The Night Watch {tags all wherhandlers, 'Rys}

[neeuqtar]

The stars gleamed overhead in the perfectly clear sky, their light and the light of the moons enough for only a select few creatures to see by, the creatures of the night. Among their numbers was a lone dragonpair, a blue dragon and the pale blond who rode him. Adith's violet-blue form lanced through the air, his form music taken wing, the result of long practice. After all, there was little else to do in the dark of night besides test the winds and work for strength and beauty in the cool night air.

The blue landed with a fwoom of air on the Drumheights, the first to arrive for the first calling of the Night Watch. He flapped his wings to shake the stiffness from his muscles, then snapped them back, crouching on an outcropping near the Drumtower, talons hooking into the stone. He wore only the most basic straps, dyed a dull black with black-dyed bone buckles, so that no gleam of light would betray his form in the night.

On his back, a young man crouched, unstrapping his ankles from the dragon. He was a great believer in the idea that a dragonrider should be able to ride his dragon anywhere on the dragon, at anytime, in any circumstances. As such, he was training himself to balance upright on Adith's back, though it wasn't going fantastically as of yet. The hope was that he would one day be able to show off his skills late in a Gather, but he was just barely recovered from his dragon-given injuries. Attacking the weyrling dragons of Benden on the Rim had not been his most clever of ideas; he'd managed to kill a couple of them before a green had nearly ripped his chest off. The resulting scars tracing deeply on his left to thin scores on the right would last him for his life; his arm was only just out of the cast which had held his shattered upper arm together. He was only just getting use out of it.

I hope they show up soon, Uu'n commented to his dragon, shaking out his left arm as he vaulted off of the blue's back, landing feline-like next to Adith's neck. The dragon thrummed, then reared and threw his head into the air and howled, long and melancholy, tossing in his pack-call in the end to see if Phremath was awake. Uu'n grinned and tossed his head back to add his far-less-silvery voice to Adith's, howling together for a few moments until the canyon echoed with their voices. Then Uu'n broke the stillness with a laugh as the howler pack in the jungle took up their own territory cries.

We will need a new pack-cry to teach the wherfolk, Adith replied solemnly. I do not think they can sing ours.

Oh? Uu'n asked, curious as to the dragon's motives, for Adith sounded suspiciously... aloof from the wherfolk which would be their new "pack."

Yes. They cannot sing ours. It is for you and me and Phremath, and maybe for another if you find one.[/color] The dragon sounded doubtful about that last bit, but continued. And we need something they can sing and not worry our enemies with. A sound always sung.[/color]

Ah. Like... Uu'n made a sharp barking sound, a whuffing sound that the whersport used to call to each other, followed by a soft howl, simple enough to make. It had to be simple, after all, if Uu'n could sing it... unlike his dragon, he was not any good at singing, at least as far as comparisons went. Adith had a voice of silver; Uu'n's was rougher and more mellow.

That would work, Adith agreed, relieved. Uu'n smiled, then leaned against Adith to wait for the 'wherfolk,' as his dragon so charmingly called them. His pack. The Night Watch.

[kysseh]

It took far longer than Swithin wanted to get up onto the drumheights, largely because Swisk was... not the fastest of creatures. Swithin himself was quite sturdy. Long, long Turns of hard work in the forge and in constructing things had made him... well, rather tough all the way around. Hiking his way over was no problem, on his own. But, Swisk needed some special consideration, and the young man tempered his strides to allow his bonded to keep up. It was difficult to walk slowly and with short strides with legs as long as his, but he was managing. It just took a lot more effort than he was used to.

Swisk, despite his physical frailty, was in good spirits, as usual. He moved carefully along, making almost muttering noises to himself as he went. Rock... rock... rock... big rock! That one made him freeze and inch sideways until he was clear of the rock. Then he continued onward, head pointed downward so as to be sure he did not trip over anything. Had to watch... had to be careful. The wher was not as sharp as his dragon cousins, sure, but even he knew what it meant to be hurt. And tripping over rocks... it usually resulted in being injured, in some way. But, the frail blue wher, despite his caution, was still quite cheery. Having a permanent snugglebuddy tended to put most any male in a good mood.

That feeling had Swithin blushing scarlet. Oh, yes... the Run. That incident was rarely from his mind, and he was so fond of it and the ensuing... intimacy... that he found himself lingering over it far more often than he thought was possible. The mere thought of his lovely friend... or did she qualify as a lover now?... had him wishing he could go visit right now. But he had a job to do first, and that squared his broad shoulders. Gawky as his frame looked, the general largeness of it suggested he would be a big, big man when he finally filled out. But, the teen was still working on building some muscle and fat stores to grow into himself. His appetite was certainly enough for it.

