Virtue Wherlings Final Lesson

[Ember]

It was official. Eikane hated the mines. The uncleanliness of it drove him nuts and kept him somewhat irritable whenever he was there. It was rather unfortunate for his class that their lesson was based in the mines that day. Eikane didn't understand how Nautic could stand working in the stuffy mine in the dark. Well, almost dark. He and a couple of his students had some of the glowhats used by the mining wherhandlers. he would have given one to everyone but considering this was the last lesson they all ought to be far enough along in their bonds they could deal with the bare minimum of light.

With a sigh, Eikane stopped and turned to his class. He almost did a double take seeing Eikask not at his side, despite it being his own request. No, by what Eikane thought was necessity he had Eikask next to Faolask. The green was unfortunately prone to bolting and that would be incredibly bad in the mines. He hoped having her mother right next to her would calm her. If that didn't work than at least the gold would be close enough to attempt to stop her green daughter. "Alright, I'm going to pair you off and I want you to look around the mine in this general area and report to me what you find. Be careful," Eikane told his class. They'd already gone over the safety part of the familiarization. Besides, he had slowly stepepd back from actively helping them to letting them discover things on their own as time went on.

Hmm for the pairs...one or two people together with those who had the glowhats would work best. Those with hats were Hinsero, Nysania, and Faolan. Since that was the case..."Hinsero with Emiliah, Nysania with Porita and Kalaht, Faolan with Zemaren." They didn't necessarily have to work closely with each other. He just wanted them in pairs, at the least, so that if they got lost they'd be together. He'd drift around and check on their progress. The area they were in was fairly rich with gems so they should all be able to find something. "Don't forget to ask your whers for help and make sure to get them to smell for bad gas. Now shoo!" With that done, Eikane watched them scatter and he smiled despite the dirty mines. His cute little class was all grown up.

----

I won't be counting posts for this one and maybe you'll see why. Posting to this is still mandatory though.

Attendance:
Hinsero of Brown Hinsesk
Zemaren of Brown Zemask
Nysania of Blue Nyssk
Porita of Blue Posk
Kalaht of Blue Kalsk
Faolan of Green Faolask
Emiliah of Green Emilsk

[Rowana]

Porita moved forward slowly with one hand firmly clutching Posk's shoulder. He had grown much bigger now, though he was still smaller than both the other blues in the class. Porita hardly cared how big he was, so long as he was with her. The deep dark and dank of the mines had her on the edge of her nerves. Though the Weyr was largely made up of caves, it was usually so light and open that she hardly noticed. Here, it felt as though the walls and ceiling might come crashing down at any moment. If she took one wrong turn she would trapped, alone, and in total darkness. One of those nice hats would have been nice right about now.

Posk vibrated with excitement under her hand and nuzzled her with reassurance. No need to worry, Porita love! Posk was here and their pack was here and they were all going to be just fine. Just think of all the new and wonderful things they might find here! Posk had heard Nausk say there were rocks that sparkled! Imagine that! Rocks that shone like the stars! Maybe the stars were really trapped down here, waiting for freedom. Porita smiled slowly at the images and felt herself relax. Posk always seemed to know what to say to get her to calm down.

Listening to Eikane carefully, Porita moved to stand with Nysania and Kalaht. She would have liked to go with Hinsero or Faolan too, but Nysania was at least someone she knew better than some. She checked her boots were on tight and fingered her new trousers nervously. It was her first time wearing them and she wasn't sure she aught to be. Skirts were really what proper girls should wear, but when she'd thought about climbing through the jungle and the mines in them, she knew that pants were safer and less likely to trip her. On her shoulder, Neyki gave a mournful trill that echoed eerily in the dark. Porita was still getting used to the weight of the plump green on her shoulder, but Neyki was an odd sort of comfort in her own right. Even if her way of speaking made everything seem more tragic than ever, she was always there when someone needed it.

Shifting on her feet, Porita reached out to Posk and his senses. His eyes could see quite well in the dim light and darkness and his sharp nose smell no bad gas in the area. Turning to Nysania, who seemed the right person to lead, Porita spoke up softly. "Posk can't smell any gas yet." Months ago Porita would have automatically assumed that Kalaht was leader, since he was the only boy. Maybe she really had changed since coming here.

