Special Wherling Lesson

[kysseh]

(Please note that attendance here is not required but highly HIGHLY recommended. I'm busy this week, so I decided to take a break and do a fun lesson. I'll make the next post once at least two people arrive.)

Dawn was but a few candlemarks off, and Swithin was carefully arranging chairs and glows in one of the empty apartments. There was enough floorspace to accommodate chairs for nine wherlings, himself, and possibly his beloved Ellanie if she could make it. That she was indisposed still worried him, but he could not dwell on it long. He had a class to teach, after all.

He waited patiently for his students to arrive, without their bondeds this time. After the night's activities, the whers would need a bit of rest, he was sure. He had decided to take this opportunity for a special lesson and had talked with or left notes for all of his students. Hopefully, some of the errant wherlings would arrive this time; he was eager for them to get this lesson properly before things became interesting and awkward.

A few had arrived, so he decided to begin the lesson without taking attendance. This was not a required lesson, no, but all of his wherlings would benefit from it. He had had plenty of queries about this topic too, when he was in their shoes. The young man saw it as the least he could do, to educate the poor dears. "I'm not taking attendance, so just sit down and make yourselves comfortable. This lesson won't be very long, but I know you have questions, so that's what it's for. We're going to talk about Runs," he began before pausing and taking a breath. This would be difficult.

"Wher Runs are.... like salamandyr Runs if you have seen or experienced those. It's sort of like Flightlust. You lose all sorts of inhibitions, and you feel the need and the desire for others, probably the bonded of the wher lusting after yours. The female whers run, and the males chase, and the female will pick one of the males. When the whers mate, the bondeds... do the same." He was blushing, even in the darkness. His holdborn tendencies were shining brightly through. "It is not as awful as it sounds, I promise. But... well, before I go further, does anyone have any specific questions I can talk about? It is a lot to take in..."

[weaving]

Jermayan entered the room after making sure that Jermaysk was perfectly settled in their apartment. They had had a long night, what with infirmary duty and just wandering around as they usually did, and the brown was feeling rather tired. Not that Jermaysk would ever admit to such feelings. The brown liked staying up for as long as Jermayan did, and while the young man would have preferred for Jermaysk to get some rest, he knew that the brown would still be awake when he returned. Manners had been left back at the apartment as well. While he was usually well behaved, the ‘mandyr was tired and rather more inclined to be grumpy. Those who had bonded to firelizards would appreciate it as well he suspected, for it seemed that the two species simply couldn’t get along.

The healer slipped into the room, nodding in greeting to Swithin. He seemed to be the first to arrive and he wondered if perhaps he would be the only one. This wasn’t, after all, required, and a few of the wherlings had failed to attend even those lessons that were mandatory. He stood around awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do. It wasn’t long before others arrived, making him feel somewhat better. At least he wasn’t the only one then, saving him and Swithin from a potentially awkward situation.

Picking a chair and sitting, Jermayan listened with interest to Swithin. They were to be talking about Runs? He glanced around the room, thoughts tumbling through his mind. Who would Jermaysk chase when the time came? Who might he wake up to one morning? Well, those bonded to male whers were immediately ruled out, leaving Kalushka, Hennai and Cerysk in this room. There were others too, whose whers were already grown. The thought of Jermaysk chasing both thrilled and worried him. But then, that was why they were having this conversation, right? To alleviate their fears.

“I..uh…have a question to ask.” Jermayan spoke up as Swithin paused. “It would be best to have experience prior to your wher Running or chasing for the first time, right? How long should we wait until our whers are old enough to properly handle the emotions that stem from sex?” He had had limited experience with both men and women but was still a virgin. He didn’t want his first time to be the result at a Run, but he would never compromise Jermaysk’s mental health for his own satisfaction. Others were probably wondering the same he figured, and it just happened to be chance that he was the first to actually voice such a thought. Were they embarrassed? Swithin seemed to be, but it was difficult to tell his expression in the dim lighting. Well, better to be knowledgable and embarrassed than to remain ignorant and possibly do damage to their bonded, right? Right.

[Avu]

She was feeling very exposed without Zesa close by, a feeling that the wherling neither particularly liked or benefited from. In fact, Meira was considering just going back to curl up with Meisk and Zesa - she'd left both flitter and wher fast asleep - instead of coming to the lesson, which was, after all, not required. But eh...she'd already come halfway and from her judging, either half would be the same walk anyways. The Healer rubbed her eyes wearily as she trotted down the hallway to the unused apartment specified, but just as she was about to push the door open, she hesitated, feeling one of her Bondeds stirring - Zesa. Of course the flitter would wake; Meisk was completely out. A human dosed with fellis could hardly sleep more deeply. A pause; a flash of cold nothingness; and then a very familiar, scolding chirp sounded in Meira's ear as the queen pressed against her throat. Why would Hers leave without her? Humph.

"Sorry," Meira whispered, raising her hand to stroke the flit, undeniably relieved by her precense - albeit rather startled by the young queen's moodiness that accompanied the golden luster that her hide had taken on in the past few days. Only moderately appeased, Zesa twisted her tail lightly around the girl's throat as she entered the room, narrowing her eyes to squint around at those who had arrived before her - only one, the other Healer that took Night Shift - and of course, their teacher. Swithin. She smiled nervously at the two males as she sank into a chair, fiddling absently with the hem of her tunic, the silence unnerving as Zesa's gaze flicked around the room quietly. Still she hadn't gotten a chance to take it up to Swithin, the subject of It and whether or not It would affect Meisk, and she was determined to tonight. If I don't, bite me, she added to Zesa absently, as the others trickled in and the lesson began.

And wasn't that just the most perfect subject? Runs. Her fingers were highly busy at the hem of her tunic by now, making unnecessary adjustments as the bluewherling's gaze bored a hole into the ground just below Swithin's feet. Dismayed at the thought of her precious Meisk Chasing - and at what would be the inevitable outcome - she shivered unconsciously, the anxiety so great that even Zesa dropped her moodiness to cheep reassuringly and cuddle closer against her. Still, though - Meisk was her Bonded, her patient, her baby. The thought of him Chasing seemed incomprehensible, too large and too repulsive to swallow. Being out of control like that - the thought terrified her, although she'd already known the basics before Bonding.

As Swithin paused for questions and the Brownwherling spoke up, Meira braced herself to ask her own question - highly personal, but it had to come out and the sooner the better. She hesitated, and a gentle nibble from Zesa tugged her earlobe, her hand automatically raising in protest. "Umm, I have a question too," Meira admitted warily, still addressing not Swithin, but the ground. "It kind of - goes along with - his question." She tilted her head towards Jermayan explanitorily. "It's just...I know we're not supposed to do any sleeping around until later, but what if - what if we were - forced? Or - something? How will that affect them?" If that wasn't a highly blatant statement of It happening, she didn't know how she could be more obvious.