The Sunspire Progressive Leaps

Sustenance. It had become among the few things of importance to him since the monk and Dawa had planted themselves in the valley. His duty had been done, his promise lifted; he had found them paradise, where they would now reside in peace. For how long, not even Raheerah could foretell; he had gone long without the blood of another seeping between his teeth, had yet to pass true judgment. While they traveled, he had set his schemes aside. He was growing impatient and starved, and torn between two desires; he hungered for retribution and vengeance. And yet, violence and aggression had avoided him during most of their journey, and he had lived without the dreadful bloodshed that his faction promised. On one end of the spectrum, that was what he fought for, was it not - to end the violence? To escape from it?

On the other hand, he was a creature built for war. He fed on blood and organs, and he was angry, so unbearably angry. It only suited him that he should tear others apart. And that just made him angrier. How long would it be before Raheerah found his teeth around another's neck again? For how long could he stifle his rage?

No more than a day had passed, surely, since making their home in the valley had Raheerah tired of the monk again. He found himself working his way through the mountains, and eventually to the foothills, and the pastures that yawned before them. He was likely a day's travel from the vale, but that bothered him little. What weighed on his mind besides extinguishing his lust for brutality was hunger, and the craving his stomach held to be fulfilled. It had been a long time since he'd had a proper meal.

A call rose out into the sky. The beast raised his head, and his ears rotated, tuning in to the call that escaped into the vastness of the surrounding prairie. It spoke of what he craved and mirrored his wants. Without hesitation, he followed the sound, if only to see what creature spewed it from their jaw. And he found, to his surprise and mild, very mild, pleasure, that it was a familiar face. She had earned his tolerance, and for that reason, he figured that perhaps it would not be so painful to join her in her quest. Raheerah lurched forward through the snows, a heavy gait that bobbed his head with each step. When he reached her, he said nothing; his tongue ran over his teeth and his nose in eagerness for their hunt, and his eye fixed on her, before tearing elsewhere.