They Call You My Better Half (Virtues Hatching)

[Rowana]

Porita let out a relieved sigh and leaned back so that Nysania could do her job. She blushed again, looking sheepish. Maybe she had overreacted a little, but it just looked so painful. Lucky the healer woman was here, really, to keep Porita from completely panicking. "You're welcome," she whispered shyly. Her gaze focused on Nysania as she worked. Maybe Hinsero could teach her some of that someday. She frowned at his movement then, turning fearfully. They were still so close to the eggs, what if another scared hatchling came this way?

Something small and blue bumped into her, filling her head with strange thoughts. The feeling was familiar and yet alien all at once. So much like that day Jipth had come to her and yet so very different. "Hello?" she answered uncertainly. "What?" It, the hatchling insisted. It had brought them all together here with the magic! See? Even Hinsesk had come because of It. "Hin..." Porita turned to see the lazy brown, flopping next to Hinsero and she gave a small smile. Hinsero deserved such a fine wher as that. The blue flapped its wings again and Porita had to put up her arms to keep from getting showered with goo and sand.

It was ready to go now, Posk insisted impatiently. It still made him hungry. And maybe... Porita hesitated, glancing over to Nysania as she bandaged Hinsero. Her gaze locked on the little blue's. Did he really want her? She wasn't good for much, anyone could see that. She hadn't even been able to protect Jipth... Posk pushed her with his nose again. Silly Porita had so much to learn. It had decided she was his. It was all part of the plan. Besides, Porita had magic inside, Posk was sure of it. Why else would he have seen her? Porita's eyes dared to find hope and she smiled weakly. Posk took her hand in his mouth, gently sucked out a few drops of blood with his teeth, making her wince. There, he declared firmly. They were one now, no turning back! He would teach her all about It and Its plans.

Her mind confused by the new mixture of thoughts, Porita almost missed what Nysania was saying. She got up stiffly and followed the healer's direction to take Hinsero's other side. She wasn't very strong, but she wanted to help just the same. Posk bounced after them, talking happily with his two brothers as they went. Together was the way It had meant it to be, he declared happily. It would guide them straight and true. Soon their brothers and sisters would join them too. Did Nyssk and Hinsesk know where they were going? It said they aught to have food soon.

~

Roisk was chuckling with amusement in Roivao's mind as the man frown sadly. He hadn't meant to scare the little green further with his actions. Roisk nuzzle Faolask gently to reassure her. His was a nice handler, the best he could hope for, even if he was a little sad. Roi would take good care of Faolask and Hers, no need to fret. Thanks, Roi thought sheepishly. It was nice to know what he had to live up to. Turning back to the new handler pair, he managed an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I'll go slower, take your time." He couldn't remember any of Roisk's siblings being this frightened, but then, that had been a strange hatching and a sad one.

Focusing on the present, Roivao continued to lead Faolan and his green outside and down the passage to one of the wherling rooms. He wasn't sure who would be assigning rooms now, but they could always move them around later. He spared a worried glance for Hinsero as they came out of the Hatching den, but it seemed Nysania and the other girl had him well in hand, lucky boy. And was that three whers trailing after them? Lucky indeed for all three of them and good timing to get the boy attention without waiting for the Hatching to end.

"I'm Roivao," Roi gave a small bow as he open the door slowly. "You saw Roisk on the sands. He's...a bit better at this than I am," the older man admitted slowly. By 'this' he meant being reassuring and protective. It had always been Roisk who had stood with confidence and pushed them to help everyone and anyone. Sometimes Roi just felt he was along for the ride, but it felt good to know he could still do something.

[Ember]

The response to the comment about decapitation was lost in the laugh the image ellicated. Oh dear. Eikane was glad he wasn't any taller than he was. Surely being Dmitri's height had to be inconvenient. When Dmitri brought up the room issue the man careful kept his eyes on the eggs and wandering babies. That Nautic felt the need to keep his own room was something that bothered the goldhandler some though he didn't say as much. He was bad about keeping things to himself. It felt like Nautic was keeping an escape route for when he got tired of Eikane's cleanliness problem.

Oh. Nyssk had looked at him, had he not? Was he doing something wrong? The Hope Brown didn't understand and no one was answering him. Well. He did know one thing at least...he was hungry and he needed food. Startled by twin cracks from his left and behind him he waddled out amongst the candidates hurriedly. He charged straight towards one person. That one would do just fien to feed him. It quickly became alarming when the large for his colour brown showed no signs of slowing down before getting to His.

