I Spy With my Little Eye...a Wher! {Open}

[kat]

Talien, or Tal, as most called him, was more than a little familiar with the layout of the Weyr. After all, he'd lived here his entire life, so this was hardly anything new for him. Still, he had just been Searched to be a wher candidate. After all those years being so sure he was going to be searched for a dragon, if anything, it had come as a big surprise. Still, he figured he liked the whers around Selenitas enough to have a go at bonding one. Besides, with a wher by his side? Maybe he'd have a better chance at protecting his friends, his home.

There'd been not much he could do but shoot arrows at those scum of Benden. He'd wanted to be fighting with a dragon by his side, with some real power behind him. Not that he couldn't defend himself, but with a dragon, they'd be some team! However, he hadn't impressed, hadn't been searched, and all he had to fight by his side were equally underpowered friends, some of whom were too terrified by the screams, the blood, and the death. He had been afraid, too. But if everyone had hidden in fear, they'd have all been slaughtered. Someone besides the riders and handlers had to fight--even if that someone was him and him alone. Fortunately, ther had been other Weyrfolk who knew how to fight, how to hold their own. He had chosen bow and arrow due to his proficiency with it. That, and what else could reach dragons who flew above them?

He hadn't liked harming Benden's dragons. In fact, he had loathed it. However, the greatest danger came from them. They were able to kill more people by themselves than anyone. He blamed their sharding riders for the way the dragons were made to fight, be wounded, and die. Still, he knew that he had to protect his Weyr, and his friends. If that meant attacking the dragons who were killing them...so be it. He was no coward, and when it came to morality the dragons were the ones attacking them--not the other way around. All Selenitas had done was the right thing. All Shmee had done was the right thing, and she'd been poisoned and killed. He still was angry as could be about that. She'd shaped up to be a fine Weyrleader. She'd saved that Benden goldrider, Kaegan, who was now leading them as best she could. Well, Kaegan had his support, that was for sure. She'd done nothing wrong, even if some did mutter against her, or blamed her for ever coming to this Weyr.

Tal intended to have a better look at where he hoped he'd end up spending the rest of his life if he bonded. Maybe he'd be allowed a more close up look at a wher or two, even. That would be prime, if it were allowed by the handlers. Most of the people here were pretty nice and decent. He had a positive feeling he'd get a closer look, which was what he was hoping for. Which was why he'd come just as the sun of Pern was setting. Whers, after all, didn't like bright daylight. They liked the evening, and the night. He at least knew that about them, along with other things he'd picked up here and there over the turns. He knew there was no clutch right now, but that would likely change. It was best to learn as much as he could before he bonded--if he did. Still, he had a positive feeling he just might. It was better to be optimistic about it, to have some hope about it. After all, it was what he wanted, if he couldn't be a rider.

He decided it wasn't a good idea to just walk on into the area where the wherhandlers lived. They'd be coming out any time now, so it was best to just wait outside the entrance to the apartments. So, he stood there, waiting patiently to see who'd be the first to come on out. Hopefully, whoever they were, they'd be of a mind to humor him.

[weaving]

Scratch, scratch. Whine. Scratch.

Jermaysk wanted out. The brown knew that the sun was going down, that it was time to go out and patrol the weyr. He also remembered that tonight Jermayan had promised him a bath in the river, which was probably the cause of the majority of his excitement. Tonight was play time. Of course, he'd still have to occupy himself while Jermayan working in the infirmary, but by then he'd be nice and clean. There was absolutely nothing better than a wonderful scrubbing followed by a lovely oiling and wrapped up with his nightly exploration of the jungles. Maybe he'd find a large wherry nest. Their eggs were always good for snacking on and there were too many of them anyway. The way he saw it, he was doing the weyr a favor. Population control. After all, someone needed to do it.