Swinging a very dim glowbasket in his left hand so he could see the path in front of him, Swithin looked upward as a dragon--oh, yes, it was a dragon--landed on the drumheights a ways ahead, near the drumtower. That must be Uu'n and Adith, then. He knew their names, even if he had not met them personally. Behind him, Swisk was emanating a great deal of curiosity, and for the first time since they had left their construction work that night, the blue nosed his bonded aside on the path to get ahead and guide. Swisk was normally the 'eyes' of the pair, but he had been a bit distracted this evening by the thought of this new 'guarding' prospect. Swithin could hardly blame him for that; he was curious himself.

"Good evening, Uu'n and Adith," he said as the two of them neared the dragonpair. He had politely waited until they finished their... odd noises... and now he stood a respectable distance away, idly stroking Swisk's pale blue head. Both wher and human watched the bluepair with tilted heads, though Swisk looked far more entertaining than his bonded. Curiosity abounded, and the little male wher moved away from his bonded to warble curiously up at the dragon. He had seen plenty of dragons... but rare were they so close to him. He snuffed softly, head waving back and forth between the man and his mindmate. Big cousin... little human. Big cousin... little human. Both interesting. But... the dragon was moreso.

[irbre]

When the photophobic blue dragon and his rider had requested an audience, Neirin knew that it was up to her and Neisk to attend in the least. She would not force the other wherhandlers to attend, but her duty as Queenhandler and Neisk's duty as Queen made it nearly a requirement that they make themselves present. There were other duties, of course, but dragons going around at night weren't exactly common, even if this particular blue had a distinct penchant for the darkness, and rightly so. The poor creature was a photophobe, Neirin knew, for she made knowing what lived in the darkness her own issue. Thusly the two had set off, Neisk setting the pace, slow enough for Neirin to follow at a pleasant trot, their forms weaving through the night.

Golden head tilted, multi-faceted eyes flashing, Neisk stepped gracefully around a loose stone, a soft warble rising from her throat, meant to alert her handler. In reply Neirin stepped around it, easily avoiding the obstacle that may have otherwise tripped, making no reply as she saw the flare of bright eyes reflecting moonlight, Neisk watching her intently to make sure she was not injured. Golden, antiqued hide rippled with moonlight silver, patterned with the occasional streak of shadow, a black-swathed handler moving behind her, nearly invisible to human eyes, though a wher could see her without issue.

Neisk stiffened suddenly, stretching up, her wide eyes staring blankly ahead as a call rang out, the chuffing bark with a soft howl. Whersport, Neirin automatically asumed, but took that back a second later as she observed Neisk's position better. The gold twitched her tail, head tilting delicately for a side, even as the call died away. Her handler could feel the dull flicker of comprehension through their connection, but little beyond that. A second later, Neisk returned the cry, adding a series of warbles that were interlaced throughout her higher-pitched howl. Looking eager, Neisk rustled her wings at her bonded, padding forward eagerly.

Neirin was forced to jog to catch up, though, luckily for her, there was not far to go. Moments later she burst through the foliage, nearly stumbling the last few feet, though she managed to catch herself. Neisk was already standing ready, her proper form somehow graceful and sinuous even as she stood at attention. Green eyes dusted with blue swept over the bluepair before the gold gave a soft huff of something Neirin didn't quite understand before turning to her bonded. Neirin moved forward carefully, allowing a soft smile to smooth her features. "Greetings, Uu'n of photophobe Adith," she said quietly, one hand running along Neisk's neck, sure to keep the wher soothed.

[Ruby]

(('zis include Wherlings? I'm assuming no, but I wanted to check))

[glamourie]

The next time you schedule for me to be flying in the dark, I will make you walk. Ciceroth was displeased. There was no missing nor doubting that fact, as the bronze left little to the imagination with his tone. He was a creature of daytime, when it was bright and warmer outside, not... the night. At night he slept. (Okay, technically Ciceroth slept whenever he stayed still for too long, but no conclusions should have been drawn from that because the warm weather was extremely relaxing and it did not, in any way, disrupt his night-time sleeping habits.) The only reason he was cooperating was because Ka'rys promised to actively hunt down Savitri so he could play with Hepaticath -- and for Ka'rys to go looking for people was a very, very rare occurrence. I can't see properly at night. If we fly into something I will pointedly blame you!