He ran straight into Zemaren and while the hatchling wasn't particularly fast he was strong. Oh, whoops. Sorry. Was he supposed to have slowed down? Yes...most likely. He'll be able to remember that next time. So, please tell your Zemask if this is edible or not? He was msot hungry but the egg shell tasted quite bad. Oh...and it seemed to have cut the inside of his mouth some. Now it tasted even worse, bleck! A concerned chirp from the clutch revealed the fact that the Prudence Green had hatched and was currently looking at Zemask.

Uh-oh...she ducked behind the rapidly cracking Justice Egg. She seemed to have drawn a great deal of attention. Perhaps her sibling would be able to relieve that pressure somewhat? She nosed the shaking egg gently only to end up pushing some of the shell in. The green and the egg froze at the same time. Oh no, oh no! She hadn't made them angry, had she? Sorry, sorry. A comforting croon rose out of the egg followed quickly by the baby pushing at the weakened shell and having the egg all but collapse outwardly from him.

There we go! The Justice Blue eyed the empty egg shells around him and seemed to sigh. He had hatched quite late, hadn't he? Hopefully nothing ill had happened while he wasn't out of his shell to help. Well then, sister, who did you want? The blue had a couple ideas but he'd let his sister choose first. Side by side, the pair moved towards the candidates, sniffing at a few and pausing consideringly at others. At Kalaht, the green and blue separated. The Justice Blue eyed the boy's knife curiously before lifting a paw to look at his claws. The action could look intimidating to others but he was truly just comparing the shape of the knife to his claws. Hmm.

The green, meanwhile, was beginning to get distressed. Perhaps she didn't have a person to belong to? Well, she could understand that. She was so...her. Nobody would want a wher with so many faults, right? The Prudence Green began to tentatively head for the exit. Perhaps she ought to just leave? She didn't really want to but it might be for the best if she did.

The gossip was interesting. If only because it would be her first impressions of a lot of them. Passing by people in the hall was hardly enough to give her a proper impression of any of them. At Piden's tease (at least, she took it as a tease) she said, "Perhaaaps. Why, jealous?" It was partly a tease and partly a serious question. She wouldn't be able to tell if he was or not without asking. Not that she cared about his answer. She didn't. She didn't.

[Ember]

Hope Brown
Bonded to: Zemaren
Name: Zemask
Color: Brown #E48400 #826644 #C04000
Based On: Dodo
Physical Appearance: It is no surprise with this guy's eating habits and lifestyle that he is overweight. What is surprising is that it is to a more limited degree than would be the norm. The result is an extremely high metabolism. This will eventually change (think 10-15 turns) and his metabolism will begin to drop and he will start putting on more weight. He will be doomed to being a roly poly, squishy wher if he doesn't begin to seriously excercise at some point...or eat less. Beyond his obvious fat, this wher is huge and long. He gives average sized bronzes a run for their marks in size. His wings are even larger than his size would usually need.

This wher is a fulvous - orangey brown - coloured wher with somewhat colour clashing markings that are nonetheless charming on him. But first, the fulvous colouring fades towards the stomach though it nowhere near reaches white. The sails of his wings, his head, and his tail is a much calmer raw umber in colour. This raw umber makes very faint patterns in the fulvous brown that make him appear very roughly to have feather. The final colour on his hide is a mahogany brown on his feet and on his muzzle.

Even if this brown could run fast he probably wouldn't. He enjoys taking his time when he can (though he won't dilly dally on purpose if His is rushing him). He's strong but hampered by the fat, or else he would be like a tank: unstoppable. Gliding, too, would have been rediculously easy if he learned and wasn't too heavy. Unless he actually melts off those pounds he'll be stuck in a slow moving state until he grows old. Should he ever actually do so he still won't be particularly fast but it'll be a marked improvement.

Personality: Dumb as a post. Okay, maybe not quite that dumb, but he still won't be able to grasp all that much. Sleeping, moving, loving, and eating are about all he really understands and is good at. Surprisingly, he's well aware of his stupidity but it doesn't bother him. What's wrong with enjoying the simple things in life? That's really all he'll ever need. He's content hoping for the day when all he wants is given to him. He'll always be full of this hope even though all he seems to do is attract bad luck. Just as the moons shine again, he will keep waiting for his chance to become something to be proud of and looked up to.