"Alright, alright. I'm ready." The wherhandler had been taking his time about dressing, having woken up not long before. He'd spent far longer in the infirmary the other night than he had meant to, though working overtime had become second nature. Several of the apprentices hadn't been showing up for their shifts, which meant that someone needed to cover them. He should probably have reported them to Kalierre by now, but he didn't want to bother her more than was necessary. She was still recovering, and whether she'd admit it or not, extra stress was only going to slow down the recovery process. Really, she probably shouldn't be there at all, but he wouldn't be the one to tell her that. No thanks. Frankly, the dragonhealer still had a tendency to unnerve him and he often found himself stammering about like an idiot in her presence. It probably wouldn't be so bad if he were more social in general, but Jermayan didn't mind being a bit of a social recluse. He got along with the few friends he had just fine.

Opening the door to the apartment, he smiled as the brown wher bounded out like a hatchling, eagerly heading toward the direction of the river. That smile quickly turned into a slight frown as the wher stopped suddenly, nostrils flaring as he barked at a figure. Hmm. Why would anyone in their right minds be hanging about here? Jermayan's mind immediately jumped to the attack from Benden. Was it them, back for more? In that case, he needed to sound the alarm. However, when he realized that Jermaysk wasn't attacking the figure, he calmed himself, coming up to stand next to Jermaysk, where he was able to get a better view. A young man with candidate knots...ahhh, a wher candidate come to get a look at the whers perhaps? Well, he supposed that he could indulge the young man's curiosity for a bit.

"I'm Jermayan and this is Jermaysk. Are you here to see the whers?"

[kat]

Tal waited as the sun began to sink ever further in the sky overhead, watching the colors with the same interest and fascination he always had. Sunrises and sunsets were beautiful no matter who you were. There wasn't anyone he knew of that couldn't appreciate that. He was outdoors most of the time, save during Threadfall, so he saw many of them. However, they never got old, and their effect never ceased. As he heard a noise coming from within the general vicinity of the wherhandler's apartments, he turned back around again. Well, that hadn't taken very long at all!

He wasn't sure whom to expect, though most likely it was someone he knew--even if that someone didn't recognize him. He was pretty decent at remembering faces and names, though by no means an expert. He heard the wher before it came into view, a handler following a split second later. He recognized the man, but for some reason couldn't place a name to the face of him or the brown wher that stood by his side. He didn't feel all that bad about it, though. Wherhandlers were not something he'd really been bothered with besides the usual, polite conversations at random mealtimes. He wasn't expected to know their names, especially not when they kept different hours than most of the Weyr. Yes, the nights were theirs, the day had been his. Had? Was he thinking he might bond, then? Well, his usual optimistic attitude dictated it as a highly probable possibility.

Tal grinned and replied honestly, "well, that was the general plan, yeah. I guess you could tell by the knots I'm a candidate." He flicked the shoulder knots before raising an eyebrow curiously at Jermayan, asking, "I take it he's yours, huh?" Tal honestly hadn't the foggiest clue about the names of whers in relation to that of their handlers, and so, "how come whers names are pretty much the same as their handlers? I mean, yours is pretty close to bang on, if you don't mind my saying so," he added.

There were a lot of queries he had about the creatures. He had heard that they were like dragons, only like firelizards in capacity, only smarter. He wasn't sure what to make of that. They apparently sent images and emotions to communicate with their handlers. However, unfortunately he'd had no firelizard and obviously no dragon. There was nothing, thereby, to compare it to. He was just going to have to try and get a feel for what it would be like. Which was kind of like a blind man trying to see through someone's description, in all reality. He was interested, though. He wanted to know as much as he could before standing for a wher. The more he knew, the better. Someone had said whers were merely like smart dogs. Still, he figured if people were comparing them to dragons or firelizards, that description would be kind of inaccurate. Sure, they were used to patrol and guard, but dogs weren't even comparable to either dragons or firelizards. Their mental capacity didn't extend beyond loyalty, instinct, base emotions and the ability to learn basic commands. He was a dog lover, himself, though. It might have been nice if the whers were something like them...

