Dance Wherlings ~ Hunting Lesson

[Rowana]

Dance Wherlings ~ Hunting Lesson
Learning on the Job


It had been some time since their first lesson. The wherlings had grown strong, both in size and bond with their handlers. Roivao was confident that they were all ready to move on the harder tasks. Even so, it was hard not to feel uneasy about the current assignment. After the recent feline attack on the herds, it seemed wise to prepare against future such battles. Fighting felines wasn't like fighting humans and dragon kin. The same rules didn't apply. They could talk about it, but Roi and the other senior handlers had decided that learning by doing was the better plan. At least no one could sleep through this.

Roi had asked them all to meet at the edge of the jungle and be prepared for a hunting trip. Roisk was pacing and eying the young ones with apprehension. He did not like this idea at all. Roi was fairly sure the bronze would be following them on the exercise no matter what he said. It was probably for the best anyway. If they got in over their heads, they would need all the help they could get.

"I hope you are all prepared," Roivao greeted his students seriously. "As you have heard, the weather has made food scarce this season. The felines are becoming a threat to the weyr itself. Several of our own have already been injured. Dragons aren't much help on the ground, so we've been asked to patrol the jungles around the weyr for any more threats. Stay together and listen carefully to your whers. They will be able to see, hear, and smell far better than you. Felines are dangerous and not to be underestimated. If you meet any, stay back and let your whers do the fighting. If there are too many, retreat and report back to us."

Roi paused a moment to allow questions before continuing. He was a bit nervous, but trying not to show it. This lesson still didn't rest with him and Roisks pacing wasn't helping. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. "If there are no questions, you should get moving. Darmori will be patrol leader and Kinstar his second." This would be a good test of their leadership skills as well as give the others a chance to work as a team. If all went well, nothing interesting would happen at all. Please let it all go well, Roi prayed.


Attendance
Darmori of Bronze Darmosk
Kinstar of Brown Kinstsk
Marsayis of Blue Marsask
Ximera of Blue Ximesk
Dinag of Blue Disk
Tekivix of Green Tekivisk
Kostya of Green Konstask

[Requiem]

Roly poly weeee. She was paying attention, truly. Kind of. Pushing at the head hovering over her face as a warm tongue cleaned it, the girl giggled, pushing hard. Ximesk indulgently pretended to be rolled, and she flopped on top of him and tickled her fingers over his flanks, the plump blue wriggling and crooning beneath her. They still rarely got anywhere on time, because the wher refused to leave until the lesson started, but Ximera had learned to take care of him in full - oiling, bathing, feeding, milking (giving him milk not taking it, for silly people who thought male whers lactated) - so that he had no excuse not to go when the time came. Of course, she had to remember they had to be somewhere, since Ximesk didn't bother to tell her when she forgot.

Sitting up, still half-straddling the massive ribcage of her near-grown blue, the small girl shook her hair out of her face, one hand cradling the male's snout lightly. Her other arm was raised and waving high above her head, though she didn't wait to be acknowledged. See? She was paying attention, after all. For the most part. "Um, Mr. Wherlingmaster man, we -" She indicated Ximesk. "- don't really get what you actually want us to do. I mean, are we supposed to be doing that patrolling thingy? Do you want them to fight felines? How many is too many?" The child frowned, then looked to Darmori. "And, well, I like the hair snatcher and all, but isn't he a bit, I don't know, young? Why shouldn't Kinstar lead? She's practically a grandma she's been around so long!"

Dark, wide eyes focused on Roivao with the trust that only a child could give, right before Ximesk apparently decided to take advantage of her distraction, rolling on top of her again and lathering her face until the girl had collapsed into a fit of uncontrollable giggling.

[rii]

Lunatics.

