Week 1 Wher Bonding

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Reminder: Sign-Ups for this clutch are open until 07th June

Quote:

The first month of a whers life is not very eventful to an outside observer. Unlike other dragonkin, whers come out of the egg rather unimpressive. Pudgy in appearance, a wher hatches with no teeth and their eyes closed. Seemingly drawn out by hunger they will hatch, crawl, scooch, or waddle towards someone willing to feed them (man or wher), eat until they are full, and fall back to sleep. This is how they will spend the first sevenday of their lives. Waking, eating, sleeping. The job of feeding is encouraged to be carried out by candidates. Although the task does not seem very engaging, it is an important aspect of familiarising the whers with the pack. The smell of the den and those feeding them and moving around them allows the pup to more readily trust candidates. Wherlets will readily project their needs to the den and should a candidate not move to treat this need fast enough a member of the pack will carry out the task instead.

From the Wherling Guide, Month 1

Rules
- Members of Fort Weyr wherpack may be present in the den.
- Handlers of the wherpack and candidates are the only humans allowed within the wher den.
- Firelizards are not allowed in the wherden.
- Candidates may now enter the den as often as they desire for as long as they desire.
- Candidates should show ample respect to Mezask as she can throw them out whenever she wants.
- The cavern is small and dim, candidates will have little space and should move with caution.
- Wher pups don't have teeth and aren't especially nimble. They can leave a bruise through biting and might manage to break the skin with their claws if there's force behind a swipe.
- Candidates are encouraged to attend to whers needs. Candidates should no squabble over hatchlings.
- Any wher not attended to by a PC will be assumed to be getting the care they need from another candidate or adult wher.
- Candidates are supplied with buckets of ground meat for the whers to consume. They may eat until they fall asleep.
- Daily prompts will be posted for three pups. Players can also have their character seek out a pup if they wish.
- Pups will not respond to posts made after 11:59pm (GMT) Sunday 24th May, after which point the Week 2 thread will begin.

The Pups
Hidden – 2'7'' long, 1'1'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 0
Strength: 0
Stamina: 0
Speed: 0
Dexterity: 0

Water – 2'10'' long, 1'2'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 1
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 0
Dexterity: 0

Music – 2'11'' long, 1'2'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 0
Strength: 0
Stamina: 0
Speed: 1
Dexterity: 1

Grave – 2'11'' long, 1'2'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 0
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 0
Dexterity: 0

Moonlight – 3'3'' long, 1'4'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 1
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 0
Dexterity: 0

Blood – 3'4'' long, 1'5'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 1
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 0
Dexterity: 0

Misshapen – 3'4'' long, 1'5'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 0
Strength: 0
Stamina: 1
Speed: 0
Dexterity: 1

Ancient – 3'7'' long, 1'6'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 1
Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 0
Dexterity: 0

Dyad – 4'0'' long, 1'8'' at the shoulder
Hit Points: 1
Strength: 1
Stamina: 0
Speed: 0
Dexterity: 0  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Day 1 Prompts

Ancient has begun to verbally call and mentally broadcast that they are hungry.

Hidden is crawling about the cavern, radiating irritation and hunger.

Water is quietly broadcasting that they are hungry.

 

[Earisa]

The nesting cavern was still just as dark as the day of the hatching but Jelric was starting to get used to the extreme gloom. The walls and corners he could remember but he was still ever wary of the whers that could move around. While he feared bumping into one of the adults he was more terrified of accidentally stepping on one of the young pups. Still blind they most likely wouldn't see each other and so small and fragile that it could prove fatal. Each step he took was more of a calculated shuffle and he stayed close to the walls when he could, bringing what treats he could every few days. I normally wasn't anything particularly fancy, a wherry thigh of meaty heardbeast shank from a fresh carcass though he was never sure if Mezask liked them much.