He dared another couple of steps closer, unsure as to how finicky the whers were. Obviously he meant no harm and he wasn't some stranger or anything. Nor was he feeling any fear towards the wher. He found it fascinating. It wasn't as attractive as a dragon, but there was a certain sort of neatness about it and certainly its build belied a lot of power. Could it fly with those stubby wings? Or at least glide? They weren't 'that' stubby but they were not really proportionate, either. So many questions, and since he hadn't heard of any wher clutch, plenty of time to get answers.

[weaving]

Jermaysk sniffed at the young man curiously, realizing by Jermayan’s greeting that he posed no threat. Besides, he didn’t smell like anything bad. The brown lowered his defenses slightly, though still eyed the candidate with a slight wariness. Since the attack he’d been loathe to leave his handler’s side, willing to protect him at all costs. A reassuring hand was placed on his withers, followed by loving scratches. Jermaysk couldn’t resist. Distrust quickly gave way to pleasure as Jermayan relieved an itch that had been there for quite some time. Besides, this candidate fellow hadn’t done anything bad yet, so he must be good if Jermayan was willing to talk to him so casually. Yes, for now he’d trust his handler. His was never wrong, so perfect was he (at least in the brown’s eyes). He eyed the candidate again, though this time not with mistrust, but with curiosity. He was a candidate? But there was no wher clutch, only a dragon clutch. Was there a wher clutch that he didn’t know about? Doubtful. The wherhandler community was so small that nothing went unknown.

As Tal spoke, Jermayan’s lips twitched into a soft smile. It was good to see that at least one of the wher candidates was being proactive about their education, though from his last question it appeared that no one had bothered to change the candidate lessons to include information about whers. Well, that was a shame. All it did was make things more difficult during wherling lessons, if Tal ever made it that far. He seemed promising enough, though Jermayan was no candidate expert. Still, Jermayan seemed to like him well enough. The brown had ventured a few steps forward to sniff curiously at Tal, leaving only a few steps of a gap between he and the candidate.

“He’s as much mine as I am his,” Jermayan replied with a slight laugh. Anyone who thought that whers were simply oversized pets had another thing coming. Their bond was particularly strong, making it difficult for the healer to tell who was thinking what at times. “The name of the wher is indicative of how strong the bond is between wher and handler. The more the name is like that of the wher’s handler, the stronger the connection is. A wher’s name can also change over time. Let’s say, and Faranth forbid this ever happened, I became abusive to Jermaysk. Our bond would weaken and he would probably change his name to something like Jesk.” As Jermaysk heard this, the wher looked back at Jermayan, clearly puzzled, and whimpered. He didn’t mean that, did he?

“No worries, ‘maysk,” Jermayan murmured, before turning back to Tal. “I take they haven’t updated the candidate curriculum to include wher information. Hmm. Well that won’t do, having wher ignorant candidates running about. I’ll answer any questions you have, but only if you promise to pass on the information to others who are interested. Technically, you’re breaking curfew, but it’s for the sake of education, so I won’t tell.” He winked conspiratorially at the candidate, feeling like an adventurous weyrbrat. Really, he wasn’t all that much older than Talien, though he often forgot, getting too caught up in work.

As Talien took a few steps closer and closed the gap, Jermaysk nudged at the boy’s hand gently. Would he scratch him, pretty please? His hide was awfully itchy, and they were supposed to go down to the river and get a bath, but now Jermayan was distracted, which meant that they might never go and he did itch so terribly.

Jermayan rolled his eyes at Jermaysk, stepping forward to pat the brown on his rump a few times. “If you’d like, you could accompany us down to the river and help me bathe him. He likes you and I could use the company.”

[kat]

Tal rather liked this young man and his wher. Then again, he liked just about everyone he met that wasn't foul or sour of mood. He could tell that the wher was checking him out, but it didn't bother him in the least. He was checking out the wher, too, after all. People said that whers were ugly, unattractive creatures. Looking at this one close up, however, he couldn't really bring himself to think that. Sure, they weren't dragons. Nor did they look cute, or cuddly. But their different appearance had a sort of odd appeal to him, and he had a feeling that when people said they were ugly? They were trying to compare them to dragons or firelizards. It wasn't really a fair comparison. After all, everyone knew they'd been a mistake, of sorts. It was rather less a mistake, in Tal's mind, than a blessing in disguise. Whers were smart and loyal, they guarded the Weyr, and they weren't feral or violent or anything. Best mistake ever made on Pern, perhaps? As he eyed Jermaysk, his conviction of this new thought seemed even more so.

