Banished from Eden {WHER HATCHING}

[nozomi]

Warden straightened his shoulders when Zalmask and her large self started towards him. His head cocked back the closer she came in order to keep from being drowned by the large Gold; Yusuth never tried to be imposing, nor did he much care to ever approach anyone other than Warden, so seeing something that much larger than himself was a bit... Unnerving. He liked Mama, of course he did, but Warden could not be called a big man.

"You buried it for a reason, Zalmask. Him. Her." Warden recovered from his confusion with another slow frown, though his gaze did not move from the huge female nearing in on him. No, maybe Zalmask was not a human woman or a dragon mother, but he had seen felines and firelizards viciously defend their children - Whers were so much more then them, sometimes more than human women. "Your children, yes. That does not mean that it will be anything but a burden, taking one of the guards from duty, maybe forever with a Wher that cannot walk on its own."

He shook his head, the movement slow. "Zalmask, you did that baby no favors by bonding it."


-----


Siatask wanted porridge, wished for the thought she could see in Siata's mind very much. Porridge! Blood! Mostly blood, more than the other nasty stuff. How she could tell it was nasty fell beyond guessing, and Siata didn't care enough to even try - Siatask hungry meant cutting words and that never fell into the category of fun.

Ask. The ugly Wheret all but crooned the name, her thick body heavy against Siata's leg. She snapped her jaws towards her brother, tone turned mocking when she spoke again to Siata. Ask so big, so bad. Soft.

Another harsh click of her toothless gums in Ask's direction earned Siatask a firm hand on her muzzle, quieting the green into a red-eyed green, attention narrowed in on Ask. Her stunted tail swished, only for the briefest of moments. THen her head ducked, and she leaned further to Siatask.

Little sisters weak. Siatask hungry. Eat before. Eat now.

Siata's eyes followed the blue, quieted with her own Whers words. Ask, huh. Interesting. SHe rubbed the rough and bumped hide, fingertips rolling along the edges of Siatask's throat. "Food. Right - right - uhm."

Siatask's so smart.

[S'yal]

Zalmask merely stared at Warden for a moment, blinking slowly. She knew that what she had done had been selfish, but Zalmask could be a selfish wher. If the baby died now, it had at least had a chance to live. It had a chance to be a wher, to move and breathe and play and have a moment with it's handler. Zalsk had that.

What if it was Yusuth? She whispered quietly to Warden, eyes whirling. What if Yusuth little and broken. What if Yusuth not walk? Kill Yusuth? She was slowly growing more and more angry, baring her fangs at Warden. She moved so she was standing defensively in front of the white and her handler, raising her head. She was not going to back down. She knew what she was- she was queen. She was queen of the whers, and queens defended their subjects. Mothers defended their children. She would do both.

Zalmask swung her head from side to side, before pausing. Chance? Lucisk be useful. Ruth useful. Lucisk useful too. Maybe the mention of the fabled white dragon would earn Lucisk her life? If not... then Zalmask would be forced to do something that would put her way out of her comfort zone. Her words conveyed emotions as well, not her own. Zalmask will find something. Zalmask need time. Zalmask's find healer for Lucisk, healer fix.

Meanwhile, Angry was on amission. Her head hurt, her chest heaved and she felt something she did not understand. She looked over the hatching sands, at the man who sat curled in a corner with a dead wher in his arms.

She felt... regret?

The feeling was alien. But it hurt. The guilt, the horror of what she'd done. She'd killed her sister, injured so many on the sands. But, now Luxuria had turned his attention back to her. He realized what she'd done to his Rysk... and he wasn't happy. He descended on her, screaming in rage and sinking claws into Angry. She didn't move, so baffled by the feelings coursing through her. He ripped her shoulder to the bone, and had he teeth he would have ripped her throat out. His savaging of his sister didn't last long, however. Z had gotten up from his place by the wall, still holding Zalsk, and lifted a foot to kick the bronze away. Luxuria yelped, but retreated. Z gave Angry a look of disgust, turning his back on the baffled wher.

Angry moved.

She was limping, bleeding, having gotten what she deserved for the horrors inflicting upon the hatching. She eventually came to a stop behind one that was yelling, one that had a wher that did not love her. She craned her neck to lick at an injured leg, eyes whirling a sad gray and then rainbow.