[Requiem]

Faolask was not in flight mode currently. Nope. She didn't like this musty, stuffy place of tight corridors and sloughing dirt. The air didn't smell clean and there wasn't nearly enough space to run. But the green had something large and shiny to distract her from further thoughts on how much she didn't care for the mines. Mommy! She was shamelessly rubbing against Eikask's flank with a contented croon, apparently oblivious to what the gold's presence beside her meant.

Fortunately, Faolan was enough of an old hand at being bonded to various creatures to prevent himself from drifting toward Eikane and making a certain greenhandler who worked here very jealous...not to mention annoying their instructor. Instead, he studied his uneven nails rather determinedly, as if he had a map of the passageways etched onto them or something.

Shoo. The testosterone was just oozing, wasn't it? He adjusted his odd-looking hat thingy, feeling it just cast funny shadows on things rather than helped much. Faolan was accustomed enough to Faolask's sight now that the extra light actually was mildly...distasteful. All the older people had one. Were they supposed to be...responsible, or something? A mental shrug. He glanced at Zemaren to be sure the harper was closeby, then stepped toward one of the passages the others weren't heading down.

The wherling hadn't gotten very far, however, before Faolask decided that even though she couldn't keep all her favorites right now, Zemask and Eikask and the two men should all be touching her because they were one big happy family! Which resulted in a Faolan squished between two not-so-very-small-anymore juvenile whers as Faolask's tail coiled around Eikask's hind leg and she urged her mother to join in the compact huddle eagerly. "Faolask? We don't really...fit..." The man murmured to her with an awkward half-smile, hoping no one (but Zemaren, naturally) really noticed this clusterfuck in front of the tunnel.

[Rei]

Nysania was actually quite claustrophobic. Whether this had to do with her weight or something else it was hard to say. But whatever the reason being down here in this dark cramped place was not agreeing with her. At all. In fact she was having trouble breathing. Logically she knew the feeling was all in her head but sometimes it was hard to convince yourself of those things. The glowhat helped the feeling a little but the bluehandler was rapidly losing her handle on calm. Slowly inch by inch she was becoming more flighty and a little more panicked. Nyssk kept himself soothingly pressed to her side because of this. A backwards glance was given his two brothers. A soft wuff of appreciation was given Posk for his information. A very good job Follower number one. Nyssk was not worried about his Posk brother. It was his other wayward brother he was worried abut. If Kalsk sought to run off this time he would be meeting talons and teeth of a not very happy leader.

Nysania almost jumped when Portia spoke, her eyes drifting to the smaller and younger girl. A smile she wasn’t really completely feeling found it’s way to the Weyrhealer’s lips. The poor girl had been saddled with her. The least she could do was keep it together for the sake of the younger ones. With that thought in mind the woman gave a brief nod and spoke, her voice steady despite her inward flailing. “Alright then Portia. Thank you.” Looking back at the two children, in comparison to her at least, Nysania took a steadying breath and forced her feet to move forward. “Let’s explore down this way then shall we?” She said simply and began to walk, signaling for Portia and Kalaht to follow her. The sooner they explored and found something for Eikane the sooner they could get out of here and onto safe and less cramped ground.

Nyssk looked back at his blue siblings and then gave one bark of command. This way followers. Brushing up to touch Posk companionably he moved in front of the humans, easily picking his way through the darkness as they started down the tunnel. Pausing to examine the rock wall before him, he continued onward at an easy clip making sure to keep the soft and fragile humans close. Come Followers. They needed to explore. Let them be the first group to find something worthwhile. Looking back the blue changed wavelengths and brushed soothingly against Nysania’s mind. Come Protected number one. He would let nothing happen to her. She had to lead the silly meatbags. She was better than what she was letting scare her. He would not accept her fear.

“You’re so sweet.” The older woman murmured with slight exasperation at her purple hued wher before forcing herself to follow him. It was a gem mine right? So they were looking for veins of gems then? That would be good information for Eikane she supposed.