"This whining is anything but endearing, Ciss. You can sleep when we get there. Surely you know the way to the drumheights by now? -- Either way, you can sleep when we get there. I doubt Adith and the whers will take offense. We are just going to support Uu'n and to make sure that everyone understands how important this is," Ka'rys replied as he adjusted his straps. His words earned a defiant tail flick that said without words that Ciceroth was not remotely impressed. "It's not as though I'm exactly wide-awake, I've been up longer than you have, silly beast."

That was by choice, though. Since Shmee's return, Ka'rys was actually sleeping better; he hated to admit that, but the idea of the Weyrwoman getting herself killed or worse because of her foolishness (why, oh why, did she insist on running off constantly?) was not a comforting one. Kaegan and Millieth would not have been ideal Senior Weyrwomen to him. She was too... Benden. Not that Shmee was ideal either, and Savitri was even worse in some senses. (Ka'rys was secretly convinced if Savitri was allowed to, she'd go around mothering the entire Weyr -- bad, bad, bad.) Regardless, three golds was better than two, especially when one of them was still a hatchling. Selenitas needed Aslath if not Shmee, and Ka'rys's nerves were on end. She was back, and he was sleeping a touch better, though some part of him secretly longed to chain the woman to her cot and/or lock her up. The northern ideas of how to deal with goldriders were beginning to be very appealing. At least she wouldn't get herself killed from blatant idiocy that way. There was still a lot weighing on his mind, but he was back to his usual sleeping patterns, which were anything but healthy, but better than going days at a time. Except that he'd been awake most of the day for once and when he did go to sleep, he'd probably crash the night away. Lovely.

Ka'rys tightened his straps once more, just to make sure he was secure, then prodded Ciceroth in the side. "If you're done complaining, I'm ready."

You are a fine one to chastise me for complaining; a truly fine one to call me silly! Ciceroth replied as he threw himself off the weyrledge and caught himself on his wings with expert grace. Despite his protests - and whining - the bronze easily swept up and out of the canyon, from memory and habit more than anything else. Darkness was not his forte and he flew more carefully than he usually would to accommodate it. When you spend time complaining about people asking you certain things, or having to spend time around certain individuals, or --

"I get the point!" Ka'rys blurted out, interrupting Ciceroth mid-tirade. "Drumheights, Ciss - and please don't try to embarrass me." He squinted down at the bronze accusingly, earning a snort in response. "Don't snort at me - I know you."

Then you know how useless it is to ask that of me.

Circling, Ciceroth swept down to land gracefully a few paces away from the assembling wherhandlers. His wings fluttered twice and then he leaned down for Ka'rys to dismount before curling up around himself. His tail snaked over to nudge Ka'rys a little too roughly and he crooned - first at Adith, then at the wherhandlers and their whers in bulk. But otherwise, the bronze seemed completely disinterested, even going so far as to make himself comfortable as though to sleep. There was nothing about this meeting that pertained to Ciceroth in any way. He was a creature of day. Let the whers and Adith have the night.

Ka'rys silently nodded to the wherhandlers that had arrived and leaned back against Ciceroth's flank. If Uu'n needed him, he'd ask; otherwise, Ka'rys intended to just be there for support. Sometimes a little back-up could go a long way.



[ Wherlings can come - but they are not part of the Night Watch yet. For those who ask. ]

[ravenmane]

As he began to trail after the other Wherhandler pairs, Taelir couldn't help but feel nervous about the meeting with the Bluerider. Memories from Benden stilled haunted him, and when he was forced to interact with the dragonriders, the Brown Wherhandler always felt apprehensive. He wasn't as uneasy as when he had first arrived, but it was still hard to think of dragonriders as something other then cruel people. Of course, most of the riders Taelir had met were nice despite the few grumpy ones he had come across. The man was drawn out of his thoughts as his Brown, Taelisk, excitedly echoed a strange call that came from ahead. Taelir could also hear the voice of the Queen repeating the sound, and this only made Taelisk happier.

Because he had only recently Chased for the first time in about seven years, Taelisk was overjoyed whenever he came across one of Selenitas's female whers. As he ignored the withering look his handler shot him, the Brown picked up speed as he trotted towards the meeting place. His eyes whirled a content blue with flashes of green, but the wher slowed suddenly as he caught sight of Adith. He too was affected by the sight of a dragon, but Taelisk's reaction was only because of how his handler felt of the great beasts. A low whine sounded in his throat as curious and nervous thoughts traveled over the mental link he shared with Taelir, but the wher became silent as he felt the comforting touch of his handler on his head. Both man and wher watched Uu'n and the other handlers as they waited patiently for the meeting to begin.

