Wherling Lesson Five

[nightingale]

Night had fallen like a heavy curtain upon the quietly sleeping jungle. A cold and misty rain was falling, and the tiny droplets caught in the course fabric of Danica’s dark woolen cloak. The wherlingmaster gave Danisk's mind a gentle nudge, and received the wordless equivalent to a sharp nod in response. They were gathering by the jungle tonight, he informed the young whers. Theirs were expected to dress properly for the occasion. Danica smiled, hanging back in the thick shadows as she waited for the wherlings to arrive. She didn't want to make it easy for them to spot her. By now, she expected that they were all well equipped to find their way using only their wher's senses.

Low grunts and shuffling sounds in the wet grass helped the woman to pinpoint her students as they arrived. The night was never completely black, and the bare traces of moonlight filtering through the clouds made it possible for her to see the large, stocky silhouettes cast by several young whers. This was fortunate, because Danisk was once again missing from her side. “Evening wherhandlers." She greeted the class energetically, stepping forward a few paces to address them properly. "Tonight, we’ve been trusted with a special scouting mission. The watch dragons and whers have been reporting a strange, dark figure moving around the jungle’s edge the past few nights. Chances are that it's just a tunnel snake or a stray heardbeast, but we can't write it off until we know for sure."

"You and your whers are all going to enter the jungle from different positions. From there, you're going to try and track down this confused little beggar and find out just what he is. It’s going to be hard to identify anything by scent tonight with the rain falling, so just try and get a visual. If you spy him on the move, take a guess at how fast and which direction he's going. Report that info to whoever he's headed toward. Danisk and I are going to be available at all times, so if you feel threatened just contact him and he’ll give you a reference point to Between back here."


The woman drew back her cloak, and it suddenly seemed as it the moon had come out. Her smile was illuminated by the light rising off of a basket filled with glows. “You’re all going to take a handful of glows and a weapon, just to make sure if worse comes to worse you're not stuck out there like a one-legged wherry. If you haven’t got a blade of your own, I can provide you with one. Again, I need to stress that your task is to observe this creature. Do not engage it. If it looks aggressive, contact Danisk for your reference point and make your retreat. Got it? Okay, I want everybody lined up single file over here. As I hand you your glows, either show me your weapon or ask for one. Danisk is going to tell your whers where you need to go.” As the first of the wherlings accepted their equipment, the brown flashed a patch of jungle marked with a flag to their bonded wher. They needed to go here, and they were not to enter the jungle until everyone had reached their destination.

-------------------
If you posted less than twice for the last lesson, you are required to post FOUR TIMES for this one.

Rozen of gold Rozsk
Roivao of bronze Roisk
Venus of blue Venusk
Malara of blue Mask
Cadil of green Cadisk

One Post
Two Posts
Three Posts -- Passing Grade
Four or more posts -- EXTRA CREDIT!!

[Rei]

Malara was dressed warmly with a heavy black cloak for protection from the rain. Mask strode confidently at her side as the blue pair made their way toward the Wherlingmaster. As the pair stopped Mask growled, the sound soft and unthreatening, as Malara bowed stiffly. “Evening.” The blue handler waited as her classmates arrived and listened as Danica spoke. The news caused her to intake her breath. It could be a spy couldn’t it? Mask growled and his claws dug into the earth. Now dare this intruder invade their territory? The night belonged to the whers. Silly creature it would meet it’s end if it thought to engage him. He promised that.

Malara placed a hand on her blue’s shoulder to still him and the wher obediently calmed. A loner by nature Mask still had a loyalty to the weyr because of his bonded. This was her home and so his as well. Nodding her understanding of the situation Malara withdrew her dagger from her boot and revealed the knife she kept strapped to her hip. “Ever since the Siege I keep weapons on me. I trust these are acceptable?” She said in a low even tone as Mask displayed his white teeth and then turned as the coordinates entered his mind. Passing a short thanks to the brown he nudged his handler perfect. Where they ready now?

Accepting the glows with a solemn nod, Malara tucked it into her own cloak and turned to her blue. She stroked his head. “Yes darling we are certainly ready.” Mask passed the image to his handler and fixing it in her mind she climbed aboard his back. With a single bark Mask passed between to the flagged area. As they exploded out of the chilling blackness which was between, Mask spun to face the dark jungle. His nostrils flared as he strove to pick up a scent. Not much could be detected. Curse the rain. The blue stayed still as he waited for his classmates to arrive. Neither wher nor handler where impatient. Malara had long since resigned herself to working with these people. Like it or not handlers where supposed to be family and although she sequestered herself she did care for them all. If only a little.

