Hawksong

Summery
"Danica Shardae, an avian shapeshifter, will do anything in her power to stop the war that has raged between her people and the  serpiente - even pretend to be in love with Zane Cobriana, the terrifying leader of her kind's greatest enemy, and accept him as her pair bond. But will Zane strike as swiftly and lethally as the cobra that is his second form?"

There has been a war raging between the avian shapeshifters - humans that can turn into sparrows, hawks, crows and raves - and the serpiente - humans that can turn into vipers, cobras, mambas, boas and pythons. No one knows how the war really started. The avians claim that the first cobra, Kiesha, stabbed the first hawk, Alasdair, in the back. The war started and has been going strong for thousands of years.

Danica Shardae is born into this war and wishes for peace. Heir to the avian throne, she wants to live in a world where she can raise children without fear of them dying, like her brother and sister had. Zane Cobriana, heir to the serpiente throne, wants the same. He sends a message to the avians, asking to meet and discuss peace in a neutral territory - that of the tiger shapeshifters, the Mistari.

The Mistari leaders tell the two groups that the only way to peace is to combine the two royal houses. Danica and Zane must wed and hope that their union can bring the two people together. The idea is dismissed almost immediately, but later, in private, Danica and Zane agree to try.

Traveling between the two lands, the couple must learn to adapt to different ways of thinking and acting. The avians view the casual touching of the serpiente as scandalous, while the serpents view the emotionless reserve of the avians as cold and soulless. After pushing through the troubles of bringing the two groups together and surviving assassination attempts by their own trusted guards, Danica and Zane grow closer, until the one who they each used to despise was now the one they could never live without.

Synopsis
We first enter the world that belongs to the shifters when they are in mid-battle and Danica the heir to the Tuuli Thea (the throne of Avian Society) walks the bloody battlefield. At this particular time she finds among the dead her Brother Xavier Shardae. Soon after she finds the body of Gregory Cobrianna one of the Serpiente's young princes laying just a distance away. She kneels to him originally to avenge the death of her brother but as she looks into the eyes of the boy she didn't have the heart to end his life. Seeing the terror and pain in his eyes Danica comforts him with song as his life slipped away. Once Gregory died she and the remaining Royal Flight members return to the Hawks keep and light the flame to young Xavier's funeral pyre.

The day after the Avians receive a visit from one of the Serpiente's royal family: Irene. She expresses her family's wish for peace and extends an invitation to mediate and hopefully end the war between the two kingdoms. Though the Avians remain wary of trusting the Serpiente they only accept when the leader of the Royal Flight, Andreios, mentions that the Mistari were a neutral territory and would sooner die than allow blood to be shed on their land. So they accept.

When at the peace meeting the Mistari Disa and Dio propose the idea of bonding the two kingdoms together stating that after so many years of fighting this was the only way to end it all. Everyone who attended on both Avian and Serpiente sides voice their disapproval of the idea aside from Danica. After the idea was proposed the Mistari dismissed everyone to think on their words and return tomorrow.

Later in her chamber Danica is visited by Zane Cobrianna the Arami (prince) to Serpiente throne. Though he voiced his displeasure of the idea in the presence of the Mistari Zane made it clear that he was willing to try to work something out. If a plan could be created that would stop the war other than the one presented by the Mistari. If not he was willing to give the Disa's suggestion a try but wanted to have the conversation with Danica and the Disa alone where no one could argue against them. As soon as Danica's guards discover Zane in her chamber they fetch the Tuuli Thea and she demands that they leave then instead of the following day.

Half a month later Zane returns to Danica's bedroom at the Keep offering one last chance of peace talk. Though Danica believed it was nothing more than a dream prepares for her coronation that was soon to come. The morning after her visit from the Serpiente prince Danica is welcomed to attend an assembly with the Flight leaders. Here Danica learns of Karashan's plan to invade the Serpiente while they are in "disorder" Danica speaks out as a last attempt to keep her people from dying she convinces them to hold off the plans until after her coronation.

The days passed quickly and Danica began getting her things in order for the coronation the following day when she discovers Zane's signet ring while she was looking for another piece of jewelry to wear for her coronation. Only then did she realize that what she thought was a dream wasn’t and hurried to get to the Serpiente palace. When she got close to their lands she was “greated” by Adelina and Ailbhe ruthlessly before being bound and taken to the palace as a prisoner.

Upon realizing who the prisoner was Zane was infuriated and sent his guards away before unbinding Danica. They spoke and Zane proclaims his wish to end the bloodshed even if it meant doing what the Mistari had suggested though believing fully that he could never love her he was willing to take her as his mate if only to close the rift between the kingdoms. She accepts and they begin to set in motion their plan.

Danica returns to the Hawks Keep for her coronation and soon after all the vows were made by the Royal Flight to their new Tuuli Thea Danica returned to the Serpiente palace the following day so that Zane could introduce her to his people as his Naga. Though not before making sure to hault Karashan’s plan of attack completely and leaving a note with Eleanor for Andreios so that he would know of her whereabouts. Upon arriving at the palace Danica is escorted by friendlier Serpiente and Charis and Irene Cobrianna fill Danica in on the ceremony. Letting her know all that would give their charade away to their people. Not long much later in the day Zane announced her as his mate to his people and though there was reluctance to accept among them none wanted to anger their Diente. They walked amongst his people and when it was time they left. Danica stayed in the palace and per the request allowed Zane to rest with her.

The following day Andreios shows up at the palace demanding to see Danica and to learn of why she was there. She explained to him everything and he reluctantly accepted to protect Zane while at the Keep.

The following day Danica declares to the Avian court that Zane was her Alistair and that the war was finally over. Though people were hesitant no one among the civilized Avians spoke against their Tuuli Thea’s decision.

Soon it was decided that the two would Travel between the two lands. Over time they adapted their relationship to suit the views of each kingdom. Perfecting the charade of two madly in love people amongst the Serpiente and the reserved self-sacraficing queen amongst the Avians. Though Zane began to go to extreme lengths to make sure they were never alone together he genuinely wanted Danica to be happy so he confronted Andreios, the man who truly loved Danica, in the hopes that she could be happy in some way atleast.

One day after one of Danica’s attempts at mending the rift between her and Zane, Zane was attacked by a would-be-assassin and Danica instead got in the middle of the fray to protect Zane only to poison herself in the process knowing however that the poison wasn’t meant to harm an Avian. Later after her recovery Danica is attacked at the Namir-da this time Danica is hit badly by a poisoned avian arrow. In the process of trying to protect her Charis is scratched and dies a few days later. The ordeal brings Danica and Zane closer as he tends to her while she heals. Later they discover that the assassins were really two members from their own personal guards: Adelina and Karl. The story ends with Zane and Danica admitting to one another that they loved each other.