[Avu]

Meira hadn’t intended to come to the Night Watch to begin with, but as the night drew on, Meisk grew rather restless. Perhaps it was because some of his smaller gashes were partially healing and he itched terribly and yet couldn’t scratch, or perhaps because he simply wanted to get out of their room and go somewhere. He had yet to explore the Weyr with Meira, after all! She would have gotten there sooner, too, but there was a…problem when Zesa woke up, realized that Hers and her pet were trying to go without her, and insisted on coming. So what if she couldn’t see? She could just stay snuggled against Meira’s neck and all would be good. Unfortunately for the little queen, the ‘cannot-see’ problem made it difficult to get a perch and she finally just let Meira place her on her shoulder before twining her tail in a choke-hold around the girl’s neck, trusting her to navigate through the Weyr with an occasional cheep when Meira stumbled in the dark.

Clumsy little Meisk was the most self-assured as he moved through the darkened, empty passages. “The Drumheights, dear,” Meira murmured, one hand lightly on Meisk’s head for guidance as Zesa rustled her wings anxiously when her foot snagged something that someone had left lying around. “I’m not going to let you fall, dear. You should’ve stayed.” The queen protested quietly as Meira concentrated on remembering the way to the Drumheights, passing the images to Meisk. The pale blue wher hummed approvingly as he made a sharp right-turn, leaving Meira briefly bewildered until his head pushed under her hand again.

By the time they were halfway, Meira’s eyes had completely adjusted to the moonlit passages and she moved more swiftly, although Meisk still insisted on being touched while they walked. Finally, the dark forms of whers and their Handlers, and two dragons and their respective Riders, could be picked out. Meisk shied backwards warily, and Zesa, feeling the fright coursing from Meisk to Meira and then to her, hissed warily. The blue wher keeled softly until a sudden, rather surprising noise reached their ears, repeated by two other whers. It sounded…Meira’s eyes were wide with surprise. A whersport’s cry. Try it out, dear? she suggested to Meisk, but the blue shook his head wildly, pressing himself against her legs so tightly she had trouble making her way forward.

Oh, well.

She was considering explaining why she had brought herself, a wherling, and a fire lizard to a meeting that was clearly for older whers, but seeing as she was unsure if she ought to explain to the Weyrleader or to Uu’n, who was the one who seemed to be organizing this, along with the fact that Meisk was trembling at the sight of the dragons—never mind the idea of going up to them—Meira remained a fair distance away from the others, able to hear what was going on, and far away enough that Meisk didn’t feel quite as threatened. Perhaps she should have remembered to tell Zesa to keep quiet. Some people didn’t appreciate fire lizards, after all, and they weren’t allowed in some places. A little late, however.

The queen apparently felt that someone of their threesome should have made that strange noise, and since neither Meira nor Meisk showed any incentive to doing so, she’d hummed softly as she considered the sound and then echoed it, her sweet soprano voice softer than the cries of the whers and Adith, but still quite audible. Well, now at least they had no excuse to hide in the shadows, did they? Meira glanced at Zesa, whose head was turned keenly in the direction of the other assembled whers, although it was quite obvious she saw nothing more than the silhouettes in the starlight. You didn’t have to call, darling, she informed her, amused, as Meisk tried to hide behind her legs. The queen cheeped apologetically, and then nudged her jaw, making her turn back to the others.

Surely she wasn’t the only Wherling to come and watch?

[neeuqtar]

"You are... Swithin?" Uu'n asked, the the wherhandler's voice having jerked Uu'n from his reverie. The bluerider had tried to learn the names of all the wherhandlers and their whers, but with all of the new wherlings he was certain he had failed, at least with the newer ones. Adith snorted at the other blue creature as the chuffing call of what seemed to be whersport, followed by a trill.

The gold comes, Adith said smugly, proud that the gold had picked up on his call so quickly.

"Neiren, Neisk," the rider replied, sketching the duo a bow. "I am glad you chose to came." He cast a glance over his shoulder with an easy-going grin as Ciceroth and Ka'rys showed up. Uu'n was glad his teacher in knife-fighting had decided to show, after all. The bluerider fully intended to utilize that skill in teaching and fighting to help him not only teach the handlers to fight with easy-to-carry weapons, but design a style of fighting for handler and wher together, much as a dragon-and-man fighting had been designed for the wars.