Bellask not understand. Bellask heart hurts. Bellask's make better?

~~~~BELLASK SMASH!1!!.~~~~



Name Bellask

Color Green.

Sin Wrath

Hex Code C5FF25

Desc This wher is average in size and build, neither large nor small for a green. Her body is muscular in a lean way, over all sticking her firmly in the stereotype of a green. She's alright with that- it affords her more stamina then most greens have. What's really eyecatching about her is her hide. The light yellow is covered in spots of darker green which happens to catch attention, and the green likes to strut it. Like with her greedy brother, each spot covers up a large bump in her hide. She bares a large scar from Luxuria.

Personality
Anger makes up a lot of Bellask. She's angry near constantly, very rarely is her rage soothed. Only Bellatrix has this ability, only her hand can draw Bellask from the depths of her rage. Bellatrix and Bellatrisk will find the smallest of their group to be a useful tool, if it suits them. Bellask fears nothing if she's ordered to kill it, a loyal soldier that will tear apart anything demanded of her by queen and handler. However, when merely taking out her rage on another she is easy to chase away from her target. Unless... they make her really pissed. Then there's no rescue. Ever.

She's an intelligent and sharp mind, but it isn't often used. It's buried underneath the mountains of rage and hatred that make up this egg, but when Bellatrix calms her down she shows just how fearsome that intellect is when combined with her hate. Bellatrix will be able to teach her to conserve her anger and use it later, to lash out when people aren't expecting it. She'll be the best student of this any have ever met.

However, she is not all hate. Underneath, far underneath... she is a lost child. She doesn't know why she's so angry, why she attacks people and why she's so horrible. She can hardly control herself. She gets angry, she attacks. Though she never reveals it to anyone, she's frightened of herself. She's scared of the joy she gets when ichor and blood flow over her claws... and when no one is around, she silently mourns her lack of control. She wants to hurt people, but she hates it. Being bonded to Bellatrix and Bellask won't help this. Bellatrix treating her kindly will always receive confusion during Bellask's childhood, but eventually she'll begin to warm up to it.

She loves Bellatrisk. She wants to be just like the gold. Everytime Bellatrisk abuses her, everytime she is flippantly dismissed, bitterness and hate wells inside her. She lashes out, screaming her rage and taking it out on everyone weaker then her. She's a text book bully.

Why Me? Something about Bella appeals to this little Green. Her ruthless nature, the fact she did not shy away when Bellask mauled her siblings. The fact that Bellatrix is possibly the only living being on the face of the planet to -like- her. It's such a strange concept to Bellask that she couldn't resist bonding herself to Bellatrix, even when Bellatrisk had already staked her claim.

[lithle]

There were the parts that didn't matter. Those came first. The strange ferocity of the new queen, as she attacked her mother's handler was enough to leave Annette hissing in quiet disapproval. While conflicts between queens were more rule than exception, surely in a case such as this, the appropriate thing for the new hatched queen to do would be to show respect to her mother. Still, she found a bonded.

So did the white, though with considerable assistance. Later, Annette would think to be fascinated by the white hatchling. So fragile looking, so delicate. Could such a creature survive? It would be something to follow up on.

But the time for such musings was not the present. Not with the hatching of the Virtue Egg. She'd liked it at the touching and she watched it now, smiling, though confusion touched the expression. A blue? Must be, though the hide's shade was almost purple. She watched him tidy himself, smiling a bit at his careful actions.

When he approached her, she was not entirely surprised. She'd felt an attachment to him even when he was in the egg. They'd like each other. The scratch barely hurt, she didn't wince.

First we must get you fed and rested, Ask. Other duties must wait. She stroked the blue wher's hide with firm features noting it felt oddly soft when contrasted with Annesk. Ah, yes. Annesk. And you must meet Annesk.

Ask? Ask! Ask is Annesk's Ask? Yes. Hi Ask! Annesk take care of Ask. Annesk make Ask strong.

Annesk. Hush now. Ask meet Annesk later.


Annette laughed, a rare sound from the woman. It was a warm, low sound, genuine. "Enough. The both of you."

[nozomi]

