knew that Ammy would not have an easy task or choice ahead of her.

"The Balrog was right. I am different to you, my humanity taints my purity but I have evolved to have…other talents. My lack of forms and the fact that my eyes do not change to gold when I transform have saved me on many occasions from foul beasts. But you will not have that luxury. Something is stirring within Mordor. Not just Sauron. I can feel it from my home land and it awakened a mere two months ago. The day when the Council of the Ring first met."

Kiyya threw a few more branches onto the fire and then began to play with the bead in her hair.

"I heard rumours. After, the battle that I mentioned earlier people and animals spoke of something else residing in Mordor. My foe had spoken of it also but I did not believe him, until it woke the day you arrived in Middle Earth. I'm afraid Amaterasu, all of Campfer, Gandalf and Klotho's efforts have been in vain. The enemy knows you are here and will wish to consume you."

Ammy felt her mouth drop and panic began to well up in her chest. Izanami stirred at the back of her mind and Ammy quickly hastened to suppress her fear; the last thing she needed was to release Izanami.

The ebony-haired woman watched as Ammy's pink eyes widened and her face seemed to age years in seconds. Then the albino pulled herself together again.

"Sauron wants to…eat my light?"

"Yes. But he does not know what you look like, or where you are. You have been successful so far in evading his spies. I believe as long as you can fly beneath his notice we may have the element of surprise. The Balrog gave you the answer. If you can keep being as pure as you are then I am certain that any dark being who attempts to devour you will be destroyed or at the very least repelled."

Kiyiya placed her hands over Ammy's fidgeting ones and held them within her small palms. Ammy couldn't feel the touch due to the scales but she could see scars and callouses littering the older woman's hands.

"But how do I stay pure?"

"By not giving up. Staying true to yourself and your friends. And doing what you believe is best. Don't let anyone sway you into making choices, trust in yourself."

"What about…" Ammy hesitantly looked up at Kiyiya. The older woman smiled encouragingly and waited patiently for Ammy to talk again.

"What about Izanami. She resides within my mind and is constantly shouting and trying to break free. She is tainted and I feel her bitterness and vengeful spirit trying to escape from the prison Gandalf and Campfer locked her in."

"Izanami knows that you are her last hope at reviving our people. She will not lead you to destruction. But maybe, instead of locking her away, you could reason with her? You are after all the spitting image of Amaterasu-omikami who was her daughter. Izanami will feel some motherly bond towards you and will protect you. Her soul is residing within your body but that does not mean she has to use your form. She could find another form to use. A vessel if you like. But not someone with free will, like a dwarf, man or elf. It should be a creature. Talk with her and try to come to some sort of agreement…She is older than me and can offer you more advice about the Ame-no-Mihashira than I ever could."

Kiyiya smiled and then began to tidy up the bowls and spoons they had used to eat from. The two women continued talking for a few minutes and then Kiyiya bade Ammy get some sleep. There were a few more hours before dawn and then they would set off to meet with the Fellowship in Caras Galadhon.

Ammy had gone over to the pile of blankets as instructed and after nestling within them was surprised when Kajika the she-wolf came over and lay down next to her. The warmth of the giant she-wolf's body was welcome to the Ame-no-Mihashira and Ammy found herself slipping into a light sleep quickly.

When Ammy woke up a few hours later she saw that Kiyiya had taken the pot off the fire and tidied up the camp. Menewa and Dideirus were sat on the other side of the clearing, the large male wolf now had the leather satchel with the strange runes etched into it between his legs and Ammy guessed that the bowls and pot were within the satchel.

"Good morning. There are a few minutes to dawn. Once you change it may be better for you change back into tigress. We have much ground to cover if we are to meet with your friends in time." Kiyiya smiled and then began collecting the blankets that Ammy had slept in.

The blankets were folded up and put away in the satchel which was then tied around Kajika's neck and shoulders so that the full bag rested on the she-wolf's left shoulder. Menewa rose to his feet and stretched, yawning and then scratched behind his ear.

As the sun rose Ammy felt the transformation consume her and then she was lying in the grass in snake form. The snake she did not like. It was cold and calculating. And vicious and Ammy dreaded to think what would happen if someone were to grab her without warning. Disliking her snake form the Ame-no-Mihashira was all too happy to return to her original form and relished in the lithe strength the tigress offered.

"Fascinating. Your transformation is a lot quicker and less flamboyant than mine. The gold lights are similar to my flames but a lot more subtle. If I transform I have to be careful that I am not doing it near our enemy. It's rather like saying 'here I am, come and get me' otherwise." Kiyiya chuckled and then swung on a cape.

The cape was an interesting invention with dark green leather outside and the inside lined with soft fur. Coming closer to Kiyiya, Ammy sniffed at the cloak and was pleased to recognise that the fur within was rabbit.

"My cloak was a gift from an old friend. He and his mother had it made when I was in my twentieth year. Despite the long years it has remained good and I have only had to replace the furs within a few times within the last few years." Kiyiya picked up her spear and Ammy was intrigued by its design.

The spear was bigger than the woman as it stood at about five foot from bottom to the tip of the blade. The blade itself was about a foot in length and was silver with a cutting side on both edges. Etched into the metal were animals, flora and fauna and some script that Ammy could not read. The staff itself was a black colour and had white inlay also carved out in strange script. The base of the staff had a metal end that was rounded and appeared to be quite solid and heavy in weight.