Until then, he's quite happy to collect and eat food. Calling this guy a glutton is an understatement. Any and all food is liable to be practically inhaled by him if given a quarter of a chance. He looooves food and he loves anyone who willingly gives him food. His will have to be very careful not to let him over-eat too much (preventing it entirely is simply impossible) and visits to the infirmary might be an almost nightly thing. After eating he tends to become incredibly lazy and getting him to so much as stand up at all is a real struggle. On top of being a glutton he's also prone to sleeping half of the night (and al lof the day) away. While he's actually easy to wake he tends to just go right back to sleep within a minute unless he woke up naturally. Not a terribly useful wher.

But he is sweet. If he's awake and around someone who needs a wher to listen to them he's always good for it. Always. He is never cranky and he never says anything to make the other feel worse if he can help it. He's not great at providing advice (being as dumb as he is) but he does a decent job at being a comforting presence. In emergencies he is always completely calm. It's also one of the rare cases where he may snap at another in order to get them back on track and thinking straight, because he sure can't. When not caught up in a serious conversation he tends to change topics abruptly and to things seemingly unconnected.

[Tashe]

If anything could be said about a watched pot, it would be that it never boils. Such theory could be applied in part to poor Zemaren and impressing Whers. He had taken his eyes off of the clutch for no more than a few moments, just to check his ankle, when the Hope Brown came barreling toward him. And although he looked up in time to see the on coming Brown, he had no time to move out of the way, taking the full force of the large hatchling with his abdomen. The momentum behind the collision was strong, managing to knock most of the breath out of his lungs. Arms instinctively curled around himself as he slid down the wall into a sitting position, trying to breath but succeeding only in gasping. If anything, he'd have some sort of bruise in the morning. "Gggnnngg..." Was all that was able to come out in response to the on rush of mental projections. Zemaren gently pushed Zemask off of his chest so he could bend forward at the waist and curl around his smarting abs. It looked like both of them were just getting hurt right and left tonight.

"No you can't eat that." Taking the piece of shell away from the Wher, he winced when the Brown's tail knocked into his ankle. "We'll get you food and your mouth looked at in a second... just... let me recuperated." Concerned for his, Zemask scuttled across the Harper's legs and over to his side, using one of the man's biceps as support. But... he slipped. Oops. Sorry. He didn't mean to hurt ZemHis. Oh but look blood! Look, see, he'd lick it for His. Silver lining yes? The Brown's eyes whirled rainbow as he licked the cuts on the young man's arm, bathing the area enthusiastically with his tongue. "Gah enough." He tried to fend the Brown away. At this rate he'd get another injury to deal with. Using the wall as support Zemaren picked himself up from the ground, his ankle nearly buckled from the unexpected weight but he managed to keep himself up right. "Guh." Taking a breath he began making his way toward the awaiting meat, Zemask trotting patiently beside him.

[Requiem]

Oh, the slap of doom! Dmitri wrinkled his nose at Nautic, even as he shot a quirky smile at the laughing Eikane. So glad he could make the world a healthier place by supplying everyone with endorphins. "Well, I can hardly fault the Minemaster for taking his job so seriously. My apologies." The response even sounded genuine...if you didn't take into account that he'd caught Nautic's wrist when the small greenhandler reached up to poke him in the shoulder and was now waving it around at that same level - above Nautic's head.

"You know, they say that lying stunts growth? It doesn't count as living together unless you have just one place. Otherwise I could say I was living with Lena, even though I sleep here nine days out of ten. Furthermore..." He'd just been about to poke Nautic in the nose with the greenhandler's own finger when something else caught his attention, the bluehandler's head swiveling slowly until his eyes focused in a decided glare on Emiliah. "I have to take care of something." He dropped Nautic's arm and stepped off briskly in the girl's direction.

Stupid dimwit dullblood egghead lettucebreath livingcorpse killdead die! Dementia cried out, skittering over Emiliah's hand to twine her body between the girl's fingers, sinking in all her claws and her teeth in the back of the girls hand to boot. No stupid human was going to get the best of Dementia! Now her heart should properly give out as commanded... "Dementia! Here!" Dmitri's voice cut through her continued stream of insults, and the gold leapt from Emiliah to his palm. The bluehandler's eyes narrowed further on Emiliah. "What are you doing, you lunatic?" Beanfart try murder Dementia, the gold hissed. Harperlove killdead now? The question was delivered so sweetly. Now, Dmitri was not unaware that Dementia was an evil creature and had probably instigated this, but, well...she was a mandyr. Everyone knew mandyrs were evil. And he didn't really give a shit about this girl anyway. "I just might, if she doesn't put distance between us real quick," he growled, face stony. (If she didn't know him, the tall, scarred harper might even be scary with such an expression.)