Kostya rubbed at the side of his face as he looked over the sparse group. Inexperienced. It was going to be a damn trial by fire. As much as Kostya didn't care for well being of his.. well anyone, this was a little much, wasn't it? No wonder wherhanlders were near extinct when they like to pit pups against lions. He gave a short, humorless laugh at Roivao's instructions. "A warm thought. I hope you realize that if there are too many there will be no such thing as safe retreat. May as well re-phrase those instructions to 'kill or be killed' – even 'You don't have to outrun them, just outrun the slowest person'."

Madness.

He was standing with his arms firmly crossed, and his green wher curled lazily around his legs; her head resting against his thigh. The whole thing had purpose, yes, but at the moment it sound so utterly impractical. A group of felines had already hurt the full-grown whers, so it just made heaps of sense to send out the younger ones to face the threat. Konstask gave forth a yawn, not understanding what the big fuss was about.

Kostya's tone gentled a great deal as he turned half toward Ximera, "Because, Xi, Darmori impressed bronze. It's the way the cookie crumbles." Konstask didn't much like the arrangement either. Darmosk nor Kinstsk had done nothing remotely impressive as far as she was concerned. The jade hued green unwound herself from her handler's legs, slinking gracefully toward the trees with a playful upward flick of her long tail. Come siblings, they owned the night, not the other way around. Let them get this patrolling business done and over with.

Kostya smiled at both Darmori and Kinstar, "After our leaders, of course."

[Rei]

Darmosk was far more interested in the ‘game’ going on than actually listening to the teacher. That was…mildly annoying. Darmori had to settle for carefully detangling himself from the playful bronze and allowing more of himself and Harmony to overrule his mind. Upon his shoulder sat the yellow gold, her long tail wrapped tightly about his throat as an anchor while the rest of her was draped over his shoulder. With a yawn she nudged the side of her bonded’s face and crooned. Did he hear? He was supposed to lead the expedition. Her Mori would do just fine. The silly puppy should be told before he pounced on Ximesk. He was thinking about doing such…

Shards and all that. Him lead? Darmori rather longed to agree with both Ximera and Kostya. He wasn’t a leader. No matter what color Darmosk happened to be. In fact Darmosk didn’t even act like any of the bronzes he had ever come in contact with. Woe is him. Still the boy was reigned. What choice did he really have? None. Upon his shoulder his gold licked his neck. Will do fine. She commented privately with much pride. She had chosen he best after all.

With a sigh and a short nod to Roi, Darmori turned towards his tail wagging bronze and grabbed the large male by his head, swinging it around to face him. “Alright Mosk. Look at me. Playtime is going to change a bit. See your lovely siblings?” He waited for the wher to acknowledge with a snort. “Well we are in charge of keeping them safe. Remember how the bad felines came and roughed everyone up and how mad you where? Well we are going to go make sure that doesn’t happen again. No no fighting any we find unless I say but we are going to patrol. It’s a game of sorts. Like us against the felines and the felines are the bad guys, like when we play thieve and caravan but for real. You ready?”

The entire time Darmori was talking the bronze wher’s tail thumped excitedly on the ground his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he focused on his. Eye to eye there could be little distraction which his came to understand shortly after impressing the playful bronze. A soft wuff was given. Yes he understood. Darmori smiled and thumped the top of the large bronze’s head before letting go. “Atta boy!”

Briefly he turned his attention to the others and all his bravado quickly failed. Why did he have to be in charge? He wasn’t the leader type and most of them where older and this was going to be so awkward. Nevertheless the bronze handler gave a nervous smile. “Um Kinstar think we should break up into smaller groups?” Asking his supposed second for advice was okay right?

[Rowana]

Roivao sighed. He didn't want to admit that he didn't like this plan either. It had been a join decision and not entirely his. They simply didn't have enough full grown whers to patrol all the areas around the weyr. Hence this new "lesson" idea to put the wherlings to work as well. "Kostya answered that question," he told Ximera, with a reassuring smile. "If he doesn't do well, I'll appoint a new leader next time." If there was a next time, which Roi hoped there wouldn't be. "And Roisk and I will be patrolling as well, in another area," he told them. "You're whers will be able to call to Roisk should anything go wrong and we'll be there as fast as possible." Maybe even faster, he added to himself. He purposely planned his route to run close to theirs, but it would still take a while to reach them.

