Midnight Gathering

[M'kel]

The situation was escalating. The dark bronze before her was becoming more menacing by the moment, wings erect and teeth bared in warning. But at least the bronze's handler seemed to understand her plight with Amisk. He looked as frantic as she felt in trying to control his wher's aggression. That was reassuring, although only slightly, knowing that the hostility the bronze was exhibiting likely originated from the wher and not the 'handler as well.

"Amisk!" Amika finally gasped, deciding it was time to intercede more effectively. She released his wing, but before the brown could even think about darting forward, jumped in front of the wher's blunt snout, bringing him up short.

Amisk's whirling eyes, which had darkened to an alarmed orange at the bronze's challenge, raised in surprise to meet his handler's. She had never tried to control him so outrightly before, and the brown was rather taken aback. He had thought he was doing well, protecting her from that nasty bronze, but here she was getting in the way.

Taking a deep breath, Amika leaned close to her brown, and murmured, "He's just as scared as you are right now." She didn't know if it would work, or even if the wher would understand, but perhaps her tone would be enough to soothe him.

Whatever the reason, Amisk seemed to settle slightly, his wings folding more definitively across his back. After Amika was assured that he wouldn't try to race past her if the opportunity presented itself, she placed a hand on one of his headknobs and began to guide him back to her table.

"Why don't we all just sit down and have some klah, hm?" the girl called, voice wavering slightly but not breaking. "Shandar, would you and Shask like to join us?" she added, feeling a little more confident in that 'handler's response than the others. They had been on duty together a few times now, and he was certainly less frightening than this Baryn fellow seemed to be.

With that, Amika settled down once again, a hand still firmly upon Amisk's neck to keep him in place, and took a sip of klah with the other. She glanced around at the others, wondering if this would work.

[Cilnah]

Why, why, why did this have to be happening?! Raina watched with a disheartened grimace as the tension in the hall built, but for once it had nothing to do with her or the way she was acting. It had started before she got there! A brief hiss of relief swept through her body, down to her rumbling stomach, as Raisk danced forward. This was not a chance to be missed, after all! Many of the whers in one place? It was time to show off! It was as the little Gold was moving off towards the others that a hand appeared in front of her and the girls attention was snapped back to her position. On the floor. Making a fool of herself. Again.

Shards!

[/color] she cursed silently and quickly scrambled up, ignoring the help offered to her , though she did give him a small nod in thanks. “I’m fine, thank you,” she assured, wiping a bit of imaginary dirt from her clothings, just to give her a place to look other then at the others. “Raisk, come on, let’s go. I’ll find something to eat later.” She received little more than a snort and a disparaging glance from her partner, who stopped in her easy steps to look back over her shoulder, as if daring the girl to try to stop her. Raina scowled, but gave in. There was no changing the little wher’s mind once it was set, and set it was. Just what it was set on, however, even Raina didn't know just yet.

Having properly chastised her human, Raisk turned her attention back to the problem at hand. The tension in the air had not escaped her notice, and as Queen it was her responsibility to get the others settled down. At least, that was how she thought. So, swinging her head back around to face the agitated bronze, she moved forward quickly, though not fast enough to look as though she was rushing. As she reached Amisk, she flicked her tail across the brown hide in a warm gesture of greeting, silently commending him for protecting his handler.

The next of her welcomes went to Bask, as she rubbed up against his side, a soft hum of delight echoing in her chest. But as she did so, she gently urged him a bit further into the open space of the hall, and at the same time closer to Baryn as well, trying to give the green Kisk and her handler enough room to pass. And then she slipped by the bronze, and pressed up against his handler's other side. It wasn't that she was trying to trap him, rather, it was to reassure him that no harm could come to him. Flanked by both a bronze and a gold, no one would be foolish enough to try anything towards him. She pressed against his side in what she hoped was a comforting gesture, then turned her head to Kisk, and lilted it towards the open space of the hall, as if saying that she was free to pass by if she wished. Just as she wouldn't let anything happen to Baryn, she would let anything happen to the green's handler either.[/size][/blockquote]

[**Auria (etc)**]

Though Baryn was no stranger to violence, he detested inflicting it upon the innocent. It was not that he cared a whit about most people ... only that there always seemed to be more than enough guilty to go around.

Thus, the relief, though it did not show on his face, he felt when Amisk backed off, guided by his handler, was sincere. It filtered down to Bask so that, as soon as the golden queen-wher approached, the bronze shifted easily from bristle to strut.

His head went up, his eyes glowed, and he purred low in his throat for the lovely Raisk.

Baryn rolled his eyes, deep within his cowl, but could not help feeling the pride and affection that filtered through, and flowed back to, his charge.

The emotions Bask shared from Raisk, however -- protectiveness, comfort, reassurance -- startled the man. Was the little queen actually ... fond of him? Or was she simply maintaining control of her minions, the lesser whers of her clutch?