The wher was sniffing at him, as his handler explained the meaning of the names and he listened intently. So, that's how it was, was it? To be sure he understood fully, he reaffirmed, "so, if I were to impress a wher, and it were named Talisk or Taliesk, that would mean a closer bond than Task or Taslk, if I understand you right?" He liked to be sure he knew exactly what was meant--and he was fairly sure he did. The reason he asked this was because he wasn't quite sure if all whers started out with names matching their handlers closely, or merely some with instantly stronger bonds. It would be good to know if a bond started strong, or had to be worked on, and so he added, "and if my wher started out as something like 'Task or Talsk', could it later change to Talisk or the like, or is the initial name set in stone?" He was very, very perceptive for his sixteen Turns, and his questions were usually well enough thought out. After all, Tal was a thoughtful sort, usually not too impulsive but that didn't stand for everything. His confidence was solid enough, and he never wavered in his beliefs unless fact or something that sounded more right came along.

Tal didn't want Jermayan to think that the candidate curriculum hadn't been updated, because he honestly didn't know if it had or hadn't. He'd been a candidate all of a day, after all, and that wasn't saying much. So, he quickly affirmed, "I wouldn't know if the curriculum has been updated to include whers or no. I've only been a candidate all of today, and I hadn't heard anything about curfew, either," he admitted, grinning lopsidedly. As a rule, he tended to avoid breaking set rules that were in place for a good reason. This whole candidate thing was new to him and he had yet to hear of the basic rules surrounding this new station in life. He was supposed to go and find out tomorrow, so he doubted he'd be held in any position of blame for not knowing. Still, Jermayan's little 'I won't tell' did make him grin, nonetheless. Just then, he noted that the distance between him and Jermaysk, the wher, was closed, and that his hand had been nudged.

He chuckled, catching on quickly since he'd noted the look of what he took to be pleasure and happiness when Jermayan had scratched the wher. So, hoping it was all right, he scratched just behind the wher's shoulder blade--what had to be one of the itchiest spots on any creature, hoping he was doing it okay. When Jermayan asked if he'd like to come bathe the brown, his face broke out in a broader grin, and he asked, "likes me, huh? Well, I like him too," he admitted, continuing to scratch where he thought would be most itchy, and then, "sure, I'd love to come help out. Hopefully one day I'll have my own to bathe, so now is as good a time as any to learn how, I suppose." He did want to learn before he ended up with one of his own. He wasn't even one hundred percent sure a wher was right for him, to be honest. He'd always thought he'd be impressing a dragon, but instead he'd chosen to stand for a wher...and he still wasn't entirely sure what motivated him to do so. He had hoped in coming here, and spending some time with one, speaking to a handler, he'd figure it out a little better.

[weaving]

“Exactly, and no, the name isn’t set in stone, though whers rarely start with a weak bond. After all, they have no reason not to trust you,” Jermayan replied with a slow nod. He watched Talien wit quiet interest for a moment as if sizing him up. He seemed quite perceptive and as he clarified the information that he’d given him, Jermayan’s opinion increased slightly. The less idiots he had to deal with, the better. It was bad enough in the infirmary, when at times it seemed as though just about everyone purposely tried to get underfoot, especially recently regarding certain apprentices. His eyes narrowed at the thought of Saeo, though part if it was due to Manners’ changing feelings toward the girl’s green ‘mandyr. He’d likely never forgive Freckle for breaking his poor bronze’s heart, and with Manners’ emotions clouding his own judgment, it made working with Saeo practically unbearable. Generally he assigned her tasks such as cleaning out chamber pots, and while it might be unfair, no one had taken him to task for it yet. Talien’s next statement snapped him out of his thoughts (he’d been planning what horrible chore to give to Saeo later that evening) and he returned to studying the boy.