Uu'n didn't recognize either of the next ones who came to the Drumheights, a brown and a blue wherling, the blue's handler with a flitter who sang the call back at them, startling a smile that was neither snide nor cunning from the usually cold or cruel bluerider. A lovely voice that girl has, he chuckled to Adith, who huffed back mentally. Yours is much better, Uu'n hastened to reassure his touchy blue.

"I don't suppose any of the others are coming?" he asked curiously.

[Ruby]

Piden was sleeping fitfully, Pidesk not at all. The Bronze wher had his front claws folded under his chin, and he was watching his Handler toss and turn, not sure why the boy insisted on attempting to sleep at this hour. He should be awake, wide awake, like Pidesk himself! Even little Red was up, and her kind weren't normally noctournal. Of course, she seemed to be afraid of sleep, so... who knew. It was possible that she never slept. Still, she was curled comfortably on Piden's arm, regarding her Bronzecreature as he regarded her.

It was the cry that disturbed the semi-peaceful scene- Piden sat up, finally giving up on sleep, Red promptly vomited on the bedspread and scurried up Piden's arm to her favorite place at the back of his neck, and Pidesk picked his head up, then stood up fully. Piden felt questions from his Bronze, but had no answers, as he was too busy balling up the sick-soiled sheet (number three this sevenday) and digging out a fresh one. Normally Piden would have ignored it and started trying to figure out what he should do with himself all night, but Pidesk wouldn't leave it alone. When several other voices answered the call, though, both males looked instinctively in the direction of the gathering, and Piden decided to investigate. The trio headed for the door as soon as Piden put on a fresh shirt.

Finding the gathering was easy enough- they just followed the only sounds out tonight. It was incredible how far sound carried when everyone was silent. Uu'n's voice stuck out like a beacon, although Piden had no idea who he was hearing. Soon, though, the trio reached the clearing where the meeting (or so it appeared) was being held. Everyone in the group around the dragons seemed to be mature whers and handlers, but Piden spotted Meira and her Meisk off to one side. He knew her vaguely from Lessons, but the two had never spoken. No matter- standing with her made more sense than trying to butt in on what the adults were doing.

As Red shook in terror at the sight of the distant Dragons, Piden followed Pidesk to where Meira was. He didn't get too close- her Meisk seemed about as scaredy as Red, and Piden was quickly learning about how to handle unnecessarily skittish creatures. Pidesk would have bounded forward in greeting, too, but Piden put his hand on the small Bronze's head, holding him back. Instead, Piden waved at Meira and Pidesk huffed at Meisk, both asking without words if they were welcome.

[kysseh]

It should not have surprised Swithin that the bluerider knew his name, but the tall teen looked a bit startled before he nodded in obvious agreement. "Yes, I'm Swithin. This is Swisk," he said, gesturing to the pale blue wher that was eyeing Adith with obvious curiosity. It did not escape him, the way Swisk looked in comparison to the other whers. They were healthier, filled-out. They were not so pale and fragile-seeming as his Swisk was. The wher seemed hampered little by his lack of speed and strength, though, for he made up for his physical shortcomings with a great deal of enthusiasm. For all that he should never have hatched, he possessed a remarkable love for life.

The wher in question chuffed up at Adith and then made a warbling call of greeting. So large, this blue thing was! Strange, though. Few dragons seemed to tolerate him much. He largely ignored the bronze that landed, mostly out of principle. He didn't like the big dragons. They gave him nasty looks. He did greet the other whers, though... Neisk first since she was apparently important being shiny and all that. The wherlings were given a more enthusiastic greeting than the others, and Swisk had enough sense to recognize that the little blue wherling hiding behind his person's legs was... somewhat like him. Not so strong as the others.

But why was he hiding?! The pale wher trilled curiously and then tried to get around behind the girl to see the hiding wherling. Hiding was not allowed, unless it was a game! And Ellanisk was not here, so Swisk was most certainly up for a game, if that was the case. He made a curious noise and then tilted his head over, watching the creature with great curiosity. His pale tail waggled a bit, wings fluttering to try to entice the little wherling to come engage in fun.

Trying to not be embarrassed by his wher's love of playtime, Swithin glanced around at the gathered whers and handlers, trying to sort out who was and was not present. Where was his Ellanie and her Ellanisk? ...His?! Wait.... when did he start thinking of the female handler as 'his'?! He blushed, though it was not visible in the darkness. He liked her quite a bit. "I don't.... I think Ellanie and Ellanisk are coming, but they have been busy with the wherlings and lessons. They might be here soon. I thought they were coming," he said slowly in response to Uu'n's query, shrugging his wide shoulders.