Amaterasu was surprised that the diminutive woman could even lift the spear let alone wield it. Kiyiya went over to where Menewa was stood and the wolf bent down slightly but raised his left paw off the ground. Taking a running jump Kiyiya landed lightly on Menewa's bent left leg and from there she sprang up onto his back. The entire process took mere seconds and Ammy wondered how long Kiyiya had been doing that for it to be so practiced. Direidus flapped down from the branch he had been observing from and landed in Kiyiya's lap where she took out a sheaf of paper and began to fold it in order to place it in the weatherproof pouch that the raven carried.

"Kiyiya. How old exactly are you?" Ammy enquired her curiosity overcoming her reserve.

The other woman smiled craftily from on Menewa's back and as the wolf began to move off Ammy and Kajika fell in beside the large male wolf. Ammy felt tiny between the two giant wolves and noticed that they were taking smaller steps in order to allow her to keep up.

"I am just over a hundred years old." Kiyiya called down to Ammy. As the dark-skinned woman looked down she noticed that Ammy was running to keep up with Menewa and Kajika despite the wolves slowing their steps.

Kiyiya barked and growled at Kajika who grumbled and then stopped and lay down on her front.

"Climb on Amaterasu. Kajika will give you a lift or else I fear it will take us too long to reach Caras Galadhon."

As Ammy clambered up the wolf she wondered how exactly Kiyiya proposed that the tigress sat. Kajika's back was too thin to sit on and Ammy would find herself falling off repeatedly. Puzzling it out Ammy came to the only conclusion and draped herself over the wolf's back.

'I feel like a hunter's prize I'm supposed to be the big predator…' Ammy grumbled to herself and resignedly lay draped over Kajika's back.

Wisely Kiyiya chose not to say anything and instead continued telling Amaterasu about her age.

"I turned or will turn one hundred this year or last. I'm afraid the actual years are lost to me. I was but a toddler when Waya found me and when I joined Thorin Oakenshield's company I was a mere twenty-three or four. Or at least that's what Bilbo and Gandalf reckoned."

"You knew Gandalf?" Ammy asked her eyes widening.

"Indeed. I travelled with him, thirteen dwarves and a Hobbit sixty years ago. Indeed I believe many of the members of your Fellowship have encountered me in human form. Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn. And I know Frodo Baggins' uncle. Bilbo, he is my dear friend and I often visited him and Frodo during the last sixty years, recently however the unrest meant I could not leave my home."

"Where is your home?" Ammy enquired but was rewarded with a mischievous smile.

"That is a different tale my friend. One you may eventually hear, but I'm afraid now we will have to pick up our pace to reach the meeting point in time." Menewa growled in excitement and Kajika rumbled back an answer.

"Fly Dideirus!" Kiyiya sent the raven flying up into the air and as Ammy watched the bird flew up above the trees circled for a few seconds and then finally began heading north east where a huge white cloud bank could be seen looming.
And then the wolves began to run and all Ammy could think about was not sinking her claws into Kajika's side or losing her supper over the wolf's flank. She did not think it would be appreciated…

A/N: Well aren't you all lucky that Ammy has returned from her vacation! This chapter was quite easy to write and I personally adore Kiyiya. She is actually Ammy's polar opposite, but time has allowed her to mellow a bit. Would you guys like to read a companion piece? It would be about Kiyiya and the wolf pack and is set during the events of The Hobbit. There will be links to BWD however with more of the back story of the Ame-no-Mihashira and there are many links between the two stories.
So, if you'd like to read about Kiyiya too please let me know in a review! I've created a Poll accessible through my profile regarding the title of Kiyiya's story and basically I'll be putting it up once I have an idea about the title. It'd be wonderful to know if you guys are actually interested because then I can concentrate more on the Ame-no-Mihashira rather than trying to conform to the plot of The Hobbit. If you are interested let me know via review and you can vote on the title choice on the Poll on my profile!

As usual please read and review! I was thrilled the other day when for giggles I put the parameters into the search part of LOTR fics and found that mine is third on the list of amount of followers if you search for Aragorn and Legolas as the characters. What makes me sad though is that it's right at towards the end regarding number of reviews...So maybe we could bump it up? There are 228 of you following this so if you all left a review that would be amazing!

Reviews:
Jovie Black - If you like Kiyiya please vote for the title of her story on my profile! I love Kiyiya, I think she is my other personality! Normally I'm quite bubbly like Ammy but sometimes I end up being all mature woman like Kiyiya.
Emzy2k11- Was this quick enough? :P The animal transformations are all set, save for one which will be a mystery transformation mwhahaha. Kiyiya is the only wolf-shifter in this story!
xXThe Solaris MaidenXx- When I imagined Ammy transforming back with scales, I couldn't imagine her with just scales on her arms or hands, she suddenly turned into a pretty albino version of Mystique and as I was trying to describe her I just kept thinking of Mystique. I hope the suspense hasn't killed you!
IdrilSilmarwenEamaneLuinwe- Epic, epic, epic! I hope this chapter is epic even though it's mainly just talking!
booklover1498- Thank you!
trollalalala- Ammy looks kinda like a pearl studded version of Mystique in my head... Snake-form will return later... Another form should be coming up in a couple of chapters!