Tauriel and Legolas sat in the Council War Room with King Thranduil's most trusted and senior advisors. The table was inscribed with great map of Mirkwood and the lands west to the Misty Mountain, east to the inland Sea of Rhûn, north to the Grey Mountains, and south to Rohan.
The Council had heard Tauriel relay what they had seen and heard of the two tribes of Orcs - those of Azog the Defiler, and those of the unnamed Orc that they feared more. Unfortunately, all information on this second tribe was derived from a Dwarf escaped from their own Keep, and an Avari girl.
Legolas and Tauriel knew they would be facing a challenge, convincing the War Council of this threat.
It was Valdarion who spoke first for the Council. "You understand, there is no corroborating evidence of existence of this other tribe of Orcs."
"Have our patrols reported nothing unusual?" Legolas asked.
"Of course they have. Dwarves of Thorin Oakenshield, a pestilence of Orcs pursuing the Dwarves. Lest we forget, an increase in the population of spiders. Our concerns are less with what they have reported than with what they shall report if the Dragon Smaug is awakened."
Aransadorien spoke next, " We need to prepare to defend ourselves from Orcs, certainly, but a second tribe of Orcs might not be the worst thing to deal with. There are as likely to fight against Azog as for him, based on their own historic rivalries."
Several nodded in agreement.
"These Orcs will most certainly band together if a dark power calls them." Tauriel warned them.
Aransadorien continued, "Do not mistake me, we must prepare for war at every turn now, but we should not be wasting resources hunting what may turn out to be ghosts. Not when we have identified real threats."
"It was only one Dwarf and one child who even saw these other Orcs?" Neurion queried. "They could have been gravely mistaken in their assessment of the fierceness of them. That is only natural, and no aspersion on their truthfulness."
Valdarion queried, "The only thing that differentiates these new Orcs, that the child called the Birdclaws, is that you believe they are uninterested in Thorin Oakenshield, and are instead hunting Elf, and turning them into Uruk-Hai?
"Is that not enough?" Legolas demanded.
"It would be if it were true." Valdarion conceded, "When we come to that part of the tale, not even the Dwarf could verify it, for he did not know what Glennodad and Vehiron looked like. The young ones said the tribe decorated themselves extensively with paint and trophies? I say it is likely that the child saw Orcs that had taken our Guard's armor, and her frightened mind did the rest."
Tauriel pressed, "And the trinket, of Avari make? Have the Avari reported a missing child?"
Neurion assured them, "No, they do not."
"Because they knew their concerns would not be heard!" Legolas snapped.
Valdarion eased the growing tension, "We will easily determine if the Avari are in any danger, beginning tomorrow when their Cano arrive. You will not merely receive a summary, my Prince, you will be allowed to question each of them for as long as you wish."
"I have one more thing to show." Tauriel said, placing a whip on the table, the whip that Kili recovered from the Orc, Ronkûr. "Does anyone gather clues from this artifact?"
Ruscion, the most senior Venerator of the Elf Guard and a mentor of Tauriel's spoke, "The Dwarf himself should have recognized this handiwork. Look at the brigandine along the handle and center strap. This is the work of Ironfirsts."
Tauriel was surprised the item was Dwarf crafted. "The Dwarf who gave it to me was a Longbeard, quite young, he probably did not know other tribes' markings."
"Thorin and his Longbeards have been at odds with Ironfists for more than six generations. He may have been playing you with this, Tauriel."
"He wasn't. He'd been beaten with it." No one had told Tauriel about it, but the smell of the blood on it was fresh, and Dwarf. She knew.
Neurion was unimpressed, "One whip alone is no indication of an alliance."
"Exactly why we need to find more of these Birdclaws." Legolas insisted.
Handion commented, "The leather is oliphaunt, certainly an eastern artifact while Azog's Orcs are northern. I am concerned. If Thorin's enemies have created other alliances, it will be of importance to us and our strategy."
They worked throughout the night, arguing , strategizing, and planning. Resources would have to be apportioned, arms produced, troops trained, and the harvest would have to be brought in quickly. There would be no time for the typical autumn celebrations.