While he had paid little mind to the shells, was near unable to tell which one hatched what pup, and markings and colours still very muted one of the only ways he could tell many of them apart was by size. Oh he was happy to let any of them crawl all over him during his visits but he tried to pay more attention to the bigger ones, the ones more likely to be browns and bronzes. Jelric didn't imagine himself being able to leave the Weyr if he bonded a green, he didn't exactly have anywhere waiting for him if he could.

It wasn't usual to hear the barks and calls to be fed, if they were awake they were hungry, but it was rarer to feel the mental thumps for attention with it. The feeling was familiar, was that Ancient? Settling down with a bucket on the sandy floor, it was hard to call for a hatchling that didn't have a name yet but surely they would come on their own if they were hungry.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Earisa

Moving was still difficult so Ancient made their way over to Jelric in roughly sitting position. Half bouncing, half pulling themselves along towards the source of food. They were getting good at this sensing business. Their eyes would still be closed for a few more days, but they were getting better at navigating based on what their nose was telling them. Most smells just swam together to form the smell of the den, but food was one that they were always eager to seek out. Unfortunately they weren't sensitive enough to tell when they were immediately in front of the bucket, so ended up bumping into both bucket and candidate.

It didn't hurt, and Ancient was willing to accept responsibility for it. They couldn't see Jelric, but lifted their head as though looking up at his face. That was the bit where the noises came from, so Ancient figured that was where you turned. The wher whistled a pleasant greeting at the candidate, happy to have someone around whenever they were awake. Especially if that someone was going to be proving them with food. The wher lifted their forepaw and began to pat it against Jelric's leg. They were willing to wait, but they were very, very, hungry.  

[Revel1984]

Bekah was trying not to show more interest in one hatchling over another, it was hard not to think of Grave though, hoping the little one was okay, they'd been so quiet and still at the hatching, had barely changed when it had fallen asleep.

She grabbed a bowl as she entered the cavern, catching the hungry mumurs of a few hatchlings, one was being taken care of though, another was less insistent in it's urging for food, which hopefully meant it wasn't TOO hungry, then there was that one pacing the cavern, the irritated feeling was impossible to miss, perhaps it was just annoyed because it was hungry? She moved towards Hidden, holding the bowl in front of her, trying to broadcast feelings and thoughts of a full belly if it came and ate.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Revel1984

The little wher's head whipped around when someone approached, nostrils flaring as it tried to identify the one approaching. Not that it mattered. Hidden hadn't gotten especially close to any candidate. Seemingly because they didn't want to. As Bekah's thoughts reached them the wher gave what sounded like an insulted snort, their irritation rising even higher. Hidden wasn't an idiot. They didn't need to be told that food made them not hungry anymore. Did this candidate really think that Hidden and their clutchmates were that stupid? Well, maybe some of the others were that stupid, but they certainly were not.

Pushing themselves up into a sitting position the smallest wher seemed to almost glare at Bekah. Which was impressive given that they had yet to open their eyes for the first time.  

[Revel1984]

Bekah tried very hard to keep her amused thoughts to herself, of course food meant it wouldn't be hungry, she clearly hadn't been doing a good job of telling the wher her meaning, "Come here for it i mean" she said out loud, holding the bowl out but not moving, it was entirely possible that irritating the wherlet would irritate Mezask and it might mean she would be made to leave.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Revel1984

Hidden gave another snort, not sounding any less irritated. They didn't see any reason to go to Bekah at all. She was the one that wanted something, not them. Hidden was well aware that someone would come to feed them eventually. Either a candidate or, more preferably one of their pack. Why should they go to where Bekah was? Sitting perfectly still the wher made no move towards the candidate at all.  

[Revel1984]

Bekah could be just as stubborn at times, she wasn't going to go all the way to the wherlet, she was fairly close as it was, a few paces from the baby wher and it would be at the bowl, it needed to practice walking and strengthen those limbs right? "c'mon, if you won't then i'll go take it to the other hungry one" she said to the Wherlet, she would too, this was about bonding with a wher and while she admired it's spirit, she was hoping for a wher that would be as willing to work with her, as she was willing to Bond to it, stubborn was fine, even admirable in some but she needed one that would be open to people being around.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Revel1984

Hidden wasn't budging. If anything they were now beginning to find the whole thing rather entertaining, the way the candidate thought they were in some position to be expecting anything of them. The pup remained sitting where they were, idly lifting their hind foot to scratch an itch on their jaw. There were more candidates than there were pups and then an entire pack that would care for Hidden in her stead. Looking away from the candidate Hidden began to once again broadcast their hunger to the cavern. Since this one had decided not to feed them.  

