The monk did not doubt the shaman's innate wisdom that came with age. When Lecter began to speak about who—no, what—could have caused him such grave injuries, Tenzin let a smile slide onto his face. "Harbor what you may," Tenzin said softly, unwilling to let himself feel the same ill will. He accepted all creatures, even demons like the Dragon. When Lecter went on to explain the blood on his coat, the monk let an eye open to peer at his fellow elder. "Is that so?" he asked warmly, adding, "I hope such devotion is rewarded well enough." Tenzin's reward was peace of mind. He kept a calm composure about most things, even things that would turn a normal wolf mad - wolves—creatures—like the Dragon.
Shifting to turn and view Lecter better, Tenzin let out a sigh of relief as the warm water soaked through his fur. The flowers the shaman had given him were working now. Feeling very relaxed, the monk hmm'd to Lecter's question and nodded. "We also come from far away, very far away," Tenzin began, looking toward the mountain as if looking far beyond it. "You may know of our pack structure, yes? We take it from a large empire called Jokhang, where we were born. It was a pack that sought to overtake any and all around it. It grew into a unhealthy and unbalanced illness," voice dropping, Tenzin narrowed his eyes as if saddened by the thought.
"When Raheerah was a wolf, he was a good Warrior. Madness took him and he became the Dragon. It ripped through most of our Clerics and it took many of our Warriors and Monks to subdue it. Such a disturbance was considered unhealthy and the Dragon was bound by the Monks," he explained, closing his eyes as he relived those painful days. "Dawa was injured during the Dragon's rage, and I took it upon myself to look after her where others had left her for dead. But she could not survive in Jokhang," he continued, "Our only chance of escaping was with the Dragon." Tenzin did not have regrets, save for that one.
"It worked. I unleashed the Dragon on the terms that it would be free once we found a paradise for Dawa," he chuckled here, as if in humility, "and now it has claimed its freedom." He gave a great sigh and looked to Lecter softly. "I feel wrong for allowing it to posses Xi'nuata. She is strong and good at heart. I hope the Dragon does not suffocate her in its rage someday," he said sadly.
"I wouldn't want to return to Jokhang," he said, referencing Lecter's mention of returning to the coast. "I miss my Brothers, but they are with me in spirit. That place is an illness," he hissed, voice thin. Tenzin enjoyed telling stories and he had many to tell, but nobody to tell them to. Dawa had heard most of them by now and he wasn't even sure she enjoyed listening to him draw out encounters and boring spiritual journeys. The story of Jokhang was much larger than what Tenzin had summarized it to, and the story of the Vale was growing.
"I hope you will not stay in the Creek for long," Tenzin said suddenly but did not elaborate. The will to overtake and posses that which is around it had taken hold of the Dragon. The monk could sense the illness within the Dragon as it threw him relentlessly into the ground. Lecter may honor different Gods, but Tenzin found solace within his fellow older companion, crazy shaman or not.