[Ruby]

Emiliah. Hinsero didn't know her well, her or Emilsk; he and Hinsesk had never spent time with the pair outside of lessons. She seemed a bit shy, maybe just a tad touched in the head, but that just made Hinsero want to be even nicer to her. He might have liked to be paired with Porita, but he saw more of her than anyone; it would be good to get to know someone new. That thought made him snort - it sounded like something Hinsesk would have said. Wonderful. Settling the glow hat on his head, he waved the much smaller girl over, laying a hand on Hinsesk's shoulder. The brown was near the size of a small runner now, and although he still looked kind of like a big fat-covered blob, the flesh under Hinsero's hand was thick and muscular. Somehow, Hinsesk had gone from the little creature that hatched near half a turn ago to this hulking, near-black beast; it had happened so fast. Hinsero smiled in affection, leaning his head against Hinsesk's neck for a second until Emiliah and Emilsk had gotten themselves sorted out.

The big brown snuffled vaguely at his sister, then shambled off immediately. He might be big, now, but he'd never grown out of his enormous feet, and they still made him clumsy at best. With the hat on, Hinsero felt even taller than usual; normally the mines didn't bother him, and he rather liked all the interesting things you could find in caves and the like, but now he found himself ducking compulsively as he started down a tunnel after his determined Wher. Hinsesk had been sleeping a lot lately; apparently now it was time to work, to balance out his laziness. Glancing back to make sure Elmiliah and her Green were still with them, he kept his voice low and asked, "How are you two doing, down here? Alright?"

Hinsesk was sniffing along the ground now, pausing every once in a while to send a thought back to Emilisk. Was this gas? No, just funny-smelling dirt. This one? What did she think? The humans would watch for the gems, of course, Hinsesk informed Hinsero. That way there was balance, much more effective than having all four of them look for everything, and likely miss something. Yes? A momentary pensive look passed over Hinsero's face; for once, Hinsesk's odd love of moderation seemed to make sense. "Hinsesk suggests that the Whers smell for gas while we look for gems. He thinks that way we won't spread our attention too thin and miss something. Sound good?"

[Ember]

Eikane watched the pairs and one group wander off to accomplish their tasks before deciding to shadow Nysania's group. Not that he didn't trust the older woman but he wanted to keep an eye on Porita and Kalaht. Eikask could handle Faolan and Faolask either on her own or with suggestions from him. Who said he couldn't be two places at once? Emiliah was a bit of a worry too but Hinsero was a good kid and could look after her for him. They were a far better class than his own class had been.

Eikask accepted Faolask's attention with good grace. Not a brown or a bronze but, still, attention was attention. It wasn't really noticeable to others but she did have a soft spot for her own children, too. She blamed the sires for any weirdness but they were still her babies all the same. The gold didn't even complain publicly about Faolask urging her to join some kind of little huddle. Eikask did huff gently and point out that they probably wouldn't fit into the tunnel that way, echoing her daughter's human.

The goldhandler didn't notice it at first, it had been that subtle. The earliest warning sign was dirt and dust falling around him and he grimaced. Gross. He'd be scrubbing away at his body and clothes for hours before he'd be certain they were clean. Then he noticed the shifting of the ground and he paled. Good Faranth, an earthquake? He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Wherlings, run towards the exit! Earthquake!" Eikane ended up doing the opposite of his own instructions and waited. Wherlings first, then he could leave.

As his students ran past him he followed behind them. All the while the shaking had grown more intense in the mines. Finally the entrance and a good number of the tunnels gave way. That wasn't the only damage done though, as rubble rained down from the cielings, separating some people and injuring others. As the dust finally settled Eikane coughed and groaned. His glowhat was ruined and he tried to borrow Eikask's vision only to find that she was trapped elsewhere.He tried to move only to nearly vomit with the pain. His left leg was trapped under rocks.

((Hinsero, Nysania, Faolan, and Porita are together. Zemaren, Kalaht, and Emiliah are together somewhere else. Placement of your whers is up to you; Eikask is near Faolask. Feel free to have your character have injuries or not. Drama is welcome. =P))

[Requiem]

Despite the - chidings? - of both handler and dam, Faolask wasn't at all swift to rectify the matter of being a clump altogether too big to fit into the tunnel ahead. No, instead she whined, the normally mild-tempered creature on the verge of something like a childish tantrum. Why couldn't they all fit? They'd just have to squeeze in tighter together, of course, and stop thinking so negatively.