[hseru]

The weather had grown steadily colder, though it never quite even touched on the chill reached by the more northern weyrs, so Rozen was still rather used to the cooler temperatures and required less clothing to remain warm than the average natural bred southerner. Despite this, the cold rain that had started falling would have given even a hearty northerner a chill, and she compensated adequately with a thicker set of outer garments under a tightly woven reversible cloak, one side of dark blue wool, one of a thin, light colored water-tight leather. She wore the cloak leather side out as she paced back to the new wherhandler apartments from a late dinner (or early breakfast, as she sometimes saw it). Rozsk quite enjoyed the rain, as it rinsed the blood from her kill off of her golden hide, and she was waiting outside their apartments basking in it when her bonded trudged back through the misty rainfall.

Rozen laid her hand against the wher’s golden shoulder, surprised to find it warm even under the layer of chill water. She gave it a little pat, and Rozsk turned to nudge her shoulder in a simple expression of happiness. She then relayed the message to gather from Danisk, and Rozen patted her shoulder again in acceptance. “No time like now then, I don’t need to go back for anything.” Barking a low agreement, the goldpair walked to the gathering place, inclining to the Wherling Master before coming to a silent stand nearish to Malara and Mask, a shrouded shadow next to a glittering phantom. Other than a surprised raising of her brows, she made no other comment as to their ‘mission’ until it came time to start, and she lined up with the rest, taking her glow basket and unsheathing the longer of her two blades for visual confirmation, the sheath still kept on her hip. Rozen had yet to find a more suitable place to keep it, though the second hidden blade was, as always, still strapped to her forearm.

Rozsk received the location they were to start at, and Rozen vaulted up to the gold’s high back with the beginning ease of familiarity, before the wher launched them both between to the flag-marked spot on the edge of the jungle. Rozen slipped into the gold’s mind, letting her superior night-vision light up the area around them as the pair settled into an easy, ready stance, both of their heads turning in unison as they swept the area for movement or sound in the rain-washed darkness.

[topaz]

As Danisk's call went out, Venusk sauntered his way over to His and nuzzled her elbow sending her a clear picture of Danica. The handler turned to the blue, smiling fondly and nodding. Taking a last bite of her nearly finished meatroll, Venus plopped the rest of the meat carefully into her blouse. This would seem like an incredibly strange action to the casual observer, but someone right next to the girl would realize that there was a hungry green 'mandyr down her shirt who she was diligently feeding. Nothing strange about that. Venus knew the drudges were only begrudgingly tolerant of Venusk's presence in their hall, but she cared little for their opinions. Her blue did not like leaving her side, and she would not make him. Besides, he was on the smaller side of whers, being blue, and even more so being so slender. Dropping off her plate on top of a collective pile of them nearby the kitchens, Venus grabbed her light wool coat from the table and exited the hall, her wher in tow.

Finding their way to the edge of the jungle with ease, Venus aligned herself and Venusk within the haphazard semi circle in front of Danica and bowed to her. "Good evening, Dani." Venus remembered the nickname Danica had allowed the females to use from the last lesson. Subtly she hoped it was not some elaborate test to see how much respect they would show for their master, but Danica did not seem to be the trickster type. As Venus thought it over for another moment, she supposed that what she perceived would be of no consequence if Danica really was tricking them, since the entire thing would be just an act. Finding no comforting answer in her musing, Venus returned to the present, and suddenly realized that, once again, Danisk was not present. Venus detected a quiver of worry emanating from her blue, and soothingly stroked him. So considerate, her blue was. But Venus was sure that Danica would not be holding a lesson if her wher was of seriously poor health, a thought which she passed onto her blue. Yes, the wher agreed, that made sense. Placated my his bonded's calm thoughts, Venusk huffed softly against her. Now, onto the lesson for tonight.

As Danica explained their mission for the night, Venus' eyes instinctively darted around the darkness behind the brownhandler. She didn't really think their target would be hiding in such plain sight, but it never hurt to be cautious, and the girls wary instincts had been honed ever since the siege. Venus nodded once when Danica finished and got into line. As she came up to Danica, Venus smiled slightly and turned her right hip towards the woman, pulling her coat flap aside and revealing her dagger. It had barely left her side since the siege; yet another hold over from that fateful night. As she was handed the glows, Venus bowed slightly again and murmured a sweet sounding thank you, then quickly walked off towards Venusk.