[randi]

Ellanie had been up for a few hours before nightfall, which was simply a rarity for her. Ill-rested and with a conviction given by a faint idea cemented by grogginess and a can-do attitude, she had gotten done what she had intended, though not without a little frustration since then.

The Night Watch was something she had been excited about since hearing of it. Getting to work with her fellow wherhandlers, U'un, and whoever else showed up had her simply overjoyed. However, that excitement, pleasant and bubbly as it had been for several reasons, had, as was to be expected, passed on to Ellanisk.

The green had been impatiently prancing all through her 'handler's brief nap, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Fat Blue One to tell them that it was time for them to go to the Watch, where she would have fun, when a small game had caught her attention. By the time Ellanie had awakened, due to the fat blue firelizard's screech, which was mostly caused by Ellanisk leaping at him, the green had successfully dragged the clothes Ellanie had set out to various places across the apartment, save for the girl's shirt which she had snagged for herself. The wher pranced around with it, waggling it as a victory flag while Hers remained in a relatively good mood as she hunted for her clothes.

It was only when Oraru had the decency to call out for her that she could recall that she was supposed to be at the drumheights by now. After fighting for the right to wear a shirt from Ellanisk, which took a fair bit of time on it's own, the woman exited. Her usual appearance was marred by a certain unkempt wildness that was not her usual. Ellanisk, seeming proud of herself, warbled a quick greeting to Orask before the small party set out for the meeting place.

Once they spotted the amount of people there, Oraru fell back momentarily. A quick turn of the head revealed that he was quickly grooming himself, shooing the other pair onwards with a quiet "Get on, I'll be there in a second." Ellanie, therefore, arrived with two whers in tow instead of one, about at the time Swithin announced that he had expected their presence.

"We're here!" She announced merrily, giving a curtsy of respect to everyone present. Orask left her side immediately, intending to seek out a solitary place, but, seeing a lack thereof, chose to weave through to Neisk, crooning his own greeting to her. Yes, Adith and Ciceroth were fascinating, but he felt that, in this case, the familiar took precedence over the new.

Oraru arrived several paces behind the greenhandler, giving a brief glance over at the sound of Orask's voice. Ah, so she was here. "I am, too. Sorry for being late." He added to Ellanie, deciding not to sidle after Orask. The bronze would only likely be a grump if he was to follow, and he didn't need to be in a fussfight with the wher when something important happened.

Ellanisk was almost in a total overload at seeing the people around. As Ellanie curtsied, she offered her own bow, before immediately seeking out her friend. Spotting the pale blue wher, she sidled up to him with a gentle croon, nuzzling at his neck before looking at the wherling holding his interest. Why, it was another Swisk, only not-Swisk. Would he play with her? The adult wher waggled her rump playfully, but not with any threat about her movements. He appeared as though he would need gentle handling as well, but she could manage that for not-Swisk, yes she could.

As Ellanisk had looked for Swisk, so did Ellanie search for the source of the voice preceding her own. She did need to talk to Swithin about something important, and it only briefly occurred to her that maybe she should have stayed back a moment to groom as well. What if he didn't want... Oh, Faranth, she was being ever so silly about this, wasn't she? Finding him, she touched his arm gently to let him know about her nearness, whispering softly. "I've got a surpriiiiise."

[Avu]

He wasn’t angry at Zesa. That was the first thought that flicked across Meira’s mind, and it made her visibly relax. It was good…that was very good. She didn’t make any motion to reply to his question, as she had absolutely no idea herself whether or not anyone was coming. A credit to her socialization skills, much? Meisk had pressed his head against the backs of her legs, and now that she looked around, she realized why exactly. For one, Piden and Pidesk, a bronze wherlingpair, were nearby. Meisk was a bit more accepting of Pidesk than the other whers—he was more Meisk-sized, although he was still much bigger. Plus, Piden had a Zesa-like-thing. She was lots smaller and a weird color, but still. He shyly crooned a reply to Pidesk, his tail nervously lashing around Meira’s ankles. Meira glanced up at Piden and a small smile flashed across her face, too. Another wherling—that was good, yes? Now she wouldn’t stick out as the only one there.