Then something quite unexpected began, like a trembling, an extension of nerves that wasn't at first recognized as external by the skittish greenpair. It was Faolan who noticed it first as his head swung toward a sudden slough of stone and dust not far to his left. The ground itself was shuddering, and the walls bent and buckled within the scope of the glow, their movements perhaps given more violence by the dance of shadows and an altogether too good imagination.

An imagination Faolask more than shared.

No imagination was needed, though, to add urgency to the sudden rush of fear when the tunnel in front of them seemed to implode, collapsing inward on itself and reaching out towards the huddled group of whers and humans in waves of billowing dust and rock. The same oddity that had spared them being caught in the collapsed tunnel hampered them now, as the cloud rolled over them, Faolask somehow managing to writhe free as she turned to bolt - and left Hers scrambling back to his feet after she'd knocked him over.

The wher darted forward at a blindingly fast rate, weaving in and out and dodging falling rocks, but some inevitably clipped her, and the girl spun and turned with no regard whatsoever for direction, the imperative to flee foremost. Faolan, for his part, had not moved. Dust, falling rocks, rumbling...sight and hearing was all confused in the pandemonium, and the man was frozen to the spot despite the screaming in his muscles to run. It spared him injury beyond the first initial scratches earned by flying rock in the tunnel collapse.

As the dust seemed to settle, he stood, the glow given off by his hat still miraculously undiminished. Faolan lifted an arm in an attempt to filter the dust from his lungs when he breathed. "A-anyone?" It was a mess of collapsed rock, and blood and ichor spread its metallic scent through the air, along with that of dust and the rich musk of fertile earth. "Faolask?" He didn't dare raise his voice too much, for fear of causing further collapse.

[Ruby]

Everything was going quite well, it seemed. Hinsesk was farthest down the tunnel, in the front of the group, marking spots for Emilsk to check as she brought up the rear; Hinsero led Emiliah, looking back often to make sure the girl could see. He'd leaned in to inspect a shiny bit of rock - maybe a vein of something? - when the whole tunnel seemed to roll just a little. That wasn't good, he figured, looking back at the girl behind him with big eyes, reaching for Hinsesk with his mind. What was -

But Hinsero got an answer from the earth, not his Wher. It reminded Hinsero of the one time he'd been on a boat - the whole world rolling around him, ground moving in waves like the ocean. He froze and felt Hinsesk do the same behind him. It was really only for a second, but it felt like an eternity before Eikane's shout snapped him out of it. Poor Emiliah looked terrified, so Hinsero slammed the glowhat down on her head and echoed Eikane's shout of "Run!", shoving her back up the corridor. The pair moved off into the dark, and Hinsero gave a sharp mental tug on Hinsesk's mind before dashing off himself.

It was hard to run with the ground moving like that, especially when Hinsero had his arms up, protecting head and neck as he moved. A huge crash sounded, but Hinsero wasn't paying attention - it was the yelp of pain that mattered more. The Handler knelt, hissing in pain as a limping Hinsesk whined and curled into his Hinsero's side. Pain pain pain! It took Hinsero a second to figure out which one of them had been hurt, but he realized fairly quickly that there was nothing actually wrong with right wrist he was cradling. No, something had happened to Hinsesk, and by the swelling - already! - that Hinsero was feeling, it looked like Hinsesk had tripped over his own over sized feet and sprained his right foreleg.

Straightening, Hinsero glanced around, finding the source of the slight glow quickly. A glowhat, and moving, so whoever was wearing it was alright. Emiliah? No, Faolan, it seemed. "I'm here," Hinsero called across the small cavern the pair of them seemed to be in, surprised at the thin shakiness of his voice. "I've got Hinsesk too, but I don't see Faolask..." Hinsesk? Do you see your sister? Pain pain pain, but Hinsesk would try to find her. Reaching out gently with his mind, Hinsesk attempted to contact all of his siblings, not just the green. It was Hinsero, of course, who added a tentative, "Porita?"

[Rowana]

Porita relaxed a little as they went. It was good to have Eikane with them especially when Nyssania seemed almost as nervous as she was. Posk was having fun, though. He bounded ahead with the other whers, fascinated by all the new sights and smells he was finding. Porita was just getting used to the idea of being this far underground, when something odd started happening beneath her feet. Posk was ahead again, delighted at the new sensation. The ground is moving, Porita-love! Isn't it neat? I wonder what makes it do that. Porita frowned in confusion, but it quickly turned to panicked as Eikane shouted.

