Rumors told of ghosts wandering these wetlands. Raheerah didn't believe in ghosts, just as he didn't believe in good intentions, heroism or love. He believed in immortality and Gods, but only those he could see. Lham was his only immortal, and he knew that she was one of them. She was modest, for she occupied a body crippled and broken, but he had always attributed that to fate. He was meant to be among her most loyal dogs. He had been lured to her, by her form of tempting, a form that would incite a violent hunger in him. She must have known of his nature and her unwillingness to die that day had been enough to convince him. She was wily, but Raheerah appreciated it that much more.

At times, he wondered if he, too, could ascend into the realm of immortality. If he served his Lham well enough, would she grant him that power? Could he wield it as gracefully as she, could he don it when her soul left this mortal plane? That was to assume Raheerah would exist after she had abandoned her body. He would follow her obediently where ever she went, he knew this. And he wondered if he would appear in places where there existed wolves who believed in ghosts.

The dragon skirted along the edge of the wetlands. His massive form lingered where the land was still dry. The soil beneath his paws was wet, carrying the moisture of long-melted snow from the winter past, but the brackish waters that lapped at the grasses were held at bay. Trees creaked quietly in the warm afternoon and songbirds trilled among their slowly replenishing branches. Raheerah had come here purely to snoop, and he was more than eager to know what he could find.

And discover something he did, for as he turned his gaze through the marshy trees he noticed a shadow among them. Raheerah paused, narrowing his eyes. It certainly was not the ghostly white witch he had encountered near his borders, nor the white woman that traipsed over them not long ago; the creature he had spied did not carry the stench of the Creek, but rather the pack he had turned his attentions away from recently. The Plateau. Still, their aroma spawned an agitation in his brain at the memory of their leader's mistreatment of him and his companions. Lashing his tail to and fro, the dragon held her gaze, finding a pair of green eyes to which his own scarlet sight transfixed.

A slow rumble began to emanate from his chest. It was curiosity now. What was she doing so far from her home? As he recalled, he was nearing Creek territory, and his intentions had been to scour the wetlands for any information he could grasp on their neighbors. The beast slowly began to step towards her, maintaining an almost sluggish pace. Without access to the dragon's thoughts, it could easily be interpreted as a predatory stalking, a creature hungrily advancing on his prey. But Raheerah carried only curiosity about her, signaled by the intrigued lashing of his tail behind him.

Surprisingly, instead of turning tail, the woman chose to approach him as well. Her movements towards him caused Raheerah to slow his pace, pausing even with one paw hovering above the earth still. It was only a momentary interim before he resumed his pace, ignorant of whatever courage she decided to strike up in that moment. Though, maybe it wasn't courage - maybe it was a desperate attempt to stall him, or to make him into less of a frightening predator and more of company. She blurted out her name and origin, which prompted the dragon to carve a ghastly smile into his jaws and pour forward a slimy chuckle.

"Aaand forr whaat reeeason is aa doogg froomm the Plateaauu waandering so faar from hoome." He eyed her with mild amusement, raising himself up to his full height. If not for his height, he could have been mistaken for a shadow cast across the ground. But even then, the oil of his fur reflected the sunlight in minute glaring rays that would betray him still. He fixed his single eye on her, rolling over her stature and the details of her form, which would suggest the woman was fairly healthy. Though he aimed to be intimidating, he truly was curious about her presence here. He'd come searching for Creek wolves and ended up stumbling upon one from the southern plateau, the least he desired was an explanation.

She took special care towards designating herself as a wolf, and Raheerah cracked his lips into another ghastly grin, entertained. He could remember seeing her before, and as she spoke of being a healer, he recalled the day that Xi'nuata had been escorted back to the Vale by this woman. Yes, it was her, wasn't it? He took a closer look at her, turning his head slightly to hold the entirety of her image within his single-eyed gaze. He didn't know her name back then, but she had offered it earlier. Blue Willow. That was the name of the woman that had helped Xi'nuata; had she seen him, lingering the shadows? Watching and ensuring the safety of his light?

"Yooouu wwere quiite caapaable iin nurrssing my liiight." He began, speaking forth immediately from the stream of thoughts that had ran through his head. Raheerah stood straighter, rolling back his shoulders before he sunk onto his haunches. Despite knowing this woman had helped Xi'nuata, he would still more than readily tear into her if given reason and opportunity; however, at the moment, they seemed to share a common ground, and so he relaxed himself. "Sheee faaares weelll." The dragon huffed. Still, his opinion of the Plateau wolves would not change - but maybe this woman would prove her worth to him further.

He was caught off guard by the woman's eagerness to follow up with Xi'nuata's condition. He hadn't really expected her to care at all for the woman, just as Raheerah held little concern for wolves outside of his pack. But he supposed such fools were prone to extending their kindness as far as it could reach under the false hope that it may bring them fortune. He'd known fools like that; the monk was like that, and how many loyal dogs did he have baying at his heels? None any more. They all belonged to the dragon now; all warriors within his faction. Kindness was no virtue; it was a trap, a waste of time at best.

Raheerah grunted, thinking back to when he had to pluck the thorns from his light's fur. "Shhheee iiiss weeelll." He repeated, finding no need to elaborate further on her health. As far as he was concerned, if her eye wasn't bulging out of her head or bleeding, it was fine. She hadn't told him of any concerns she had, anyways. "Yoouu saaay yoou aare a heeaaler. Whaat dooees thiiis entaaiil." Raheerah pointed his nose at her, staring down his muzzle at the female with curiosity. He imagined she would have the same duty as the clerics, but considering the Vale's significant lack of clerics, he wanted to know what the lands outside of his valley could offer. Perhaps he could find somebody out here to serve as a cleric for the fighters of the Vale.

So her duties mimicked those of the clerics. He imagined that her role would be the same as well; to remain close within the pack borders and tend to whomever was brought to her. But seeing as the packs of the Wilds were not at war with one another (at least not yet) there would be no need to quarantine the medics to the safety of their own pack. That would explain why she was out here hunting for herbs. He eyed her, pondering; could she tell that the beast was in thought, or did it simply come off as an unnerving stare? He didn't care, temporarily consumed by his thoughts.

After a moment's silence, he rose up to his paws again, discreetly stretching his limbs while standing tall before the woman. A second time he looked her up and down, before he uttered a grunt and rolled his shoulders. "Ii seeee." He boomed lowly, drawing his lips back into an unsettling sneer. "Yoouu aare a treeaat. Iii aaaam Raaheeeraah of thhe Vaaaale." The dragon added, certain to include his origin so she would know well where to find him. "Pleeaase, feel weelcoome to viisiit. Uuuntiiiil theeen."

He had not yet ascertained any intention for the healer, but he had come to recognize her use. And with the dwindling number of clerics within the Vale, it may become of urgency to find somebody with Blue Willow's knowledge. Raheerah sent her a lasting glance before he turned away, continuing on his trek through the wetlands.