My Wher's a Bully [Open]

[Dragon]

Keep up, Twinkletoes!

Wysril sighed, wishing his wher wasn't so casual about speaking so everyone could hear. He wasn't slacking, really, but Wysrisk was setting a hard pace as they took a twilight run. Wysrisk was small for a green, tiny even, but built like a boulder and not slowed down at all by her blindness. Wysril suspected that the reason she did so well on these runs was because she'd memorized the path to the point where her lack of vision was actually beneficial.

"You need a bath again," he said instead, only slightly breathless. He winced as Wysrisk snapped at the air.

Don't need sharding bath! Dirt healthy.

"And if I touch your feet, you'll bite me, I know," Wysril sighed. "Come on, if I don't wash you, I can't oil you, and your hide will get itchy and crack."

Wysrisk growled and then snapped again, tossing her faded-eyed head. Said keep up! Run time.

[Calingaladha]

The green pair were not the only ones out at this hour, though it seems some may have misconstrued what "run time" really meant here.

You run? Need someone run with?
came a reply before a glimmer of bronze appeared, eyeing the human with some confusion. Why was a human chasing a green? Ah well, they were an silly species sometimes, which is why they needed whers to protect them.

There was a distant sound of huffing and puffing. Eventually, a short blond man appeared, chasing after the bronze.
"Not that kind of run, you dimglow!" His stubby legs had to pump twice as fast to even try to keep up with the metallic moron.

"Sorry! He's just..." Edward paused his speech as he tried to pull in more air. "Not paying enough attention. Or maybe paying too much."

[Dragon]

Not forsking clutcher! Wysrisk corrected, snapping vaguely in the direction of the bronze, and never mind that he dwarfed her. And that was true - Wysrisk had never run like other female whers, and she was going on ten turns now.

Wysril shook his head, taking advantage of the momentary break in Wysril's pace to catch his breath. "Sorry - she can be kind of rude."

Wysrisk snorted derisively. Handler need kept in shape. She prodded at Wysrisk with her broad snout as though checking for evidence of fat on his lean frame. Twinkletoes need KEEP UP.

[Calingaladha]

Warsk recoiled from the snap, seemingly more afraid of the green that dwarfed him. If a wher was capable of looking emotionally distraught, that was his current expression. He crouched down to make himself smaller as he followed. He's just a tiny, contrite bronze, really. Despite his mass, he somewhat resembled a submissive puppy.

Warsk not mean make mad. Only thought green was on run. Warsk help instead?

The bronze queried as Edward glowered at him, looking exasperated.
"He could use a little rudeness every now and then. He just charged in without bothering to pay attention. Makes me look like an idiot."

[Dragon]

Wysrisk watched with interest as the big bronze crouched down into a submissive pose, making himself smaller and looking distraught. May help, she allowed, looking smug and contented. Get handler run. Keep fit.

She turned a critical eye on Edward then, clearly judging him. Yours small, she observed. Solid, though. Twinkletoes like springbean.

Groaning, Wysril dropped his face into his hands, shaking his head. He was pretty sure that Wysrisk didn't even know what tact was. She certainly had never used it. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Really, I'm sorry. She's ridiculous."

[Calingaladha]

Edward seemed perfectly at a loss with his bronze, albeit calm. That is, until the green said the forbidden words. A vein seemed to pop in his forehead as he turned to face the wher.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SPRING BEAN?! You think I'm small enough to fit on you, shorty?! I'll come over there and show you how tall I am, you squat stack of herdbeast sh--"

It was Warsk's turn to be exasperated. Moving from his position nearer the green, he calmly went over and shoved his handler to the ground with a massive paw, sitting on him and cutting the last part of his rant short.

Edward need calm down. Warsk sit until calm. No can move Warsk. Then we help keep Twinkletoes fit.
The bronze spoke calmly, apparently missing the fact that Twinkletoes was probably not the human's name. His handler squirmed under his mass, squashed enough he couldn't argue but not in any danger. Warsk was always careful.
Warsk sorry for Edward behavior. He have hot head. Sometimes need sat on to cool head., he addressed the other handler and wher together.

[Dragon]

"Besides, I'm the one she called a stringbean," Wysril pointed out. She'd said it wrong, but he knew what she meant. "She called you 'solid'." And small, but he didn't think that pointing that out would be helpful somehow.

Wysril looked down at Edward, being sat on by Warsk, and wondered if maybe he wasn't the only one constantly bullied by his wher. He was pretty sure that, in theory, he was supposed to be in charge of Wysrisk - but that wasn't how it worked in practice.

"I'm Wysril," he told Edward and Warsk, eyeing the bronze dubiously. "Wysrisk just refuses to call me by my proper name most of the time."

Twinkletoes better name. Look at. All skinny. Light on feet. If she could have rolled her eyes, she would have. Sit on yours? Might have to try.

"Oh shards, please don't give her any ideas!"

