OOC: For my shadow <3 Takes place hours after the avalanche
An image of anger and fear had been forever burned into her mind. It was with flashing teeth and the sting of red upon white that it remained at the forefront, haunting her thoughts each time her eyes dared close to blink. She had been left frightened by the show of savagery, yet her heart did not fear the teeth of her mate. Only the pain they might cause to the others of the pack should they bring about the superior’s wrath from unsavory conduct. She had never seen such hatred… such anger… such rage. Nor had she heard the deafening roar of the beast reach to scaling proportions. She did not know what to make of it… let alone how to digest the cause of his rage. Truly, did his anger stem from the loss of their healer? The one he called Lham? Dawa…
She had a mind to question him and offer whatever comfort she could, not only as his subordinate but as his mate; the light that was meant to shine in his life. She needed to know he was well and offer him her comfort. But first and foremost, she had to find him.
Rummaging through the ruins of their home, she took to the frigid mounds of ice surrounding the base of the mountain. At first her calls were soft and searching, but then they scaled to short howls when hours trudged by and still she did not hear from him. She worried, as a woman would when their beloved was taken. The ice was everywhere, making it difficult to track, and even the blood she knew to stain his maw was drifted behind what her senses could reach. “Raheerah? My shadow?” she called to him, letting her voice ride long and loud across the setting eve. Her ears came forward in the hopes she came catch the familiar grumble of his voice. But at present all she received was his silence. |
Up in the snow, it felt like winter had once more returned to the wilds. It glistened in the diffused light of the overcast, which had begun to grow dark as the day wore on. It was cold, though he attributed that to the sting of the ice on his paws, and the winds that blew in from the mountains above. And, finally, he felt worn down. At long last exhaustion was beginning to pull at his limbs, begging him to seek the comfort of the snow. But he could not give in. Already he had discovered one buried wolf - it was Larch, and he had helped her emerge from the snow before continuing his relentless search for his Lham. Without pause he had scoured the base of the avalanche, hoping that it had somehow picked up her fragile body and taken it along with the rest of the debris so that he would find her there, waiting for him.
And now he climbed up and up the mountain side, where the debris had slumped against the cliffs. He would call for her, but receive no answer. And, occasionally, he would hear the voice of another calling behind him. She had not progressed as far up the avalanche as he, and at first he ignored her, far too intent on the task at hand. But weariness was slowing him down and, eventually, the idea of her company became appealing. It just made him feel guiltier. He couldn't stop looking for Lham. Who knew how long it would take - and who knew how much life she would have left in her? How long would she wait for him?
The panic subsided, as did the anger. All that remained of him was desperation, but even that fell away as he realized how tired he was. But Raheerah was not one to give in to mortal aches. He knew he would push on until he found her, or until he himself fell victim to the snows. The dragon had crested a small mound of snow, lifelessly pawing at it under suspect it may be his Goddess, when the voice rang out again. She was calling for him - she was still looking for him. An agitated growl exited his lips. Frustration towards himself, towards his own failure. He let loose a few haggard bellows, calling for Xi'nuata as the beast sunk to his haunches, defeated.
Where her nose had failed her, her eyes would serve better, guiding her from the base of the mountain toward its face by the pits and snow disturbed left in the wake of her companion. She was concerned for him as the frequency of dug earth began to increase, all of them vacant of life within them. Yet still he scaled higher searching in his silence. She had never seen this manner of diligence in him before, and while it was inspiring it was also worrying. He had called for his Lham with such fire before his departure. Such anger on behalf of her absence… the thought turned the coals of her heart as they smoldered with something akin to bother. She was no longer their leader, as disrespectful as it was to bring light to in the situation, nor was she a warrior that warrant their active pursuit of her person. She was vital, yes, a healer of the Vale. But did this title warrant her mate’s determination like this? Her brows creased in thought til she shook it wildly to smooth them with calmed composure.
No, she could not think so selfishly. Dawa was one of the Vale. And all wolves were to be found.
“Raheerah!” Again she called into the deepening darkness for her beloved, her ears on a swivel to catch a hint of his sound. Her muzzle was pulled upward by the echo of his bellow, each reverberation a soothing wave to let her know that he was indeed alive and well. But so far up the treacherous mountain.
Nevertheless, she approached with a gentle smile however weary her countenance. Stepping spryly across the frigid mounds, she reached him openly in a matter of seconds. Tongue unfurled and tail swaying softly with glee, though it stilled when caught sight of the exhaustion on his face. “My shadow…” she whispered as her smile waned to a soft frown of concern. “…you have been searching for hours. You must rest with the pack before you yourself are lost.” She whined softly, hoping to bring his mind to see reason. She did not yet wish to discuss what she had seen, nor inquire on the words shouted between the opposing males. All she wanted was for him to return with her and rest, to simply be glad that they survived the wrath of nature, then come together with a plan to restore the pack. Those found, and those still in need on rescue. She only hoped the fate would afford them this time. |
Once finally given the opportunity to rest, he was reminded of the soreness of his limbs by the relief they felt. An agitated rumble persisted through his chords. His shoulders slumped and his head hung, and he waited silently for his wife to find him; eventually he could see her form across the snows, tawny and gold, sticking out against the debris. He raised his head only slightly to observe her approach, and rotated his ears like curious satellites to the sound of her voice just barely above the whistling of the wind.
He had not yet found his Lham, and she wished for him to surrender? To cease his searching? He could not - who knew how long it would be before he actually found her? Who knew how long she could survive where ever it was that she was trapped? Raheerah's lips upturned in a frown as he returned the flame of his gaze to her. "Iii caan noottt." The dragon answered lowly, seeking her gaze. Surely she would understand, wouldn't she? Did she not feel the same way about their packmates? "Ii muuusst fiind Lhhaaam." He added, sucking in a long breath of air through his nostrils before turning his head away. His sights landed to the slump of debris that would stretch further up the mountainside, to places where he had yet to search.