But honestly, were these people trying to kill Meisk? First he had to put up with a dragon—one of them a big, big bronze one—and now all of this attention? He blinked shyly at Swisk, his eyes automatically sizing him up. He was small and…and he reminded Meisk of himself. And he was being nice, too. Nice was good…and Ellanisk. He knew Ellanisk, she was his teacher. She was good. Did she like the other blue, then? Meisk stretched out his neck curiously to study both of them, although he was loathe to leave the safety that Meira offered. Well…maybe he would just play a little, tiny, bit. Weren’t whers supposed to play? Meisk nudged Meira’s ankle nervously, chirping questioningly. Go and play, she encouraged him. Some socialization for the poor dear would be nice, considering his all but painful shyness.

Still, the wher balked, glancing nervously at Pidesk. Maybe the not-so-little clutchbrother would like to come, too? He was big, yes, but he was still Meisk’s age. And he was maybe more trustworthy than bigger, older whers. Right? Zesa trilled encouragingly at the wher, leaning out over Meira’s shoulder to peer at Ellanisk and Swisk. They looked nice. Why was he scared? Meisk whined uncertainly, and Meira nudged him with her foot, lightly. The wher shifted awkwardly, uncertain, and finally sidled out from behind His, an inquiring whine in his throat now. He didn’t know how to play. How did whers play? He had seen people playing, but he didn’t know how whers played. And he still hurt, too, sometimes, when he hit his wing or a particularly tender bruise. Could they teach him to play? Another low, nervous chirp.

Meira watched the pale, dusty blue wher inch cautiously towards Ellanisk and Swisk, his forked tail flicking nervously from side to side, with a slightly amused, affectionate, if vague, smile. When would the actual training start? And what would it be, anyway? The queen whers—or in this case, wher—organized fighting wings when Thread fell at night, and they were apparently quite efficient about it—so it couldn’t just be the whers being taught…and now she was completely bewildered as to what exactly they were going to do. Zesa thrummed quietly, her eyes on Meisk. This was a good place to be if Meisk wasn’t dead scared of all whers. As an added bonus, Derrisk wasn’t there.

[missa]

For Kayla, being awake at night was becoming a normal experience, even Shiny was slowly adjusting to being up at night. Considering salamandyrs weren't naturally nocturnal, it seemed almost sweet, that he was staying awake for her. Not that Kask was any example of that, despite her being the one that wanted to be up and ready to leave, the green wher was now happily dozing, silly creature.

"Kask?" No response. Of course not, not even a tail twitch. Why did she have to choose now to sleep. Normally, the meek little creature was almost as energetic as Shiny was, and that was saying something considering how much the blue ran around trying to find anything that sparkled. She was almost surprised he hadn't tried to drag Kask off to that little hoard of his, to Kayla, the green was more beautiful than anything else he enjoyed collecting.

A mental pord and the green was awake, sleepy, confused, but awake. Why did she have to be awake now? Couldn't she sleep just a little more? Just a candlemark or so?
"If we weren't late already, I'd say yes Kask." Adith had already called like twice, how Kask had slept through those haunting cries she didn't know, but no doubt she had a reason.

Everyone else was already there, or it seemed it. Why did they have to be the late ones? The times that Kayla didn't want attention, she'd probably get it for being late. An apologetic thought from Kask, the little green crooning absently as she nudged her nose against Kayla's knee, silently observing all those there before ducking once again behind Kayla.

{Crappy, I know, but it's here >>}

[neeuqtar]

Uu'n nodded to those who had arrived late. It was, after all, a long climb up to the Drumheights, but it had seemed the most logical place to hold a meeting, at least for him. But then, he did have access to dragonwings, while the wherhandlers had to make the hike by themselves. Suppressing the sudden urge to flash a glance at Ka'rys, Uu'n instead rubbed his hands together. It was cool enough that he was wearing fingerless gloves, a habit he'd forgone last Turn. His black nail-paint was chipping, he noticed, and sighed mentally. Time to touch that up again...

"Well," he said, a little abruptly. "I suppose most of us are here." Uu'n took a deep breath and touched one hand to Adith's flank momentarily before stepping to the side as Adith launched himself into the air, dropping into the river-canyon before winging powerfully up into the skies with his eerie howler-cry echoing up into the sky. In moments, his blue form was lost to the skies, for Adith was the same color as the dark twilight.

"I am sure most of you know me. My name is Uu'n, and Adith is my dragon. We have fought and bled for Selenitas with you, but being banished from the day, there is little we can do to protect our home--traditionally, that is." He grinned at them, eager, suddenly, for the hunt. "Benden has proved their willingness to attack us at our weakest flanks, like a wild feline harrying its prey. They've attacked at sunset, at Hatching, at Flight. But by far our weakest flank is the night." Uu'n started pacing, thumbs thrust into his new belt.

