At first we had thought Randall lost to his grief, for several days he did little but sleep. A few days ago he emerged, with a strong vengeance in his eyes. Since then he has accompanied the men into the forest on every foray, often running scouting missions alone, tracking the beasts much like they do us. Several times he has intercepted an attack, and wounded several of the beasts in the process. Reports from the men have included such ridiculous claims as he sees from their eyes, and that the spirit of his child and wife now bolster his senses. I know not if any of this talk is true, but I know his successes have had a positive effect on the men. They hail him as a hero, one which is needed at this time.
Today is different however, for Randall has not only defended our men from attack, but has gained his first kill in the name of revenge for his family. Just after mid-day I was summoned from my tent to find the whole of the men crowded around Randall. After pushing through the throng I saw a slight smile on the man's face. He nodded to the ground, where I saw the beast (one of many so Randall later told me) that has been causing our entire plight.
It was reptilian, a slight bit bigger then the average man. It maw was large, and filled with dagger-like teeth, easily capable of tearing through the weak leather that most of our men wore. It had four limbs, the front two being quite small, with short, sharp claws at the end of each 3 fingered hand. They were quite diminutive compared to its legs, large and muscular, it was no doubt this beast could run quite fast. The middle toe of each foot held an over sized claw, very large and very dangerous, and looking at some of the wounds my men have taken, most likely its favourite method of dealing damage. It had a large tail, almost as long as it is tall, making it quite the foe indeed.
I spoke to Randall privately late in the day, he has become quite knowledgeable about these beasts. He said that they are not overly intelligent, no more then that of a wolf. They hunt in packs, luring their pray to an easy kill, using numbers and surprise to their advantage. When I asked him of his grief for his family he stated his sorrow is immense, but he believes that they are with him guiding him to help the others. I can only hope that to be true.
The beast Randall has brought to us has confirmed my hopes; we have in fact landed in Northrendale. The similarities between this beast and the Veloraptors in the monk’s writings are uncanny. The biggest difference is the markings found on this beast, most likely because of the difference in habitat. We need to set about a more permanent camp and docks to bring the remainder of our expedition in to continue our search. The black ore must be close, I can feel it!