He didn't care if she did not desire to help him, or even Acacia, and he would be damned to allow the monk to step anywhere near his Lham. The beast grunted quietly and sniffed at the winds again before turning back to Xi'nuata, at a loss for anything else to tell her.
Her ears fanned back as he spoke of his inability, or rather it was that he did not want to stop his search. In either instance, she looked to him, her sights fixed upon the flame of his single eye as he bore into her intently. The frown upon his lips was matched only by her own.
“Raheerah please,” her chords were firm and steady, hoping to draw his wandering eye from the earth to look to her instead. His fullest attention her own rather than divided between the woman before him and the one he could not see. “It would make more sense for the whole effort of the pack to help with the search rather than you continuing on your own,” she stated. Yet even as those words left her lips there was doubt. Too few of their numbers had surfaced from the snow, and those she had seen were either shaken or left broken. The strength of the pack had suffered a horrid blow dealt by nature. They needed what strength they could muster in this moment rather than risk another falling due to his private pursuit. And what was more… they were without direction now.
The elder monk had proven himself incapable of controlling the beast of the mountain, and because of it, he was a crumpled form beside his cherished Chenrezig, lost to his own thoughts and the darkness of his dreams. Then there was Dawa… trapped beneath the snow. Frowning, she looked to her companion, her mate, near grumbling in his presence as her voice took on a stronger eminence, one fit for the place she had believed herself to hold. Though in heart, she felt as lost as those that were found and left awaiting.
“Raheerah. You must stop this and come back with me now.” Her tail lashed behind her. “You have left us without direction in the wake of your anger. If you will not rest, then at least see to your brethren. Start there before you dismiss us completely…” |
She begged of him to stop, and he curled back his lips, agitated. She did not understand. She could not, and she likely never will; she had not seen the face of the Goddess when he unleashed all of his fury upon her and her faction. She had not witnessed how, against all odds, she survived his onslaught. She had not seen the sparse dreams that came to him afterwards, telling of her fate and his, and how they were entwined; how she spoke to him of divinity and purpose. This was a task meant for the dragon. It was one of loyalty and determination. It would prove him. He would not fall to her wiles, and he wondered, briefly, if she existed to throw him off of his path.
What destruction did he leave behind when he had charged away from the blessed tree, abandoning the broken monk and his packmates? The Vale had fallen to a few sparse numbers, at least, for those who had survived. He did not know who else remained beneath the snows, but surely even the fact that their packmates were missing added to the chaos. He had stripped the monk of his title and wore it for himself, did that give him the right to abandon them? Raheerah snarled to himself. No. They couldn't understand, but at the least they must know. And he could not lead them alone, either. "Thhee diiireectioon iiiisss to seeaarch for thoose looosssst." His voice hardened in its thunderous roiling, turning his single eye to his wife.
He then rose to his paws and lurched towards her, snorting heavily. "Yooouu giive theemm thiis diirectiooon." The dragon rumbled, coming to a halt directly in front of her. "Iii caan noot eeend my seearch. Leeaad theemm iin myy abseennce." His lips had tugged down into what seemed a perpetual frown burned into his visage. The beast had waged an internal war upon himself, constantly torn between punishing the woman for intruding on his holy responsibility - to find Lham - and at long last exercising the diplomatic burden he had taken unto himself. "Iit isss onlyy yoour riiiight." He added after a moment, stifling his anger. He had opted for the second choice, at least for now; rather than unleash his rage upon her for her lack of understanding, Raheerah wanted her to go back and lead them, leaving him to his duty. It would be best that way.
She had no prior knowledge of the war the beast waged within himself but could see within his eye that her words were not to his liking. Or her disposition for that matter. But she did not falter, standing strongly upon her four legs as she bore her heated gaze into him. Then anger resting behind her eyes came to life by a smolder, til the flames were doused by a prolonged, calming blink. His advance was perceived as but a march toward her person yet in turn she brandished her flank to ward off his aggressive intention should it follow. She was not in his presence to fight, nor was she there to inspire further anger in his already tensed form. She wanted only for him to see that there were others to look for as well… not just a single soul that was perhaps lost to the drifts.
She did not contest his decision once spoken, but regarded in her mate in scrutiny with a golden orb. “If that is what you wish,” her lips quivered with a defiant twitch yet she would not dare bare her fangs before him. In that instance, she turned from her shadow and began her climb down the mountain without further word. Too fatigued to argue further and too concerned for the rest of the pack to waste her care. If he believed the life of one was more important than the whole, then she would leave him to it and guide those that were found to revive those presumably lost.
More than one life was precious in her eyes.
[Exit] |
He could feel the anger mounting within her. The beast needn't even shed a glance at her to know she was growing agitated with him; it came off in the silence between them, and then in the few short words she had uttered in response. And with that, she had turned away from him. Raheerah watched her go; he did nothing to call after her or to explain further. One day she would understand. Today could not be that day - both of them were caught beneath the weight of the day's tragedy. He would accept that. But now that she had gone, his time of rest had passed. For so long he could stand and not search for his Lham.
Grunting, Raheerah turned away as well and continued forward. Several other small mounds cropped up in the pristine, snowy surface that had once layered the mountain, and he would dig up each and every one until he found the body of his Goddess beneath. He did not know how long it would take - he merely hoped that Xi'nuata would eventually come to accept it.
exit Raheerah