[Revel1984]

Bekah sighed, fine... but she wasn't going to go over, she left the bowl of food where she had been kneeling, just a couple of paces from the Wherlet, not about to totally take food away from a baby, she went and grabbed another bowl and moved softly towards Water who had been just quietly letting everyone around know it was hungry, no fuss, just letting them know. She moved towards it, again leaving a couple of paces between her and the wherlet, to enourage the baby to walk towards her, strengthen those limbs  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Revel1984

Sitting where they were Hidden listened as the candidate walked away. With the mental equivalent of a shrug the youngster turned pointedly away from the bucket. They began to crawl along the floor once again, searching for someone to feed them.

Water turned their head towards Bekah as the candidate approached. They let out a pleasant hum as she approached and they could smell the food she had brought with her. The pup waited patiently until they realised that the candidate had stopped a few human steps away. Unfortunately for a wher that could not yet walk or see this seemed like quite a distance. Still Water was awfully hungry. The pup tried to get their legs under themselves. It was rather difficult controlling all four at once. Their pudgy limbs shook as they tried to straighten them, before the pup tipped over to the side and landed with a soft thud.

They tried again, managing to stand after a few moments of struggling. The wher swayed dangerously. Lifting one paw was enough to throw them off balance and the pup went slamming headfirst into the ground with the sad wurr. Digging their claws into the sand they started to awkwardly drag themselves across the sand. Not even making it a foot before having to stop for a few moments. By the time Water managed to reach Bekah they were breathing heavily and their forelegs and their nose hurt. They had made it though. Did they get to eat now?  

[Revel1984]

Bekah encouraged the pup as it tried to stand, "That's it, you can do it" she said softly, holding the bucket a little closer before wincing as it fell, still it was all practice and building those muscles for later.

What she hadn't expected was the determination of the little wherlet as it tried to get to her, more than once she shifted the tiniest bit closer so it didn't have to come QUITE as far, she felt bad she'd made it come to her, perhaps the next wherlet she fed, she'd just take the food straight to it. "You did so great!" she cheered Water on, holding the bucket so it could eat it's fill lying down so it didn't have to move more than it needed to right now, she felt so guilty "if course you can, i'm sorry i made you go so far" she was tempted to scritch it's headknobs as it ate but didn't quite dare to yet, it wasn't her wher, at least, even if it was, it wasn't YET bonded.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Revel1984

Water let out a happily, if tired, little croon as the candidate praised them. The pup seemed very pleased with themselves, even if they were very tired. Lying on their belly the wher moved their head towards the bucket. Taking a mouthful the wher hummed in pleasure at what they saw as their reward for a job well done. As the pup chewed and swallowed they rubbed their blunt little head against Bekah's hand. Water didn't fully understand the concept of guilt, but it didn't seem particularly pleasant, so they hoped Bekah wouldn't feel it for long.  

[Earisa]

He heard the sandy shuffling but it was the faint clunk against the bucket that he knew for certain that he knew Ancient was closer then he realized. "Careful there pup, you alright?" Jelric had never really spoken around the clutch, and even rarer to them directly. He just didn't know if they really understood the words or just read feeling, but he had gotten this far somehow.

It's whistling was reassuring, he seemed fine not that they knew for certain it was a he yet. Jelric did hope though, he had taken a liking to Ancient from the touching and it was one of the larger pups. Ancient was insistent to be fed, extremely polite about it to wait rather then try helping itself to the bucket, and the man wasted no time offering a large handful from the pail. As it ate the man ran a hand down it's back in pets to get a good feel for its size and shape.