Chess shivered in the cool night and pulled her furs tighter around her. It was late spring, and even though the days were warm, nights on the mountains still had a chill about them. It was a new moon, so the inky black silhouettes of the mountains made jagged tears in the starry sky.
Chess was still getting used to being awake at night, though she wasn't sure she'd ever reallyget used to the nocturnal schedule of a wherhandler. So much had changed so quickly for her, leaving home, adapting to life at the wher, and of course, bonding to Kichsk.
Speaking of, the wher was attentively scanning the surrounding landscape, on alert for anything out of place. Chess had tried looking out too, but she could barely see five feet in front of her and gave up on that quickly. She sighed and turned to the pair that had been assigned to guard duty with her.
"It's darker than a black cat in a mine shaft out here. Mah eyes are no good out here. Let's leave the work to the whers. Mah name's Chess, what's yers?"