"If that doesn't seem to work, Darmori can have Harmony call Tiida." He waved at the salamandyr. Tiida was squirreled away in his pocket, being sulky. She didn't think the silly humans needed baby sitting and certainly not by her Precious. If they all died, she would hardly care. Puddleglum, awake for once, gave a sad whisper from a nearby tree. The poor, poor humans, he moaned. They were all doomed, he was sure of it. Then their souls would haunt his little heart forever. Or until the next tragedy happened along. Roi ignored his other mindmates and laid a hand on Roisk to calm him. He really shouldn't worry. More than likely, nothing would happen.

[Avu]

Wait, what?

Which idiot had decided his kid roommate should lead them in a war against wild felines?

Vix blinked once. Then he blinked again, glancing at Roivao because really? Darmori was only sixteen or something. Only two Turns his junior, but Vix wasn’t trying to be a big brave leader, either, just because of some wher he’d Impressed. And it wasn’t as if whers were even picky, from what he’d read – why else would Tekivisk have wanted him? Regardless, the basic point was the same – they were going to die and be eaten, and he hoped Roivao would die with them at least for making them do something this stupid and suicidal.

And that wasn’t even starting on how broken a bronze Darmosk was. Vix was sure they’d die even if Darmosk was the biggest, strongest, shiniest bronze on Pern, and he wasn’t even that. How very encouraging.

Don’t worry, VixLove, Tekivisk replied, the green’s head butting lightly against his thigh. She trusted Darmosk to keep them safe. Favorite bronzebrother, he was – just like Konstask was her favorite greensister, never mind that she only had one of each. Even if she had a billion she was sure that Darmosk and Konstask would always be the favorites. She settled at Vix’s feet – at any other time she might’ve gone over to Darmosk or Konstask to play but this was serious business.

At least she understood that much.

“So,” Vix said tightly, crossing his arms across his chest, “We don’t get – I don’t know, briefed on suspected number of felines, given long-distance weapons, told about feline’s weak points? We’re just going to be thrown into the jungle, wished good luck, and we’re expected to sit and, what, make friendly while our baby whers try to fight fifteen-foot-long felines? Is there something I’m missing, or was that really the entirety of the plan?” There was almost a note of hysterical amusement in his tone – but there was nothing nearly amusing about this.

Tekivisk, meanwhile, decided that contributing something that wasn’t fear might be a good idea. The green sidled up to Darmosk, licking his shoulder cheerfully. Could she be in his group if they did split up? It’d just be like one of their games! And Konstask, too, maybe? But it’d be better if they were aaaall together, wouldn’t it, then nobody would be left out.

[rii]

Kostya's expression twitch, a movement that nearly made it all through his body with the following impulse to slap palm against forehead. The muscle alongside his jaw jumped with irritation. "No we are not splitting up," he spoke harshly to Damori. Were any of them even armed. They all seemed either putting on a brave face, oblivious, or being realistic about the death slip they had been handed.

Konstask, however, was already moving into the trees with or without her siblings.

"Don't forget the part where if we're all getting ripped apart to sprout wings and fly back here to report there were too many," Kostya smoothly returned Vix's sarcasm with a half-hearted glance that was suppose to be reassuring. It was stupidity, he agreed. The light haired youth pivoted, taking a half step to come closer to Damori. "Lead on, already. Let's get this patrol over as quickly as possible. If the older whers are doing their job there shouldn't be any felines near this area."

Konstask lifted her head from where she was in the trees, glancing over her shoulder at her siblings. Were they scaaaared, she teased challengingly to the others.