[Calingaladha]

"Not solid enough. Get off me, you lump."
Edward groaned from beneath the bronze's rump. Warsk regarded his handler closely, as if checking for any residual irritability, and then stood.
Have to be careful if sit on yours. Humans squish easy. Can't sit down whole way. Just far enough squash bad behavior out, but not enough squish out guts. Warsk informed Wysrisk in his wisest manner. He knew a lot about sitting on humans, after all.

Warsk looked at Wyrsril as the nickname was described.
Warsk see it. If had nickname Edward, would be Dancing Vein. When angry his jump all over place.

Edward grumbled at the bronze as he stood up, brushing dust from his clothes.
"I'm Edward. The big bronze lump is Warsk. I think his father must have been a draught runner."

[Dragon]

Wysrisk looked fascinated by the idea. Must try. Twinkletoes needs swift kick sometimes. Squish might help. She tilted her head speculatively. Careful sit useful. Care not to squish guts out.

Wysril groaned again. Wysrisk already was enough of a pain without Warsk giving her tips on how to sit on him! "Wysrisk is just ... Wysrisk. She's always been a handful." He didn't bother uncovering his face as he spoke; he kind of just wanted to disappear.

Twinkletoes and Dancing Vein have playdates, Wysrisk decided. Good for them be social, and like Warsk.

[Calingaladha]

Warsk did not seem to see anything wrong with helping another wher take good care of their human. Proper training was so important when bringing them up.
Squish sometimes help. he agreed. Also when human good, give good thing. When Edward good, I bring kitten. He neglected to mention Edward continually told him not to do that. Kittens were good things. Humans like soft things.

"I'm starting to think all whers are handfuls, and we were chosen as victims, not partners." Edward sighed. He was half-joking. Probably. "Not that he doesn't save my hide sometimes, but he is...well, hard to sway when he's set on something."

Warsk listened attentively to Wysrisk's decision, rumbling his approval.
Warsk think good idea. Edward play with Twinkletoes. Learn not be mad. Twinkletoes learn be fast. We sit on them if humans bad. Everybody win. Warsk like spend time Wysrisk too.

[Dragon]

Kitten? That was an idea. But then small fluffy in barracks, she mused. Maybe bring treat instead. Feed fruits or meat. Humans liked those things, even though they insisted on making their meat hot and not bloody.

Wysril eyed his wher distastefully. Why had he signed up for a second one again? But surely another wher would be ... less. Just less. "They're certainly a trial." He finally uncovered his face, but his voice was strangled. "Are they really trying to arrange a playdate for us?"

Wysrisk was completely ignoring the humans now. Apparently, she'd made a friend. We make humans work hard, but let play too. Teach games. Keep stimulated. She nodded sagely. Very important keep stimulated.

[Calingaladha]

Treat good too. Some human do anything get cheese. Warsk knew some were very food-motivated. Meat, fruit good. Bread. Variety healthy for human. He was already making plans. But also sometimes kitten. He was very determined on that point, at least for Edward.

Edward looked over at the whers with a heavy sigh. "That and...training us? I guess we're just canines to them." He was torn somewhere between amused and insulted at the idea. Not that Warsk was paying any attention to them, either.

Yes, fun games. Train for while. Then play. Humans short attention span. Must keep interested. He could not find any fault in her ideas. Maybe we find fun human toy. Twinkletoes and Edward learn share toy.

[Dragon]

Cheese. Cheese good idea. Wysrisk was taking mental notes. Fruit. Cheese. Meat. She was still doubtful about kittens, though. Might step on kitten. Too small, too quiet. Might step on.

Occasionally, being blind was annoying. Only occasionally, though.

Maybe other soft things? Wysrisk mused. Humans like soft. Pillows, blankets. Toys, too, yes. Share good. Toy good. Keep busy.

Wysril sighed, eyeing the whers. "I think we might be. Are we supposed to be learning tricks?"

[Calingaladha]

Warsk had not considered that. Maybe kitten not always good. he conceded. Stick with treat. Tinkletoes still happy if get treat.
He nodded at the further suggestion of soft things.
Other soft thing could work. Human do like blanket. Get mad when Warsk steal. Must think together what make good human toy. He massaged his claws into the ground as he pondered.

Edward shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know, but I don't think we should give them any more ideas. They clearly don't need any encouragement. Though, it seems they have become fast friends over this."

[Dragon]

Keep happy, Wysrisk said, but sit if bad. What humans play? Not chew or chase like wherlets. Even though she didn't run or clutch, Wysrisk had been around wherlets, and she'd been a wherlet. She knew about how wherlets liked to play. But humans? They were frequently inscrutable.

Must work out brain. Work out body. Make smart and strong. Puzzles, of some sort, maybe? Except how did one make a puzzle for humans? Their noses were so weak. They could hardly figure out anything.

"They do seem to have," Wysril observed, watching the two whers. The blind green at least wasn't running roughshod over the bronze, and she did seem to like him. "I'm not really sure that's a good thing, though."