"And that is why we are here tonight. We are the night, the only ones even awake at our most vulnerable hours. Who is to say that Benden will not train their dragons to fly at night, then attack us when our own dragons are sleeping and unable to protect us? We've proven we can rebuff daytime attacks. And so," he ended, "I called this meeting, with the blessing of the Weyrleaders. I propose a defensive group, trained to work together as a team much a Wing of dragons would be. A... a Night Watch."

Adith's silvery form landed a good distance behind the wherhandlers, without backwinging, his flight silent until the final rush of air as he hit the ground, talons digging into the soil and rock as he landed with a whump. We are weak, and Benden knows it,[/b] Adith said into the minds of all assembled, whers included. Mine and I fly sweeps, but it is not enough. We do not know--yet--what you, as wherhandlers, are capable of. And we intend to, so that as a unit we may better protect this place in which we live.[/b]

Finally, Uu'n glanced to Ka'rys, as if for guidance, then cleared his throat and turned back with a slight twitch of his lips. "I'm open to ideas," he said cheerfully. "I know very little about how wherhandlers train and what they learn, but I am certainly willing to become an avid pupil," he said with a little bow to them. "I will be attending as many wherling lessons as I can, but I'd also like to know just what, individually, your whers and yourselves are capable of. Ka'rys--I hope--will be helping me design a fighting style which will utilize your partnership to the fullest, and help me in teaching it. After all," Uu'n concluded with a feral grin, "What use are we if we can't fight?"

[reqqy]

The pair was not yet familiar with every location in this Weyr, and not yet adapted to the night - as a mining wher, Whisk was not necessarily restrained to the darkest hours, and their most recent run of shifts had been during the day. But they'd come - for a short time - to help from the shadows. Perhaps they'd been sent because Whinny was not what you would call a well-loved handler at Hyphen. Too many dirty whisperings of scandal surrounded her. Still, they'd come, and it was then that the woman decided; at her first opportunity, she would leave Hyphen and carve a niche for herself at Selenitas. There was not a single handler here who had five turns experience, much less thirty. And a woman of Whinny's age needed to feel useful.

Their transfer was finally complete. Whisk bounded ahead silently, little more than a sense of movement in the darkness. His rich, mud silt hide blended perfectly with the night. Her shadow. He returned to nuzzle her lightly, to grab hold of her sleeve and tug her forward, impatient. She smiled thinly. Cold, colorless eyes turned up toward the dark shapes just over the rise - eyes well-adapted to lack of light over so many turns. They weren't so great in daylight, but they made out each form now.

He was already talking, as they drew up. The boy. A look around confirmed what she already knew; they all were children. This bluerider, who grinned as a predator might. She regarded him coldly. Strange, really, to find youth leading. Impetuous youth. Whinny glanced to the Weyrleader, whom she knew on sight, though he did not know her. Content, to stick behind. To watch. But then, Weyrleaders rarely held power through any dint of will of their own, unless they were ruthless enough to force the choice. Was he useful? Time would tell. Whinny listened, evaluated.

A brow rose into her hairline, the only indication of emotion on the otherwise still, ghostly face. A defensive force? She was a southern woman, but one who recognized sense when she heard it. Strong enough to step outside the confines of convention and remain unbowed when public opinion turned against her. But she had to wonder. It made sense, to defend. When the world was nipping at your heels, you had only defense or submission to offer. Yet it also made sense that one who merely defended could be worn down. Whittled away. How long? How long before defense turned into offense? Before a Weyr moving toward militarization became...a player in the war? And would they be wise, or would they attack too early, when they were still too weak to stand against the northern powers?

It was a dangerous move. Doubly so with such youth at its helm.

And yet...to remain as they were wasn't an option.

Ill at ease, Whinny waited to hear what else might be said, striving all the while to take the measure of the people around her. She felt as if something was being missed, but she could not put her finger on what. Shard-blast this lag. Whisk whined softly at her side, pressed against her. No sound, from Whinny, but her hand fell on him, and he stilled.

"Then you want - what from us? To tell you what it is that we do? Most of these are too young to even know their whers, and no one has been trained to fight. At least not as a pair, or am I mistaken?" Not for Whinny, to remain silent simply because she was new to the game. Especially not in a brand new game played by babes.