Run, Posk! It's an earthquake! Porita had never been in an earthquake before, but she knew enough to follow instructions. Posk, for all his curiousness, thankfully decided to follow her. Porita wasn't entirely sure what happened next. Without a glowhat, she could only see through Posk and the random lights of those around her. Grateful for her decision to wear pants, she ran for all the was worth. The floor rolled beneath her feet and Porita tumbled to her hands and knees just as the ceilings started collapsing. Posk yelped in panic and double back only to be blocked by a pile of rocks.

Porita's next memory was coming awake to someone saying her name. It was like pulling herself out of a long sleep, but she couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes. Posk's mind pressed to hers with such relief that she wondered what could have happened to make him worry so much. She sought for his eyes, but all he could see was rocks. Blinking almost painfully despite the dim light, Porita could just make out Hinsero and Faolan nearby. "I'm here," she managed weakly. She tried to push herself up, but it was harder than she thought. Reaching back to touch a sour spot on her head she was surprised to feel something sticky under her hair. Was there slime in the caves?

Misery loves company and no one loved misery more than Neyki. Separated from her lovely Porita and the silly blue beast in all the confusion, the green fire lizard flew back to find them. Narrowly avoiding falling rocks and chunks of ceiling, Neyki hissed her displeasure at the whole affair. Only foolish humans and their beasts would go somewhere so dangerous and unstable. It was now too dark to see or fly without running into more rocks, so Neyki settled on the shoulder of the nearest human. Her Porita would find her in time. This human seemed quite upset about something, poor thing. Neyki snuggled close to Eikane, singing a low, moaning and quite depressing song in his ear.

[Rei]

Everything seemed to be going so well. Now if only Nysania could relax enough to enjoy the lesson. Most of her fear had been pushed aside with simple mental reminders and help from Nyssk. It was hard not to be confident when you were attached to a being that was ridiculously confident. The purple hued wher crooned gently in response to that thought. The healer snorted. Not to mention ridiculously narcissistic. Turning her glow hat to the wall and examining the rock for any glimmers the woman moved along swiftly with her group. If she noticed the presence of Eikane behind her she didn’t comment. No things where strangely silent. Too silent maybe. Further ahead in the tunnel Nyssk stopped dead in his tracks, nostrils flaring as he felt a sudden shift in something. That was when the ground started literally rolling.

With a sharp bark of command the purple hued wher reared and spun around to face the exit just as Eikane yelled. Growling deep in his throat the large male butted his head against his closest sibling to get them moving and mental rammed against the fear frozen mind of protected number one. Move! Now! Only then did Nyssk move and then it was to take up residence at the full rear of the group. He was responsible for them all. They all needed to get out first. It was then that he noticed Faolask rear and spin to turn in the wrong direction. Silly sister. She would lose herself deep in the mine. Surging forward the much larger blue lowered his head and rammed into the female as she sought to speed past him. His objective to knock her off her feet. Only then did he move to try and pin the female, taking care to restrict her movement’s as much as possible should she seek to lash out against him in her blind fear. His mental command slid strong and cold into her mind as he acted. Cease protected sister number two. She was safe. Stop.

Nyssk’s command was all that got Nysania moving. The frightened woman would have just stood there frozen had it not been for the almost painful prod to her consciousness. Perhaps it was a blessing that she wasn’t much of a runner because the falling rocks that claimed some of the others never got close to her. She had been far enough back that the small objects that struck her where small enough to be of no consequence and cause no injury. As the dust started to settle the woman took great gulps of air, chest heaving. They were trapped…..trapped underground. The air. What if they didn’t have enough air? As the panic of her claustrophobia started to creep back in something besides the smell of dirt assaulted Nysania’s nostrils, a scent that was all too familiar. The new scent helped kicked her mind into a different direction, thanks to her turns of training as a healer, and the woman clung desperately to the new thought that blossomed in her mind. It was the scent of blood. Not good.