Faolask calmed a bit again when Roisk touched her. This allowed Faolan to stop shivering. His eyes kept going contemplatively to the chatreuse little creature in his arms. Memories were a dangerous thing to access on any day, but he did not remember having a mindmate that effected him this much before. "It's...not really that, sir," Faolan offered in his characteristically quiet tone. "Quick movements startle u- her." Us might have been more accurate after all.

Quick movements like that brown barreling along. Faolan ended up pressed in tight to Roivao without even realizing it, the bronzehandler between him and the new brownpair. Faolask had laid her head on the man's arm. Roisk said he would take care of them and she trusted her sire implicitly. The new greenhandler remained against Roivao's side then not to dislodge Faolask, even if the proximity was making him a bit uncomfortable.

Fortunately, they were soon out of that room and out into the hall again. Away from all the craziness. Faolask crooned something that was half-greeting and half-apology to her siblings. Couldn't they eat with them? "I thought you were scared?" Faolan murmured to her. Well, a little, but these were her siblings! It wasn't nearly so noisy out here. "What about-" Hinsesk? Hm. She was sure he wouldn't hate her forever, but maybe they should bring her sire's friend just in case?

Faolan smiled sheepishly as Roivao opened the door. "Um, Mr. Roivao, sir?" Faolask urged Hers on with a croon. He could do it! "Faolask kind of wants to be with her siblings. She's not as scared with less people and noise." He shuffled slightly, feeling silly. He was asking way too much of Roivao, wasn't he? But it was hard to deny Faolask anything.

[dragon]

"Blue." Emoyan repeated, more to himself than anything else. At least someone could tell ... naturally the clutch mother could. He should have thought of that, but he made note of it anyway. For a time he was still, watching the hatching progress a bit. It was a fast hatching, to be sure. With some real characters coming out of those eggs. More notes were scribbled as more hatched, making quick short hand squiggles on the parchment. As the charcoal stick wore down to the parchment wrapping, Emoyan merely switched out to a new one again.

One of them looked like she was leaving, so Emoyan made a quick sketch of her before she could get too far away. There was a chance she might yet impress to someone outside, but it was a slim one. Even with that one walking away, there was one more on the sands in the middle of what was left of the shells.

Left with very little to make notations of until the last blue decided what it was going to do, Emoyan shifted his attention to the handlers that were talking and bickering and otherwise not in the least paying very much attention to the hatching itself. Or, at least it didn't sound much like they were.

The sound of a 'mandyr's rather irate dialogue was not surprising in the least, and Emoyan did not go investigate that at all. Whatever was going on over there, whomever the 'mandyr looked to was going to have to deal with it. He had his hands full with just Skink, there was no way he was going to go get involved with another 'mandyr's lovely basket of fun.

At least this was nearly over with. As soon as that last one got whatever it was deciding decided, he could go back to bed. Worry about the finer details on the morning when he compiled a proper record.

[metaldawn71]

Kalaht saw the two whers a green and a blue and one stopping at his feet. He squatted down even with the Justice Blue and smiled. Was he his? He noticed that he was examining his knife. He furrowed his brow, puzzled as to why he was doing this.

This Justice Blue was indeed precious and a beauty, and handsome. Kalaht was both excited and anxious. He fought the urge to scratch the wher as to not to deter his decision. It would be wrong to do that and gain the blue's favor. It would be -his- choice and -his- choice alone! He did however slowly unsheathe the knife and show him so that he could examine it more closely.

[Ember]

Eikane found himself grateful for Dmitri's proding of Nautic. But then there was an issue and the man found himself frowning at Eikask's thoughts. There was a difference between her babies taking all her attention temporarily and one of the less than snack sized creatures doing it. The gold slunk over to her handler with a surprising amount of grace and brushed against his hand. Could she eat it? Or at least stomp on it? It was...uh...being a nuisance to her babies? Okay no, she just didn't like it. She did call the candidates here for you. Tch, I could do that just fine.

He gave a small sigh and proceeded to rub her head gently while reinforcing the fact that she couldn't do anything abotu Dementia. You have me, right? Just bear with it for a little while longer. When the gold settled down a little bit he smiled. He was still better at manipulating her than she was at manipulating him. Eikane kept up a constant rub as he watched the green who was starting to leave. It would be a pity to lose any of Eikask's babies but she couldn't be stopped - oh, maybe she could?