“Brand new here, hmm? Well, I think it’s safe to assume that the curriculum hasn’t been updated recently, which means that unless you continue sneaking about and hanging out with wherhandlers, you’ll attend a wher hatching knowing just about everything concerning dragons and absolutely nothing about whers.” He shrugged as he spoke, continuing on. “It’s not fair, but until the candidatemasters realize there are creatures other than dragons worth learning about, nothing will change.” Biased? No, not Jermayan, not in the slightest. Alright, so perhaps he was still sulking about yet another failed revival of the Nightwatch (which he thoroughly blamed on a lack of support from the Selenitas leadership) but it wasn’t like he hated the dragonriders. He just wanted to be fairly acknowledged was all.

As Talien scratched between his shoulderblades, Jermaysk let out a loud contented sigh. He liked this boy, and he certainly seemed nice. It helped that Jermayan approved of him as well, reassuring the brown that Talien was safe. Gently, the wher brushed at the candidates mind, a wave of pleasure and acceptance that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for anything else. Itch satisfied, he shifted, directing the boy’s hand toward yet another itchy spot. If it wasn’t too much to ask, could he take care of that one too?

At Talien’s acceptance of his offer, Jermayan flashed a smile. “Alright then, let me grab some sand and a few brushes and we can be off.” Before Talien had time to respond, he’d already turned, heading into the apartments for only a few minutes before he emerged once more with a bucket and two scrub brushes.

“So,” he started as he headed in the direction of the river. “I’ve given you my name, but I’ve yet to hear yours.”

[kat]

Talien was rather glad to hear that wher bonds started out strong, not weak. It made him feel like he had a much more even, fairer shot at keeping a great bond with the wher he might get. He didn't really have a preference in color, or size, really. It wasn't really like dragons, after all. A wherhandler was a wherhandler. Though really, he hadn't exactly cared what he got insofar as a dragon would go, either. Except maybe green...he only wanted green if women on blues were chasing. The idea of sleeping with another man just bugged him to no end. Then again, didn't whers not care what gender they Impressed to? Could a male Impress a wher Queen as easily as a female? That thought hadn't even struck him, and as it did, he paled a little. How strong were wher runs? There was another question for Jermayan that he would be a bit embarrassed to ask, but really needed to know the answer to!

"Seriously? They don't teach us wher candidates about the whers?" Tal frowned, brows furrowing. Now that just seemed unfair. What made dragons more important, so that wher candidates weren't taught about the creatures they might bond to? He certainly didn't want to go into this ignorant! He wanted to know everything he could. So, sneaking out to talk to those he did know had one? Seemed a touch unlike him but not altogether. If they weren't going to see to his education on these creatures, he would. However, he wasn't about to get all brazen and say that, instead he just looked unhappy and added, "I think they should teach us...it's not doing me any good to learn about dragons. I'm not standing for one. What I need to know about is whers--I don't want to go into this knowing nothing."

As Jermaysk seemed to want his other shoulder scratched, Tal was perceptive and only too happy to oblige the brown wher. He set to itching the other shoulder, being gentle enough not to irritate but giving the wher a good, satisfactory scratching that would get the itch feeling better for at least a little bit. He really did like Jermayan's wher. Were they all this intriguing and pleasant to be around? He hoped so! Then, when Jermayan went inside, he continued to try and find the itchy spots on the man's wher. Gave him something to do for the minute the man was indoors, because it seemed like it wasn't even a minute, really. The next question took him by surprise, and he grinned sheepishly as he replied.

"I'm sorry--I guess I didn't realize I'd left it out in the excitement of meeting your Jermaysk and yourself," he admitted, and then, offering a hand, "I'm Talien--or Tal--and obviously you know I'm a candidate and new, so no need to tell you that." He was smiling, the kind of open smile friendly and honest sorts wore. It was in truth how Tal was, and he generally seemed a very disarming and easy sort to be around.