Though gamekeeping was not his duty, the monk kept a mental record of their food stock because it was habit. In Jokhang, monks were primarily counselors and gamekeepers, helping with hunts and food storage. They were also skilled combatants, but not in open combat. Tenzin turned away from the stored meats they had and headed toward the opposite border. As he thought about his time in Jokhang, his face grew cold and stern. Once he had become an apostle, his assassination training began by night while he monk duties stayed relative to the daylight. When he first looked at a wolf he always smiled and greeted them warmly, but in silence he calculated their weak spots. There were some common on all wolves, but some had previous injuries that left scars or limps.

A whine pulled his from his thoughts and he stopped suddenly among the pines. His head lifted curtly and he swiveled his ears. Was that— her call came soon after and he took off quickly, kicking up pine needles that had rested on the ground. She wasn't too far away and he let out a sigh of relief when he saw her, coming to a halt and trying to hide his panicked breath. He was a master of self-control but her whines always sent him on a craze if he hadn't been near her when she first cried out. "Dawa," he breathed, the relief heavy in his voice. "What is it, my dear?" He approached her slowly and hovered just before her, knowing not to move any closer or touch her until she made contact with him first.

As the monk watched her approach, his features melted. He wanted nothing more than to have her accept him as a father, as something, but it was never something he'd push upon her. When she flinched away from the touch of his fur, he frowned. Something was ailing her and he could not comfort her. He stared at her sadly, knowing she wouldn't be able to see him, and hoping she wouldn't sense it. She started to speak and he listened carefully. Her flat admittance that she couldn't see brought a chuckle to his throat but he stopped it before it moved into a vocalized snort. He didn't know she was capable of jokes but perhaps he just never talked to her enough to hear them.

He made a mental note to thanks Anemone for her patience and assistance with Dawa. Tenzin felt rather relieved that at least some of the pack members made an effort to communicate with Dawa, even it was for a moment. When his ward started to cry, something within the great monk's body twisted. He reached forward but stopped himself quickly. He couldn't lick the tears from her face. No doubt they'd burn her skin, but adding in his own contact would only make it worse. Instead, he watched her suffer knowing it was only a mental ailment - the one he couldn't cure. It had manifested itself somewhere deep within her, somewhere Tenzin couldn't reach.

Though the monk was the epitome of self-control, he swallowed hard. "You may do as you wish, Dawa," he said finally, softly, "This is your paradise, dear. 'Bruh and I will take care of the wolves who guard it, your only job is to enjoy your life. You have no duties aside from your own clerics." Even then, that was something she loved. It was where she felt most at home, or though Tenzin had always assumed. He only wanted her to be happy.

"You are by no means inadequate," he added confidently. "We simply placed you in a job that was not yours," he continued. "Even I am getting used to being alpha. It is a very big change for us. Do not underestimate yourself," he pleaded quietly, trying to keep his voice as warm as possible despite having to watch her experience tears. He refrained himself again from reaching forward. "Please don't cry," he whispered, "Those tears must burn you."

If the Dragon had come upon them know, Tenzin would be dead. The monk knew that the first thought to cross the beast's mind would be what Tenzin would have done to cause its Llam to cry. The monk's ears rested back and he let out a small whine. "We only want you to be happy, just... don't be afraid to let us know when you need something—anything," he said fondly. "Do you know what rank you'd like to have instead?"