The Justice Blue retreated a couple steps as Kalaht unseathed his claw. No, claw wasn't quite correct. More like a fang, perhaps? The blue was certain it was dangerous if used as a claw or fang though. He looked around the other humans to see if they had any more of the odd fang-claws but his whirling eyes caught on two things, one after another. He caught sight of Emoyan looking at his sister and then his sister...leaving? No, no. That wouldn't do! Sister dear! He left Kalaht behind with a nod of his head. Thanks for showing the fang-claw. Do hold on a moment.

In no time at all the blue was in front of the Prudence Green, scolding her with a quick series of barks. No leaving! Didn't she realize there was someone who wanted her? The green shrank back a bit in surprise and mild fear. Was that true? Then who? The blue directed her attention to someone and gave her a nudge. Go. They didn't seem inclined to wait long and he was keeping someone waiting himself. No need to be so shy and skittish, sister. She was quite fine as she was.

Once he made sure his sister was going in the right direction before heading back over to Kalaht. Well then, since his sister was sorted out would he be so kind as to feed his Kalsk? As the Prudence Green continued on her way to the one her brother had pointed out she watched him choose His. She could do that much, she supposed. She had to rememebr to thank her brother later. She skirted around the pair caught up in a commotion and continue on to Emoyan. Excuse me? Hello...Would calling herself Emoysk be okay?

[Ember]

Justice Blue
Bonded to: Kalaht
Name: Kalsk
Color: Blue #417DC1 #73C2FB
Based On: Aurochs
Physical Appearance: This blue will only be a touch smaller than the other large blue of Eikask's second clutch. He's a bit on the bulky side, though most of it is focused in his shoulders and legs. He has something of a square-ish build to him as well. His face, hwoever, sports large, wide eyes that give him an endearing expression. His hide will always be smooth and have a faint lustre to it if he's taken care of. He has large wings for his size. His few oddities include the fact that his two toes are more fused than normal compared to other whers and the ridges on his head are especially large.

He has a fairly straightforward colouration. He's a dusky azure wher all over, much like his brown brother. Over top this dusky azure, and muddling his hide colour, is a brighter azure. This brighter azure form short, thin lines all along this blue. The overall impression is that of sleek fur. It even follows the directions normal fur would. This faux fur is only absent on his wing sails and his ridges. As it the brighter azure mimicks his movements it often gives the illusion that he has fur if seen right. A touch is all that is needed to prove that he is not so strange.

This blue's movements are almost always fearless and dramatic. Each step is given careful consideration to achieve maximum showing off. As such, when young, he will move quite slowly until he gets a hang of his own movements. Soon enough he'll be translating his walks into runs and runs into gliding. Oh yes, those wings can support his weight well enough for adequate gliding, not that he'll ever do it often. Land will always be where he is most comfortable. Due to the muscle packed in his legs he's an excellent jumper as wel las quite speedy if he needs to be.

Personality: This blue is perhaps the most normal of the clutch. Above all he is a calm and perceptive wher. He has the ability to judge situations and ascertain whether or not whatever is going on is morally right by the majority of society's definition. He's outspoken enough to bring it up when others are doing wrong and he's willing to threaten them into submission (or try to, at least) if he absolutely must. He beleives all whers are equal regardless of colour and uses that belief in all his interactions.

He does not get depressed or angry easily, nor does he ever seem to show much enjoyment of anything. He is simply quiet in his emotions though. There's no need to kick up a fuss about every little thing, after all. Words can easily solve problems when used and it is far easier to enjoy things when there is company also enjoying it. Why broadcast happiness if those nearby are already feeling it for themselves? He alternately likes good excercise and relaxing on soft things. It will not be uncommon to find this wher trying to snuggle into bed with His or pulling pillows off of couches to make a temporary bed for himself. He's quick to vacate the pillows should anyone else need them. If the humans are allowed to use them, why not the loyal whers bonded to them?

He will take a keen interest in children of any species. He does not desire to father any - it is something beyond him anyways - but he will enjoy their company and looking after them if he is allowed. They are so pure and full of energy, something he desires both for himself and for all others. Surely if people were more like their younger selves there would be much less conflict in the world. Although...punishing them would become troublesome because even he wouldn't want to punish children. Ah, conondrums!