At the mention of his Yusuth, Warden pressed a hand to his side, rubbing idly in memory of that wonderful day. Brilliant it had been, Yusuth ended up to be a dragon bonding more like a Wher, with blood involved and clinging. Even still, he shook his head. "Yusuth would have died in the egg. I do not go onto Sands, prying open eggs with infants unable to open it for themselves. It is cruel. It is, again, why you chose to bury those three, isn't it? Because of the size, the inability to survive."

Ask and Siatask - those two survived. Ask had the color distortion, and Siatask short and thick appendages, no where useful for being tall or intimidating (for now). But they could walk. They found their own bondmates, and they cut open their own flesh.

Exhaustion pressed down on him. Yusuth was the part of the duo that didn't care about things - Warden's job happened to fall into the categories of hating more things and then being a bitch about them. Things like this - they made Warden so tired. His shouldn't didn't sag with the weight of it all, but Warden's mouth tightened, the lines on his face becoming more distinct in the effort to remain whatever it was Warden happened to be.

"Because it's yours, Zalmask. I've seen hatchlings culled for less than whatever she - he - the baby has." Warden flicked his hands, small, brief slices of his fingers just in front of his chest, hopefully the universal hand motion for 'that's it'. "I trust you and your judgement on getting it helped, and because it's you. If you tell anyone I said that, I will deny it. And Zalman must come up with an idea of what it can do for the Wher before it hits adulthood. I can't have a damaged Wher without justification, Zalmask. Alright?"

[leanansidhe]

Mori's eyes grew rounder as she took in more details; the blood that bathed the area and had escaped her notice, the person with a dead Wher. She stood as straight and as still as she possibly could, letting it all wash over her. For the moment, she was a passive observer.

Another woman Impressed a Green--the same that had Impressed a Gold! Mori sighed for a moment, feeling slighted; why would a Wher want someone who already had another baby Wher to take care of when there were perfectly good people around who didn't have one?

She turned her eyes to the free Wherling and looked for more eggs. She had been torn before; now, seeing them... they were ugly. Some seemed violent, and her eyes averted themselves from the pale, malformed white creature and the wispy looking Blue--she pitied them, heart swelling with the force of it. Poor little creatures. She wanted one; not one of those, particularly, since they seemed to be happy with the people they had Bonded to. But a Wher, certainly; they were precious little babies!

Moriolle told herself sternly to not just stand there like a lump from now on; if a Wher came near her... She hesitated. She didn't want to be hurt. So far, standing there like a lump was working for her. Still, no reward without risk; if one came near, she would try to get its attention some how.

The plump girl shifted her weight, trying not to look at either the weak Whers (distracting with their poor little bodies) or the blood. She had known, intellectually, that Whers bonded through blood. She hadn't thought that they would need quite so much of it!

[S'yal]

The last wher on the sands was starting to grow distressed. He felt a pain in his head he didn't understand, and though he wouldn't between like a dragon he had some idea of the fact he would die. His mother told him, after all. Unimpressed Whers, they died. He didn't want to die- he had to live. He didn't know why he had to, but he had to. The young wher began to pace nervously, though the bronze did not approach any of the already bonded candidates. He would not double bond.

But there, there was one who would work. She was cute, and the young bronze set off to her with determination. Of course, he made sure to move in a wide circle around her, trying to sneak up to her. If he succeeded, the tank of a bronze would sit his little butt down and gently reach out to her mind. He did not bite her or scratch her- he would let her take care of blooding herself. A real man did NOT scratch a lady.

Moriosk's waiting for Moriosk? Very sorry for keeping busy. Moriosk had to take care of Lucisk and Rysk. His eyes whirled pleasantly, bursting with rainbows. This impression was much less... violent then the previous few. Instead, Moriosk was quite happy to chill and be a good little wher.

Zalmask ignored Warden now that he'd given her an answer, turning to approach her handler. The hatching was over.

Get. out. Zalmask snarled into the minds of the new handlers. First lesson tomorrow. Right when sun sets. Late, get punished.

She and Z needed to be alone.