[Requiem]

"I know we already discussed this, Roi," the young handler commented, stepping out of the trees from downwind, Dmisk padding along at his side. The male moved easily - dragonhealers were reasonably skilled here - and despite the extent of his obvious scarring, most of them were not from the claws or teeth of felines. "You are not doing a patrol." A long-suffering glance at Roivao. "Dmisk and Quintresk have already cleared the area, and the wild wher that likes to pad after them is still out to be sure of it. I'd tell you where the loner is but that would defeat the purpose. This is a hunt. You will find a feline. It's a young one without a pride, and I should hope your whers are capable of taking down one together."

The bluehandler slid a hand into his belt, glancing over the wherlings for a moment. "As Kostya says, don't split up. Darmori...if you don't think you can handle this, give it to someone else. Now. Also, don't be stupid. Let the whers handle the hunt and hang back. You're the weak link in the chain; believe me. There's wild ichor in your whers somewhere, and they should've been hunting for months. Dmisk can handle one to two felines completely by himself, so stop with the fatalism. You'll have three to four adult whers relatively close should anything go amiss." He wasn't sure about Roisk. Roivao seemed...confused.

---

Ximera and Ximesk had stopped their rough-housing long enough to look thoroughly confused at all the conflicting information flying around. Ximesk even rolled to his feet and moved closer to Darmosk in silent questioning of what they were about, while Ximera looked hopefully to Kostya. He seemed to be the only one who had a small inkling of what was going on, despite the tone to his voice that made her just a touch shivery. When Dmitri emerged, however, the girl jumped, reaching out for and clinging to the hand of Tekivix. Scary burned man. "What are we doing now?" she whispered to him.

[Rei]

Darmori wasn’t in the least pleased about the situation he was in. He had never led anything before. Ever. But upon his shoulder Harmony was confident that he would do well. It was she that infused the boy with confidence, even as at his side Darmosk wuffed softly. Playful and sporadic the bronze may have been but he also had a fiercely protective side and had no qualms about sinking his teeth and claws into an enemy threatening one of his own. The offer that this was a game only served to excite him further and when Tekivisk sidled up to lick his shoulder he rumbled at her dipping his muzzle to nuzzle along her back. Yes of course she could be in his group. They all could and they would have such fun.

Shifting uncomfortably at the words being shot around by his classmates Darmori stiffened when Kostya approached. The older handler was not someone he really like or trusted. In fact he was a tad scary at times. Before he could open his mouth to comment on the other's words however, someone else commented and the bronze handler turned to catch sight of Dmitri. His presence was a little bit of a relief. Finally someone with a decent head on their shoulders. It was silly but in a way Darmori idolized the bluehandler. After all it was he that had taught him a bit about whers on that night he had lost Harmony. The gold upon his shoulder gave a soft croon of greeting her tail tightening about her bonded’s throat as Dementia’s continued to speak.

As the handler finished Darmosk barked sharply at Konstask. She should be over here with the rest of them. Alone was not safe and he would not be happy if something happened to his beyond lovely sister. She did not want to gain any scars did she? They would go together. The bronze’s protective side was coming into play now. All his siblings where smaller than him. Thus they where under his protection. This could be a game and they could have fun, or it could turn into something chaotic and then it would turn to serious. Butting against his handler’s hip the large bronze brushed past the boy and barked once to his siblings before slipping into the jungle. Come now and if anyone got a scent they where to share it with the rest of the group.