When she pressed against his thigh, sandwiching him between herself and the most-self-pleased Bask, however, he could not resist slipping his hand quickly along her soft hide in silent thanks. He hoped she felt the spark of affection, without anyone else in the cavern noticing, as he withdrew the hand and stood tall, pretending to take the situation with cool nonchalance.

Bask snorted and bumped against him, reaching across his front to touch his muzzle to Raisk's.

The bronze-handler smiled a crooked smile within his self-imposed shadow, and backed out from between the two whers, mentally pulling Bask with him. He angled ever so slightly toward Raina, allowing his wher to be closer to the queen if he chose, and sought a seat away from the others. To move from the room now might entice more agitation among the beasts. He was content to sit, silent and out of the way, until the others gathered their meals and left.

... Except, of course, for the fact that no one appeared to be leaving....

[Cilnah]

Good. Things were starting to calm down. Raisk gave a small nod, as if to herself, and her tail flickered across both Bask and his handler as she stood on the other side of the man. Though surprised by his light carress, she delighted in it, a soft trill escaping her, only loud enough for himself and his wher to hear. The reaction that Bask had Raisk crooning in delight, and she lifted her head, seeming to be preening under the affections the bronze gave to her. And who wouldn’t? He was a big strong bronze after all, even if he wasn’t as big as Tansk. But the difference in size he easily made up for in personality, and as he reached out his muzzle to the Queen, she reached out hers as well, and nuzzled against him for a moment, her eyes just beginning to swirl with pride and pleasure.

And then slowly she backed away, giving Baryn enough room to move without feeling trapped. She hung back, falling into step beside the bronze. Just as the man had called his charge, she called Hers to her as she followed the pair, pausing in her movements to look over at the girl as her stomach rumbled. The Gold sent her a prompt with a mixed message, the image of herself and Bask sharing the catch of a tunnelsnake. She wanted hers to share a meal with Basks.

At first Raina refused, adamately shaking her head and mentally tugging Raisk towards the door, wishing to leave as soon as possible. But the Queen resolutely ignored her, continuing on her journey until she was settled down beside the pair of males, and turned her head once more to hers, sending the image yet again. The command was plain. She wasn’t moving an inch until she was good and ready.

The girl held out for a few more seconds, then heaved a heavy sigh. “Oh, fine!” she snapped at the wher, who gave a snort of approval and turned her attention back to Bask. Grudgingly, Raina slowly made her way over to the set, and sat on the furthest side of Raisk, so that the two whers were separating her from Baryn. “Sorry about this,” she muttered under her breath, not daring to look at him.

[**Auria (etc)**]

Baryn scowled at the golden wher, though his scowl was sparked by curiosity rather than annoyance. The young Queen most certainly appeared to be ordering her handler about.

He would have to take the young woman aside and give her some advice on how to control her charge. One couldn't have an animal calling the shots, after all.

He had barely finished the thought when Bask looked up at him, snorted, and edged closer to Raisk as the gold settled next to him.

Yes, well. Perhaps he would teach Raina as soon as he figured it out himself.

This was why the dark man was actually smiling when Raina sat beside them and apologized.

"Never apologize," he said softly, allowing the humor of the situation to touch his tone, "It's a sign of weakness."

Why did he feel a rapport with this girl? Was it because she had seen his visage without the cowl? Or was he, once again, feeling the admiration his wher had for hers?

There was an advantage to the situation, as awkward as it might make him feel. Bask, who was normally dominant and domineering with the other whers, would gladly sit with Raisk while Baryn went to the side-tables.

He, therefore, asked a most uncharacteristic question. "Are you hungry? Tell me what you like, and I'll fill our plates. You can keep this rock-head," he nudged Bask gently with his knee, "Out of trouble for a minute, can't you? He'll probably obey you better than he does me, considering your companion."

[meah]

Tana put a hand on Tansk's shoulder, stroking his stunted wing gently. No physical conflict had come to his people yet, but he could feel his bronze stiffen at the sight of Bask going anywhere near Raisk. Of course, he could feel himself stiffen at the idea of Baryn going anywhere near Raina, but she didn't seem nearly as eager to be going near him as her wher did the other bronze. Which was slightly less bothersome, since they were not, by any means, the brightest of creatures. Even he would readily admit that Tansk was rather lacking in the intellect department.

Now that the passageway was clear, it was easy for Tansk to fit, and so Tana brought him through, making sure the wher wasn't going to do anything bad when he got there. After all, the poor thing didn't like Bask in the least, because he was another bronze, and because he was simply another male impeding on Tansk's territory of any gold wherry in the area.

He nodded to his colleagues. "Evening, folks. Do you have a cup of klah to share with me?"