~~~~Let's have some fun this beat is sick.~~~~



Name Moriosk

Color Bronze, babeh.

Sin Lust, of course.

Hex Code A67D3D

Desc He's a beast of a wher, and nothing anyone can say or do will disprove this. He is a muscular creature, and the bumps and twists on his hide don't do much to detract from his handsome looks. He says it just makes him look rugged. Amusingly enough, his hide has markings similar to a raccoon, with the exception being that his front legs and shoulders are a darker bronze then the rest of his body. His wings are oddly stunted and small, much to the chagrin of the young wher.

Personality

Moriosk is a social success. He's slightly cold, but he knows what to say to get what he wants out of a situation. He's got a special talent for wooing lady whers, and he most often uses it to get out of trouble. When he matures he'll use it to romance all the females before their runs. Unlike some of his siblings, he is an expert at the social battlefield without feeling the need to conform because of others- Moriosk will outright tell someone what he is and refuse to budge one inch no matter what they think. Hopefully he can pass this on to his handler. He's unfortunately prone to thinking with his other brain...

Despite his lustful tendancies, he has a soft spot. He can't stand to see others in pain and will strive to make sure everyone is happy at all times. Especially females. He is the uptmost in chivalry, acting polite and warm to women when he would be cold to a male. The place where his soft spot shows the most is Rysk. It's rare for him to care for another wher outside of polite kindness, but Rysk beat that to death and then brought it back to beat it again. Something about the adventurous green makes his heart race, makes him roll over at everything she says. He'll spoil her rotten if Morry and Rynn let him. Lucisk also gets to him, just because she's so little and helpless. He is not, over all, a good father... unless he manages to catch Rysk. Then he dotes on the eggs even for some time after they hatch.

He is an intelligent creature, though at times he can act disturbing. He doesn't completely understand boundaries despite his otherwise mastery of social situations. He often says overtly sexual things that make others uncomfortable, and Morry has to scold him for these. Then he feels bad and sulks for a while, before Morry scolding him is like stabbing him in the heart repeatedly. He loves his Morry! He however has a jaded view of relationships. It takes many encounters to become his friend, and many more to earn the status of love. But when he does... he is a jealous and possessive creature, refusing to share those he likes.

Why Me? Morry needs someone to steer her through the waters of social situations, and no better man for the job is there then her bronze partner. He's not socially inept, but he seems to be immune to peer pressure... and he'll be able to steer his handler away from those he deems to be a bad crowd. Likewise his slightly jaded view of love and relationships will likely encourage her from falling in love with a guy that's like her wher in the aspect he's only after one thing. Moriosk is also a kind wher, one who cannot stand the pain of others... just like his handler. Moriosk won't criticize her for her desire for social acceptance, so long as she doesn't criticize him for his amorous ways.

[leanansidhe]

Moriolle was woefully under prepared for the Hatching.

She had looked at the loose Wherling hopefully, but when its circuitous path had taken him away from her, she had set about looking for an unhatched egg where she knew there wasn't one, just out of hope. She should have had the sense to keep track of the beast out of the corner of her eye; she did not. When he spoke into her mind, Moriolle jumped, eyes wide, rounding on him suddenly.

Moriosk, as he had called himself, sat there, looking at her with interest. In the burst of Impression, she cast about herself for something cut her, to let the blood flow and seal the Bond before the perfect, wonderful creature could change his mind.

For one terrible instant, she thought she didn't have a knife. It had been an afterthought on her way to the Hatching--a little paring knife slipped into her pocket. Jamming her hand in looking for it, the tears that sprang to her eyes were of relief (and, a little bit for the pain) when she drew it out. Blood oozed sluggishly from the stabbed knuckle, and Moriosk leaned forward, interested.

It probably wasn't enough; Moriolle was taking no chances. She grit her teeth, turned her left arm over and pressed the blade into her flesh. Willfully doing harm to herself was difficult, but she held out the wound to the patient Bronze. His tongue was hot against her arm, and rasped across the painful cut, but he drank a few sips of her blood.

"Hello, there," Moriolle said, a little shyly now that it came to that. An instant later, she blanched, and got up, scrambling out with Moriosk at her side as the Gold ordered them all to leave. She was surprised, and stunned, and helplessly in love with the lumbering infant beside her. Moriosk tilted his head towards her.

Moriosk hungry. The statement was not--quite--an accusation, but it spurred Mori forward, seeking out food for her new bondmate. A few seconds later, Hello back.

Moriolle's smile could have provided light to a darkened great hall.

