Week 1 Wher Bonding

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Earisa

At the sensation of being picked up Blood stilled temporarily. They'd been picked up before and generally learned it was best not to wriggle during those moments. Once the petting and tickling began they gave a happy squeal, once again beginning to wriggle happily. This was fun, they liked this very much. The pup batted their pudgy paws at Jelric's hands playfully, as though trying to keep his hands away. Yet any time the candidate looked as though he were going to stop the wherlet would tuck their paws back in and provide a clear opening for him to tickle them again.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Bonding with the pups felt like a little bit of minefield to Thasne. She had thought that the gender of the pups would have become clear by now, but it wasn't. The miner needed a male, trying to interact with the larger wherlets gave the best chance of that. Unfortunately it ran the risk of bonding to a male that was too large for the mine. Even Mezask looked as though she might struggle in certain areas. Really Thasne needed a smaller wher. Blues and greens were of similar size, and the size was ideal, but greens were almost twice as common as blue. That meant that each time she interacted with a smaller wher there was a good chance it was actually female. It was problematic. A too large male wouldn't be advantageous to a mine and would cause a lot of financial difficulties which she was sure she would never hear the end of. A female wher would be even worse since Thasne would have to stay at the Weyr permanently. It was a perfectly serviceable place, the miner was sure the people who lived here liked it, but she had worked too hard for too long to get stuck here.

Unfortunately it left Thasne with the only option being to bond to as many hatchlings as possible. Hopefully over the coming weeks she would get some insight into their genders and be able to focus more intently on the males of the clutch. Standing in the den with a bucket of meat the miner looked around. Looking around she saw many of the pups were still sleeping. Of the three that were awake the middle largest was already playing with a candidate. The largest of the clutch was also awake. Thasne generally avoided the largest ones unless directly approached. They were likely to end up being big bronzes and browns, which wouldn't fit at all. That left Water. They were on the smaller side of the hatchlings, ideal if they turned out to be male. Thasne wasn't prepared to commit completely based on what she could see in the gloom. Walking over to the pup she sat down quietly next to them, placing the bucket down. They didn't seem to be calling for food immediately, but the miner intended to be ready when they did.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

The_Muffin_Puppy

Water seemed largely unconcerned by Thasne's arrival. The only sign that the wherlet knew she was there was a slight tilt of their head as she approached. Once the candidate had settled herself and her bucket, the pup turned their attention back to the others in the cavern. It was as close to watching as a creature could with their eyes closed. Water couldn't see what their siblings were doing, but they had a good idea. The sounds of snores and soft breathing let them know that the majority of the clutch were still sleeping. The heavier breathing of the adults meant they were watching, but not engaging. They could feel the cloud of Dyad's thoughts from where they sat, and everyone could hear the playful sounds of Blood and Jelric. Water seemed content to sit off to the side and take in this information, and Thasne was welcome to sit beside them.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Day 5 Prompts

Laying on their front in the den Grave gives a small groan as they flop over onto their side. They're hungry.

Music has been awake for a little while now. Hunger hasn't immediately taken hold and the wher pup currently is sitting, bobbing their head, and peeping in what could generously be called a rythmn.

Turns out the lump near the back of the den is Misshapen. Candidates will need to get close to sense that they aren't a rock. Then the sensation is just sadness and a dull hunger.

 

[Earisa]

Jelric tried to count the small shapes in the darkness, coming up short again. He had even tried to account Grave who seemed to barely act alive, was sort of creepy, but he had found it by the strange groans only it seemed to make. No, he was sure one was missing or hiding somewhere. Mezask didn't seem to be any more concerned then she normally did with candidates in her den, no clues there, however there did seem to be a lump against the wall near her. That had to be the lost pup, Misshapen.

Sitting down next to it he felt the dull hunger that was buried under so much sadness. "What's wrong, pup?" The man asked as he pet the still, tiny wher.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Earisa

Sitting down next to it he felt the dull hunger that was buried under so much sadness. "What's wrong, pup?" The man asked as he pet the still, tiny wher.

As Jelric approached Misshapen didn't move. He wouldn't be coming to see them, so it didn't matter. The pup seemed to refuse to believe it even as the candidate sat right next to them. Curled up in a little lump the wherlet continued to radiate unhappiness even as Jelric began to speak. When his hand touched the pup's back they flinched and their thought pattern stuttered. A tense heartbeat passed before Misshapen leaned into the touch with an almost imperceptible sigh.

They didn't like Misshapen. The thought was slow in coming. They knew. They weren't as big as Ancient or Dyad, but too big for the candidates that wanted a little one. They weren't as strong or active as Blood, so even against a pup the same size they weren't any good. Even from Jelric they were sure it was only pity that caused him to visit, but they couldn't bear to send him away all the same.  

[Earisa]

Jelric had been worried when the pup flinched, worried that it might lash out at him. Without their full teeth and with claws just hardening he wasn't too afraid of any damage, it was still an unpleasant experience he would prefer to avoid. As it leaned into his touch he knew he didn't have to fear it happening. It still seemed unhappy and unwilling to move though. Much of what he did with the pups was built upon what he had done and learned from the previous days, Misshapen seemed to respond well to pets so maybe they could work up from there. Much like he did with Blood the day before he pulled the pup into his lap but didn't tickle the pup, it didn't seem in the mood to play right now. "Did you have a fight with your siblings, or did someone not feed you enough?" The chatter was more to fill the silence, but the whers did seem to respond to it. The pup might respond but he couldn't really help if he didn't know how to.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Earisa

Misshapen didn't fight when they were picked up, although there was an air of confusion. The pup wasn't really sure what was going on, so they just went pliant. Finding themselves in Jelric's lap was not what they expected to happen. Still the wherlet found they quite liked it here. Surrounded by someone else. The smell, the warmth. It was rather comforting. The radiating sadness didn't vanish, but tendrils of contentment began to worm in. Misshapen shifted slightly, making themselves comfortable in the candidate's lap. This was nice.  

[The_Muffin_Puppy]

Day 6 Prompts

As seems to be the norm now for Hidden, the pup is off to the side. The feeling of irritation is clear and hunger doesn't seem to be overtaking it any time soon.

Moonlight is being rather loud this evening. Not crying or demanding. There's just a lot of grunting and snuffling coming from the hatchling. They appear to be enjoying rolling around in the sand and wriggling themselves into a wallow.

It doesn't seem like Blood is awake just yet. The pup is managing to broadcast hunger, but the gentle snores coming from them indicate that this feeling isn't quite strong enough to wake them yet.