Swallowing the Weyrhealer peered into the darkness, panning the area with the glow from her hat. “Is everyone alright?” Despite the slight tremble at the beginning her voice it still came out strong. Blood meant wounded. Wounded meant she had a job to do. If she just clung to that thought... Stepping forward she made for the sound of Faolan’s voice first. Light from that area. Faolan had light too. Good. Then she heard Portia utter a weak response and the glow from her hat just caught the silhouette of Hinsero. Then some of them were together at least. Slowly she made her way towards the other wherlings, sparing a questioning thought for Nyssk before she managed a comment for her classmates. “We need to regroup. Portia? Where are you?”

[Ember]

The problem with being clumsy meant Eikask couldn't catch up to Faolask even had she been capable of moving at the same speed as the green. Should have been anticipating her daughter bolting, really, but she was rather more preoccupied worrying about Hers in the earthquake. Part way through chasing after the green, if only to make sure she had someone to be lost with together, the gold noticed pain. Pain that most definitely wasn't her own. With some small relief she noticed that Nyssk had managed to at least prevent Faolask from running too far. To stop the green from struggling, Eikask brushed agaisnt the green's mind with an order to remain in the vicinity. Run in circles if she had to, just stay in sight.

Keening quietly, the gold then proceeded to press against the mind of Hers which was quickly turning to a befuddled mess. Lovely. That left her in charge of the class, humans and whers alike, until they could get Hers help. As far as the gold was concerned, that was their first priority. She reached outside the mine for the minds of the other whers. Trapped class, probably a couple others who had been working in a different part of the mine, need help. Then she checked on her babies. All okay? Status check of them and theirs. Hers was injured somewhere.

Eikane jumped at the contact on his shoulder only to hiss in pain a second later. Oh, firelizard thing. "Well hello there. That's an awful sad tune, chika." Honestly, he couldn't tell their gender but it didn't really matter at the moment. A reassuring presencce in his mind had him smiling in the darkness. Hey Eikask! Do send some help when you can. Firelizards are only good company for so long, you know. "I don't suppose you know any happier tunes? I suppose I could sing if you don't..."

((Feel free to bring in older wherhandlers at this point. ^^))

[Requiem]

Faolan's breaths were coming in small pants, pupils dilated, but he was surprisingly steady given Faolask's current state of panic; he turned toward Hinsero, brushing hair that had fallen before his eyes back. "We sh-should all see wh-who we're missing," the greenhandler stated tremulously. It was clear he was fighting to keep in control of the instinctive urge still flooding him from his young wher. He wasn't too worried about her, however; he'd know if she was hurt.

Porita's voice had his head swiveling, the glow of the light illuminating just her foot. "There, Nysania," he told the woman quietly, before he suddenly grasped for her arm. Too late. Faolask felt the weight on top of her and panicked. Her claws slashed at whatever part of Nyssk she could reach...including his underbelly. Rocks smothering her! The green thrashed, not strong enough to throw Nyssk off, but more than dangerous enough to hurt him. The scent of ichor made her pause. Eikask's command calmed her more. The damage was already done, though. Faolask whimpered. Was he...okay?

---

"Well I can hardly imagine," the young girl commented, legs spread wide over the swollen flanks of her tubby blue as he picked his way gingerly over fallen debris. Her flit fluted to her, then repeated the series of images. "Those trolls must have been drumming something awful to make everything fall like that. You mean the earth was applauding them? I suppose that makes more sense."

The trio stopped when they found the end of the tunnel blocked. Ximera wrinkled her nose. "Well, poo. That's not the drummers." The girl rubbed a grimy sleeve to clear the grime from her face...it was predictably unsuccessful. "Guess we'll just have to try another hall, and hope the trolls haven't gotten to it yet. Hop to, Ximesk! And don't huff and puff so much. The poor little ones won't want a cavalry that's panting like he's just been through a marathon."

Ximesk turned, plodding along in his slow fashion to plunge back into the warren of passageways.

[Rowana]

The voices above seemed to come from very far away as Porita tried again to get to her feet. The wave of nausea hit faster this time and she had to clamp her mouth such to keep from throwing up her last meal. Her head was spinning so much now she wasn't sure if the earthquake had really stopped. Posk was tugging gently at her mind, trying to find out if she was alright and letting her know he would find her. Though she didn't doubt her small blue was capable, she didn't really like the idea of him wandering the tunnels alone either.