[Zen]

Dude, woah, what happened? The hatching had been going splendidly. In fact, Wenrysk was happily guzzling down meat piece after meat peace like he couldn’t get enough. The greedy, greedy boy was very happily gobbling down his greed-driven lust for food. He didn’t talk much, but he stuck close to Rynn even so much as to have his hind legs resting on her leg with his forelegs hanging off on to the ground. He supported himself with those forelegs. Rynn was sitting on the ground with one leg stretched out in front of her and the other tucked so that Wenny could lay on it. Rynn thought that it would be easier to not think about the pain if her leg was farther away from her… thus it being stretched out.

She hadn’t really been thinking about the rest of the hatching. The Ghost Hunter (or, formally, tracker) just made sure that her greedy little Blue wouldn’t overindulge. He wasn’t gluttonous, of course, just greedy. Rynn hadn’t even thought whers could double-impress. In fact, Rynn hadn’t at all even thought of double-impressing. So, instead, she had set her sights only on Wenny. He was already talking about ghosts, fully believing he could save her from what she wanted to save. She had to tell him that she did, but now was not the time. Wenny was already getting sleepy. What really made her think was that Wenny knew Wenrynn’s full name; she had never told anyone her full name… at least not since coming to Warden’s. But then again, Warden probably knew all about her.

Then pain sliced through her leg as a wher sliced through the muscle all the way to the bone. The soft claws of the wher didn’t quite nick the bone but in an instant blood spilled on the ground. And Rynn screamed. The pain overwhelmed her for a second and then, when the pain cleared and left Rynn biting her lip, she felt another presence enter her mind. Rysk so, so sorry! Hey wait, Wenrynsk! This Rysk's human! Rysk beat up Wenrynsk! Rynn was heaving. Rynn had never felt pain such as this before. She was faintly aware of Rysk hissing at Wenny.

“Hey, no, be good, you two.” Rynn stammered, finally gaining her full senses back and she leaned forward to clutch her leg. Wenrynsk stole Rysk’s! Rynn laid a bloody hand on Rysk’s head, leaving an equally bloody handprint. “No, you envious beast, you. Wenny, be kind and don’t attack your sister. You’re both stuck with each other.”

YOU! GET PAWS OFF RYNN. The blue declared, howling. Rynn held a hand up to her head. This was too much. “Both of you, shut up. You can both have me.” She said, and Wenny calmed down as she tried to hand him another piece of meat. Naturally, Rysk forgot and, envious, wanted meat, too. Exhausted already from blood loss and the force of two minds in her head, Rynn was amazed that she was still up and… well, feeding her babies.

[S'yal]

Z wanted to stay and mourn. But he knew that, despite Zalmask's roar to leave, the wherlings would need his help. Even the wherhandlers that had impressed again. He staggered up, gently placing the mangled Zalsk on the ground and leaving her body under the protection of Zalmask. He loped to the entrance, turning to stop anyone from leaving. "Come with me to the wherling barracks once we've fed your whers. Yes, even the wherhandlers that double impressed." His voice was lacking the usual flare of life, his blue eyes dead and empty. He was even hunched over, keeping his eyes on the ground.

" I'll teach you how to feed them once the food arrives, and how to prepare it." He knew the wherlings were probably tired, but they would have to get used to exhaustion. They'd feel it every day of their life as wherhandlers. Whers were big beasts, needing just as much attention as a dragon if not more to keep them under control, and that added to guard duties would tax energy very quickly. He avoided looking at the wherlets, not wanting to feel the fresh wave of pain. He wanted to curl up and die, he wanted to never be seen again. But the wherlings needed him, Zalmask needed him. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out, but he'd do his duties. He had no choice.

"If you have any fear of blood, get over it now." He ordered with a growl, avoiding looking at Zalmask as she stood over Zalsk and began to slowly dig a hole in the corner of the hatching sands. Warden was ignored except for a hollow glance in his direction, before the first of the pots began to arrive. Porridge mixed with blood, what the wherlets would feed on for the most of their lives. He turned towards the wherlets that were fighting over their new handler, not even glancing at the green but at the blue.