The silvery hide of the blue wher shown brilliantly as the moonlight trickled through the trees onto it. Beaming affectionately at her gorgeous wher, Venus slid the glows into a large pocket on her coat, gave Venusk a kiss on the cheek and mounted. Within seconds of receiving their reference point, the pair blinked to it. The darkness was much less pronounced now, just coming out of between, so Venus held off on using her wher's sight until they got moving. Absently adjusting her dagger on her belt for quicker extraction, Venus and her blue awaited the signal from Danisk to proceed into the thick of the jungle.

[Rowana]

It was almost too dark to make out his fellow wherlings, but Roivao was growing used to the dark. Roisk moved easily at the edge of the jungle, picking out his kin and the woman who led them. They had been in the jungle many times of late, checking on the traps, but this would be far different. This was a hunt, not a pleasurable walk. The rain made it difficult. Scents were washed away and the noise confused their ears. It would be a long night.

Roi nodded as Danica spoke, though she probably could not see. He took his glows and tapped the knife at his side. He had not ventured out unarmed since that night. Even so close to the Weyr, it did not feel safe anymore. Roisk conveyed thanks to Danisk for the reference and the pair made for their point. They waited in silence for the signal to move. Tiida was absent, having decided to stay out of the "plentywet" for a change. Roisk nudged Roi's side. They would deal with this creature. And be sure it harmed no one. Roi laid a hand on on his side. They must follow instructions, but yes, they would deal with it.

[nightingale]

As the last of the wherling pairs accepted their glows and vanished Between, a small green head wriggled free of Danica’s cloak. Where was the other one? She chirruped irritably as a raindrop splashed across her muzzle, blinking her eyes rapidly at the darkness. There was one pair missing! “They’re late.” Dani shrugged. The wherlingmaster was not pleased by this revelation, but she wasn’t excessively worried either. If and when Cadil and Cadisk showed up, they would just have to struggle to catch up with the others. If they didn’t show up at all, she'd think up a fitting punishment -Butchering herdbeasts anyone?

This set the infant flitter a tremble with irritation. No no no! That simply would not do! She would go find them herself! She would find them and bring them to class where they ought to be! With a trill of annoyance and a shake of her pinions, the little green hopped from her bonded’s shoulder and vanished Between in search of Cadisk and her handler. Danica rolled her eyes, bringing her palms together and resting them against her forehead. Why did every creature attached to her mind have to be so bleeding uptight? She felt Danisk’s disapproval instantly, and gave him a mental poke. He could get over himself any time and tell the wherlings that they were allowed to enter the jungle now.

He snorted and did so.

On the far side of the jungle where Venus and Venusk has been directed, something large and dark was shuffling through the foliage. At first it was signaled only by a few twitching leaves that could have easily been overlooked as the victims of a few particularly rebellious raindrops. However, a wher’s night vision would be more than capable of recognizing the dark shape shuffling through the underbrush as a living creature. It was hard to tell its size and species from the distance where it stood, but it moved slowly and solidly –not the quick, jerky movements of a wild wherry. For the moment it seemed to be busy foraging, and was not making very much progress in any one direction.

[topaz]

At the brown wher's signal, the bluepair began walking. They were slow and quiet, trying to make as little sound as possible; both so they wouldn't be found by whatever it was they were hunting and so that they could more clearly hear whatever the thing was. Of course the rain did not help their hearing. The first few loud splashes of raindrops into puddles beyond their immediate vicinity sent Venus immediately looking in that direction. The frequency of it lessened though as the wherling became used to it, and she instead opted for her wher's sight over her own, unreliable set.

They walked for a few minutes without seeing anything out of the ordinary. There weren't even any birds out during the rain, so it was eerily quiet. Then there was a rustling. Venus and her blue both looked over towards the sound instantly, the girl's heartbeat picking up considerably. Through Venusk's eyes, they could just make out a warm figure in the otherwise dark, cold surroundings. Venus sent a question to her blue as to what he thought it might be, as she could sense it was not one of his clutchmates. A human was the first thing that popped into the wher's mind, but they both crossed off that possibility. The creature was far to slow and . . bumbling in its movements to be a human. That thought made Venus calm considerably. She was much more comfortable with a lurking animal than a crafty human.

With a mental prod, Venusk quickly sent an image along with a vague description to his three clutchmates that were present; he and His had found it, it was some sort of creature, not a wherry, looked more like heardbeast then anything else, very slow, staying in relatively the same spot. He also sent a question to Danisk, per Venus' request, asking if the others should come to see the lumbering thing as well, it did not look aggressive so far.