Blinking at Darmosk as the large bronze pushed his way into the jungle Darmori shook his head at Dmitri determined to be brave. Yes he wasn’t the leader sort but Darmosk was a bronze and he did have a gold besides didn’t he? If they saw something in him there had to be something there. “No I think I can do this.” Looking back at the rest of the group he smiled. “Let’s get going then. Let the whers lead and if you have a mandyr make sure it is paying attention as well. If it sees anything have it alert the group or Harmony.” The gold on his shoulder gave a croon as the boy started for jungle taking one final look back to see if his classmates where following.

~~~

Deep in the trees the brown wilding snorted to clear his nostrils the new scars upon his striped back only further broadcasting his role as a survivor. Two taloned claws pawed softly at the dirt as he watched the heat signature of the lone feline from a distance. Tailing it he was, making sure it didn’t get to far out of the target area it was being carefully herded into. Good luck young ones. With another soft snort he began another wide circle of the area.

[Avu]

How reassuring, Kostya, thanks so very much for that morale booster. Vix managed not to outright huff at the other greenhandler. Which he might’ve anyway in the next second (because clearly the only appropriate way to respond to sarcasm was more sarcasm) had Dmitri not made his appearance, Vix’s gaze snapping around onto the bluehandler. His…mentor. Any attention he might’ve spared for Dmitri, though – the idea of a feline hunt was making him twitchy, which made for a rather pitiful attention span on any one given thing – was instantly stolen by his hand being claimed.

Vix jumped, and then stared at Ximera, utterly nonplussed. He wiggled his fingers slightly, uncertainly, but he didn’t actively pull away. Uncomfortable, a little, but it was actually kind of nice. Er. Not that he planned on ever admitting that, even under like, torture. “We…ah, try to wander around and not actually find the feline.”

Why, yes, yes that was his grand plan – conveniently never find the stupid feline, just wander around for a few hours until daylight started to break and the whers conveniently had to go in. Flaws, what flaws – there were no flaws in his plan. It was perfect. Vix glanced at Darmori warily, not quite sure whether or not he wanted his roommate to have heard his answer to Ximera – solely because Darmori was just young and enthusiastic enough to actually want to go feline-hunting, maybe, what with all of the glory associated with killing something horribly mean and bigger than you.

Vix personally preferred staying alive, but that might just be him. Personal preference did tend to vary, though he’d never imagine it’d vary quite so much when it came to watching whers like his ki fight gigantic furballs with claws and pointy teeth.

Said wher did not seem at all put off by her handler’s pessimism. She gave a high pleased sound at the light touch of affection from Darmosk, staying near the bronze. Leader, leader, follow the leaaader, just like the children’s game, yes? Tekivisk glanced once over her shoulder at Vix, eyes bright with the impending mission – did she even see it as a mission, Vix wondered despairingly, or as a game – but was quick to follow Darmosk after she’d made sure Hers was okay, lifting her head and opening her mouth slightly, inhaling. Didn’t really expect finding the fuzzy to be so quick or so easy, but just in case.

“Thought we were hanging back,” Vix observed to Ximera dryly, and he absolutely was not actually holding onto her hand too. Or if he was (since denying it would be pretty obviously a lie at that point) then it was just for her benefit, not his. Clearly. Whatever. Darmori could bounce up at the front with his wher all he wanted; he was going to stay at (or near, since being on the outer edges of a group on a feline hunt did not seem wise, regardless of which outer edge it was) the back.

[rii]

"A wise man speaks."

Kostya glanced side-long at the figure emerging from the trees. The information was enlightening, but made the green wherling wonder why Roi kept them in the dark about the specifics. Nervous hanlders and whers didn't tend to make the best ..subjects.. for this particular lesson. Not that his wher was anything of the sort. At least everything was in order — scratch that. Kostya hooked his fingers into the collar of Damori's shirt. Cute that the kid was trying to play leader, but Kostya was only so willing to go with the flow when his life was put on the line.

"Hang back – as in we are staying here Shiny." Kids these days.. "All of us," Kostya added a touch louder in case the lack of common sense had suddenly become contagious. "The whers are going, we are staying behind. Having tea or what not–" He rolled his eyes, peering down at Damori before wandering away to find an empty patch of short grass, pulling out a deck of cards as he sat. Distraction anyone?