"Wenrysk seems to be good at eating meat" He complimented his handler, eyes falling on Rynn. "But it won't be able to sustain him for long." His first lesson, right after the infants hatch. "He needs more then just meat." Zalmask wandered over, sitting her huge bulk. "I'd let you guys wait until the morning, or at least until we got to the barracks, but I intend to pass out drunk within a few minutes." He grabed a bucket of the porridge mixed with blood, ladling some carefully into Zalmask's open mouth. "You feed them like a baby. Any questions? If you need help, just look at the wherhandlers. They've got it down." Zalmask crooned, indeed liking the baby food. Z had no idea why- it really sucked. Yeah, he tried wher food. "They have no teeth, so while you can give them meat, there's a big danger they'll choke on it. It's easier and safer to feed them like this." He should be feeding Zalsk right now.

"Before you ask, Wherhandlers that double impressed will also be staying with the wherlings and taking lessons with them. This is more for the wherlets benefit then yours- they need to socialize with their clutchmates." Zalmask had lost out on that part of her hatchlinghood, these babies wouldn't. "It's important to socialize and train them, and I just can't trust you guys to do it on your own." He shrugged weakly, wanting to go back. Instead he untwisted the flask that he always had with him and gulped down the alcohol inside. That made it better.

He was bleeding badly, his chest carved up and his face also bleeding... but this was nothing to how he felt. He wasn't moving until he was sure that all these hatchlings would be fine. His eyes passed over Lucisk, and he approached her and Lucine slowly.

"You two will be staying with me." He muttered to her softly. There was plenty of danger for litte Lucisk, especially since they couldn't sure she would live to adulthood. She needed someone experienced watching over her... and it also gave Z time to get to know the white and find out how she'll be useful. "Warden won't cull her if we find a use for her, so you better get to know her strengths and weaknesses fast."

Now that that was done, Z passed out.

At least he tried?

[nemix]

Druen was taking a few moments to look around the room, his legs hurt but would stop bleeding eventually, the rest of the hatching it seemed had exploded and gotten done while he'd been trying to talk Drusk round. The blue siezed this opportunity to flop himself back into the sand again with a satisfied huff, goopy form sprawled on the warm sand.

There had been some double impressions he noted, something that he was sure would cause a lot of confusion. Drusk seemed fairly calm, some of the others though, he couldn't imagine trying to control two of the more strong willed whers. Silently thankful, he flicked his gaze towards Z, watching the haunted look in the man's eyes and his own widened. How had he missed that? Druen ground his teeth together for a moment, watching the slow way his now teacher moved across the sand. Zalmask was busy digging, Druen didn't need to look for long to realise what was going on. If Z could experience all that and still have the energy to teach, he could be an attentive student.

Pushing himself off of the sand, Druen grunted as he put weight on his legs and wobbled for a moment to get his balance. Drusk behind him snored quietly and Druen wondered what the best way to wake a wher was. Not wanting to miss anything, he trudged over to listen, watching as the bowls were brought in. Ladling food, he'd read about that. The smell of the food was certainly an acquired scent, but one he'd have to get used to. There'd been nothing in the records about that.

Silently, he fetched a bucket, giving most people a wide berth, he had a lot to take in. Ladle and bucket in hand, he knelt down by Drusk and pondered how best to wake him. Lack of teeth or no, he didn't fancy being bitten. Thankfully, Drusk opened a sleepy eye not long after, nose snuffling at the air. Drusk food? He asked sleepily, yawning a moment later. Druen nodded. "Freshly made." He said. "Now up you get or you'll choke. No, up." He stated firmly as Drusk went to put his head back down. He snorted, but eventually hauled himself upright again. Pleased, Druen ladled the mixture into his wher's mouth, making sure he stayed awake throughout.

Sleep would be good he mused as he spoonfed Drusk the last of his first meal. He stood up, watching Drusk lowering his frame again. "Not here, there are barracks and beds and couches waiting for us." Druen said gently, watching Drusk sag a little. Drusk want sleep. He said mournfully, lowering his gaze to the sands. "Yes, and you will, but not here. Come on, we'll find ourselves somewhere comfy and then you can sleep to your hearts content." He assured the blue, watching him brighten up a little at this prospect. He made his way across the sands, tactfully saying nothing about the collapsed form of Z. His mind was reeling a little, but some rest should help to sort that.