Prudence Green
Bonded to: Emoyan
Name: Emoysk
Color: Green #8CDD81 #F0FFF0 #003300
Based On: Thylacine
Physical Appearance: This green is mostly a soft, light green in colour that is pleasant to look at. The softness of her hide is just as one would expect from the colour assuming she is well looked after. The green fades to an almost white along her belly and tail, the underside of her neck, and the insides of her legs. This almost white colour also decorates her entire lower jaw and the end of snout. Her eyes are surrounded by a thin ‘eye-liner’ of the white-green. Starting mid back, there are short stripes that get a little longer in length towards her tail. They stop at the base of the tail and the longest one is the length of about a third of her thigh. These stripes are a deep, dark green. The stripes are very clear cut - there’s very little blending between the pale green and the dark green. The stripes, however, are not perfect lines but are a little wavy or have random kinks in them.

This green is perfectly average in size though her build sure doesn’t make it seem so. She’s a very thin wher, almost appearing unhealthy. Unfortunately, this isn’t likely to change throughout her life though she is capable of putting on some muscle. She has an oddly long, narrow snout, smaller than normal eyes and an over-all head shape is a bit different than most whers; it has an obviously more canine-like appearance. Due to this she tends to have an alert and curious expression even when completely relaxed. Another off thing about her is her tail. It is quite obviously out of proportion. While most of her is long and thin her tail is short and thick for her body. On her back are a pair of long but thin wings that rarely move from their resting position on her back.

While similar in build to her mother, this green has an undeniable grace. She walks like a confident predator, ready to spring into action at any moment. She’s a quick green when she wants to be though she’s much more likely to be seen going at a calm pace. Gliding is a definite no for her. Even if she was capable of getting enough air under her small sails, she would have trouble staying level. Due to her odd head shape, this green wher is capable of opening her jaws alarmingly wide. Never fear, this is completely normal for her and doesn’t result in any pain - however occasionally she’ll open them a bit too wide and will need some help ‘unlocking’ her jaw.

Personality: This green is quite intelligent and very morally sound. She exercises common sense at all times and is very circumspect in her dealings with others, including her bonded. She would much rather listen to others before deciding on anything. This makes her a good mediator for arguments because she will listen fairly to all sides before passing judgement. Her decisions are based on what she believes is morally correct. Generally her beliefs match up with most peoples’ ideas of what is morally right however she has a very hard time with majority vs. one situations. She believes no one should get the short end of the stick, as they say.

She’s an oddly shy wher though many don’t see it as such. It will be easy to believe she is antisocial or cold but in reality she simply doesn’t like to be seen or heard unless it’s absolutely necessary. She is conscious of every little thing she does and she believes everyone else is aware of her perceived faults too. Not that she’ll ever tell anyone but her bonded as much. She’s okay with letting others think what they will about her as long as her friends know better. The friends she does manage to make become this green’s whole world, next to her bonded. She would do anything for them as long as she thinks they would do the same in return.

Lastly, this wher is protective of others. It doesn’t matter whether they are her friends, her siblings, or random strangers. It’s simply not right for others to be hurt because someone feels like hurting them. Her first response is to attempt to make the other party aware of their wrong doing. If that doesn’t work? Well she’ll just have to get forceful! She’s a very smart fighter, this green. She doesn’t waste time with simple scratches. It’s crippling blows or nothing at all. Legs, throats, and eyes are her favourite targets though she tends to simply cripple her opponents rather than kill them. She’d prefer not to take lives, thank you.

[metaldawn71]

As the Justice Blue left him, Kalaht heart sank and a tear in his eye formed. Then he noticed that the blue was going to prevent his sister green to leave and prodded her into the correct direction. Kalaht smiled. His heart was filled with excitement when the the wher returned to him and nodded. His Kalsk! Wow. He knew if he didn't hurry and feed Kalsk, he would be worse off than he was or leave. Neither would be acceptable.

Kalaht's hand was shaking as he sliced open his palm a little without even a word of pain; a wince, but that was all. Kalsk crooned to his new bond to ease his nerves. Kalsk nudging him gently as he began to drink. Kalaht laughed a little as he stopped shaking. Everything seemed to stop in that moment well all except Kalaht and Kalsk.

That tickles! He said while chuckling as he began to lick . Then he looked back at Eliask and her handler with tears of great happiness in his eyes. His grin was from ear to ear. He used utterly beside himself with excitement. He conveyed emotions of appreciation and a new respect for these creatures. These weren't monsters as his father portrayed them to be.

I have had enough. Kalsk said. They were now one. Kalsk warbled, happily. Kalaht grinned. Their bonding was assured, firmly.

Good. Now, follow me. Kalaht nodded. He bandaged his hand as best he could and led the wher over to the food. Kalsk did his best following him, wobbling, finding his balance. He fell over a couple of times while following him. He trotted along side with Kalaht until they arrived at the food.