_____

Not that Konstask was listening to.. anyone. She snorted at her bronze brother's words; her tail flicking upward as she brushed his mind back. Why sweet brother, she would follow him if he would actually go somewhere. Less talking, more doing. Her head hung low over the path, scenting the ground as she ventured further and further down the path often used by the older whers. Her pace a quick hop as her excitement began to build.

A hunt. She didn't need any of the others – watch her take it down by herself. Wouldn't that be impressive? The green privately preened, her tail tip whipping back in forth as she circled a spot that had caught her attention. Yes, yes. A curious smell lingered here what did — the green lifted her head, checking who happened to be the nearest of her siblings. What did they make of the smell?

Nose back to the ground, Kostya lingered a second longer before following it off the trail.

[Rowana]

They were hunting him. So many of them that it was becoming increasingly difficult to move without being noticed. Food was scarce and now slave whers were out hunting his kind. This did not bode well for the young feline. He was large and strong, but he was inexperienced. If he was smarter, he would have found a way around the whers to return to his pack, but his emotions were riled. These creatures were killing his kind when his pack was already starving for lack of food. If something didn't happen soon, the pups would not survive the spring.

For now, he waited. He needed to bide his time, stay out of sight, and wait for the best chance to escape or strike. Already he could sense one or more of the younger whers were on his trail. An older wild one was about as well, and that worried him more than the soft, weyr kind. Keeping to the trees and shadows, the feline stalked upwind of the group of whers. The humans were noisy. He would have no trouble avoiding them for now. If the whers moved away from them, though.

[Requiem]

Ximera thought of what Tekivix said, dark eyes contemplative for once. Her Ximesk was not violent. Oh, he'd chase down and eat a kill, of course, but he wan't terribly successful at it - all limbs and tail - and would much rather someone else do the work for him. The thought of her poor wher who couldn't get the order right like ever trying to kill a feline was a bit scary, even to an imaginative little dreamer like Ximera. Of course he'd be all right but...wouldn't it just be better if they all got along? Couldn't the whers speak feline speak or something and just ask them to go away? She liked Tekivix's idea, but..."What about tomorrow?" Because teachers always made you do it again tomorrow if you didn't get it right today.

Because he hadn't pulled away, Ximera edged a little closer to him - and partly behind him, too - because the ugly, marred ones were always the bad guys, you know. It might be a trap. Glancing up at Tekivix, she suggested quietly, "Maybe if they found a dead feline, we could pretend they killed it." Ximera was being very careful to keep her voice to a whisper so the teachers wouldn't hear.

---

Dmitri might have said something, but Kostya seemed to have Darmori in hand, and he and Dmisk had more pressing matters than straighening out a bunch of wherlings. He hadn't necessarily meant stay here, but he had meant stay far enough back that you didn't get in the way, so here was as good a place as any. Besides, if Roivao stayed with them, Roisk would be here if the feline happened to circumnavigate the knot of young whers. Most didn't realize the connection between whers and people, even though they were clever, and even then whers did not necessarily die with their handlers. Nor did they necessarily only bond once. So there wasn't much of an advantage to sneaking around to attack handlers apart from an act of desperation. Forcing the babies to try to protect them, however, would be a disaster.

A glance was spared for Dmisk, who immediately turned and padded off in another direction, stalking lithely through the bushes. He had a vague notion of the feline's location, and he swung wide to approach from downwind, slinking through the foliage. Dmisk didn't intend to get close enough to be discovered; he and Quintresk had established this territory as theirs, and his scent could possibly drive the feline to desperation. Better if it thought to toy with the babies.

"I'll leave them to you, Roivao," Dmitri murmured, slipping away nearly as silently as his wher had.

---

The blue, ignored by Darmosk, had decided that Konstask seemed to know more of what she was about. At least, she certainly seemed the most confident. The plump little wher bounded past Darmosk, snuffling at the patch of ground that his green sister had discovered. It certainly smelled like one of the furry clawed ones, he agreed amiably. (Actually, he wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't wher or human or wherry, so what else could it be?) Yipping softly to Tekivisk and Darmosk, he plunged into the forest after his sister, but soon he found that he had to take a slightly different route because she passed through trees too close together for him to follow. Wait up, sister!