Focusing what little awareness she had on Posk, however, had the drawback of not realizing that people were looking for her. It was much easier to not move and make sure Posk was alright. Maybe he could find the others and get them out too. She was suddenly very worried about them. What if someone was hurt or worse down here? Neyki was gone too, though she could just sense the fire lizard was still alive somewhere. She had heard Hinsero, Faolan, and Nyssania, so they must be nearby. Determined not to be helpless in this situation, Porita tried one more time to get up and managed to lean back on her knees with a soft moan. Why was the world still spinning?

Neyki purred in a friendly, if sad tone in Eikane's ear. He was a nice human, she decided. He was certainly lonely and in need of her company, but at least he was blubbering or screaming. He'd even liked her music and was very polite about it. She chirped apologetically at his request though. She didn't really know many other songs, but she would try. With a soft trill, she began a tune that was, if possible, even more depressing and sad, almost like a funeral march.

~

Roisk tugged his handler to run faster. His children were in danger and they must hurry! Roivao ran along side him, panting a little. He could have rode, but Roisk would probably need to extra strength more than he would when they got their. Shards and shells, but why an earthquake at a time like this?! The wherlings were learning fast and well, but they were still learning. Bad enough being trapped underground when you were fully trained. Roi focused himself on them being trapped. He refused to believe that any of them might be dead, though it was a very real possibility. Eikask was alive at least, since she'd sent out the call.

Spotting a familiar blue wher down one tunnel, Roisk slowed to greet Ximesk with a tight bark. He was pleased to see the other wher had come and hoped that together they could find the lost ones. Roi nodded to Ximera, grateful for her quick response to the crisis. The girl never ceased to surprise him. "Let me know if you have an luck," he asked between breaths. "And be careful!" If they could coordinate the search, maybe they would have a better chance of finding them quickly. Roisk chose another path, calling to Eikask the the young ones as he went: we are coming, stay and call back if you can.

[Ruby]

Hinsero wanted to be fair, wanted to worry about all his classmates equally. What he wanted hardly seemed to matter, though - he couldn't help but let out a relieved breath he didn't even know he was holding when Porita spoke. He knelt next to her, reaching out to help her up, but had to force himself to stop. He was no first-aid healer, but EVERY person who worked in the Infirmary knew that you did not move an injured person until they had been checked out. So instead he sat back on his heels, thankful that Nysania seemed to be nearby. "She's here," Hinsero echoed Faolan as the Greenwherling grabbed the Healer's arm. "I think she's hurt?" he added, turning the statement into a question about what Faolan was doing. He was ok, wasn't he?

Once he knew Porita was taken care of, he moved to a cross-legged seat, pulling Hinsesk's head into his lap so he could stoke the Wher's head, doing his best to clamp down on his own pain and fear so he could keep Hinsesk under control. "Emiliah and Emilisk went on ahead," he went on, talking to keep everyone (and himself) from fully panicking. "So... Kalaht and Kaslk, Zemaren and Zemask, and Eikane and Eikask. Does everyone else have their Whers?"

--

Piden wasn't exactly working, per se. Pidesk was, ranging as far from His as he dared; Piden himself was occupied with a young Wasteland bluerider who was perfectly willing to bend curfew when Piden slid a hand up his thigh. The Bronzehandler had quickly discovered that these Wastelanders, especially the younger ones, weren't all as homophobic as they seemed. Some were simply repressed, some were trying to "fix" themselves by making sure they had no outlet for their desire, some were just homesick and willing to do just about anything for a warm body in their bed. Piden didn't care which was which as long as he could convince them to "go for a walk" with him. It had become sort of a game; what was the point in bedding female Greenriders who thought that was their only function when there was a challenge such as this?

The slight movement of the ground didn't bother Piden; actually, he hardly noticed, busy as he was with the pretty Bluerider. Eikask's call, though, magnified into a shout by Pidesk, did. Extracting himself, Piden did up his breeches and looked down at the man, confused and still desire-fogged. "Gotta go, sorry," the Bronzehandler said, turning to vault aboard the recently returned Pidesk. The pair headed off into the darkness, Pidesk calling for Roisk as Piden pushed sweat-soaked hair off his brow. Pidesk was the Northern Watchwher on duty tonight, Roisk the Northern Guardwher; the Mines, or the part Eikask's call had come from anyway, were in the northern segment. The bronzes coordinated briefly, and Pidesk informed Piden that Ximesk and His were here, too. Starting down yet another tunnel, Pidesk echoed Roisk's message: we are coming.

[Tashe]

"Uuugh..." What had happened? One minute he was walking along the tunnels the next he... he... was running? The darkness around him felt oppressive, like it was purposely trying to suppress his memories. Yes he had been running with... Kalaht, Emiliah and their Whers. Groaning he tried to move but found it impossible to move anything above his waist, something was restraining him. Tired confused and out of breath, the Wherling tried to piece together what had happened. The ground... something about the ground... the earthquake! Of course! He remembered now. He'd been running along side the girls trying to get out of the mines when the tunnel collapsed around them. The Brownhandler had nearly tackled the girls out of the way of a falling beam when everything went black.

"Zemask?" He half coughed half called, his voice was scratchy from inhaling dust. "Kalaht, Emiliah? Kalsk... Emilsk?" Zemaren strained his ears trying hear any sort of response. Suddenly he felt a welcome pressure against his mind, his Brown had just managed to free one of his wings from under a rock. Soon the Wherling felt a wet tongue bathing his face in worry. "Zemask. Help? The beam... too heavy... can't lift." Speaking was a challenge, and so was getting air. Zemaren turned to mind speak to help ease some of the discomfort. He showed the Brown pictures of the two girls and their Whers. Zemask wuffed slightly. No he hadn't seen them. He'd been too preoccupied to look. They had to be around somewhere. His had shoved them out of the way.

Trying to get his head under the beam, the large Brown did his best to maneuver the beam onto a small rock, trying to relieve some of the pressure that was being exerted onto his human. "I think..." Zemaren coughed, "I can crawl out... if you... lift it more..." Zemask moved closer to the rock, here there was room to get more of his head under. Inhaling, the Brown heaved upwards lifting the beam higher, growling as the weight increased. He didn't want to rush but Hislove had better hurry. Zemaren slid himself forward, using his arms to pull himself out from under the beam. His body screeched at him in protest letting him move only just far enough away. Heaving again, the Wher pushed the beam away, watching it fall just short of Zemaren's boots. His wing hurt but he was far more concerned with how His was.

Coughing, Zemaren managed to pull himself up enough to rest against Zemask as the Wher curled up around him. The Handler hurt just about everywhere. All he wanted to do was take a nap, but somewhere deep down he knew that would be a bad idea. "Zemask..." He fought the urge to close his eyes. "...call for help. See if you can c-c..., " He coughed, "call anyone." The Brown lifted his head looking in the direction which they had come from. They had lept into a side tunnel, one that was now halfway blocked with rubble but he could still see through to the other side. Reaching out to anyone that could hear him, Zemask twitched his tail. Is anyone near? Zemask's is hurt. He would appreciate help. Kalsk's and Emilsk's should be around here as well.

----

Nautic sat bolt upright in the chair he'd been napping in, Nautsk had almost tipped him over as she frantically lept to her feet. An earthquake? Pictures of the Mines flooded his brain as his Green amplified the distress call, scrambling out of his seat the Minemaster darted down the hall and nearly knocked down the door to his and Eikane's room. Rope, glow-hat, tool belt and his small medical kit in one hand and leathers on the other, the Greenhandler nearly threw the leathers on Nautsk before climbing on. Knowing that his Green was going to run, Nautic had the good idea to strap himself down. Her walk was lovely but the gate of her run could throw even the best rider off if they weren't clipped in.

As soon as they were out of the Wher barracks, Nautsk shot out over the ground, quickened by Nautic's worry. Calling out to Pidesk, who she sensed was near by, the Green informed him that they were on their way. From the brief touch she could tell that he knew Roisk and Ximesk were already there. Tossing her mind out to the other Bronze as she ran, she too informed him that they were coming. She also told him that he needed to be careful because it could still be dangerous. And that Her's said that if rocks and wood had fallen to tell Ximesk to tell her's to watch for the signs of further collapse. She knows what to do and should pair up with Roisk. (Hopefully, Nautic thought. He'd trained her after all.)

Again she reached out to Pidesk. He and his should team up with her and Hers. Each Wherhandler should be with a person from the Mining team. Thats what her's said after all. It would be safest that way. The extra weight of Nautic slowed her down more than she would have liked, but honestly, as long as her's could stay on her back she'd continue press forward.