Information on Whers

[Zen]

At Mavros, the whers are more intelligent and less vicious than those in the original Pern novels, although their handlers must still lead rather solitary lives. They come in the same five colors as dragons. They can speak to their handlers with images and feelings, like flits, but their vocabulary, which is not often used, doesn't consist of anything more than four letter words, and they are often grammatically incorrect. For example : Rask want food for a metallic and food Rask want for a chromatic, rather than I would like something to eat please. Metallics are capable of more complex thought than are chromatics. Whers can neither fly nor flame, and are bonded to their handler and their handler's family with a blood bond.

Whers are the ungainly cousins of dragons and firelizards. They have only two toes and a single paw pad for balance but can move surprisingly fast. Unlike dragons who have strong back legs and shorter front legs, making them awkward when walking, whers have equally proportional legs and are actually capable of moving with a certain grace (though very few people would ever call a wher graceful as most think them rather ugly). They have short wings that are incapable of true flight, though they can glide for very short distances, and their wings are sometimes clipped when young to keep them from doing even that.

Unlike dragons and firelizards, their skin is tough and does not crack, and therefore does not need to be oiled. Their senses of hearing and smelling are very keen and there’s no match for a wher’s dark vision. Any light brighter than a few glows causes a wher discomfort and the light of the sun can blind them, so whers are wholly nocturnal. Whers have an excellent memory and are able to remember every face they see (and how that face treated them!).

Unlike dragons, whers can either be Impressed at birth or bonded to a handler later in life. They do not go between if their handler dies, but instead go feral. They can be bonded to a new handler, though it is a difficult process. Both golds and greens can clutch, although green clutches are smaller and cannot yield queens.

Our whers are flightless and do not eat Thread at night. They have "runs" rather than flights. They cannot go between. Wher eggs are handed out to candidates by the mother, and so a wher "egg touching" is more important than one for dragons is. During the Interval, a new selective breeding program instigated by the new Wher Hall in Castel brought about two different types of wher: Mining Stock and Guard Stock. In appearance they are very similar, with the only real difference being size, but major difference in temperament. Mining Stock are far more docile, by wher standards, and also smaller, the better to move through tunnels and caves they work in, whereas Guard Stock are larger and more aggressive. These are the watch-whers Holds keep, and were important in settling the Southern Continent, where the wild felines present real danger. Guard Handlers are valued especially in smaller Holds in the South, where the felines are less deterred due to lower populations.

Gold/Queen
Mining Size Range: 14-16 feet
Guard Size Range: 18-20 feet
Runs: For the first time at 18 months and once a Turn after that. Usually caught by Bronzes or Browns, rarely Blues.
Clutches
Gold x Bronze – up to 10 eggs, max of 1 Gold (rare), 2 Bronzes (1 more commonly), 2 Browns, and the rest Blues and Greens.
Gold x Brown – up to 8 eggs, max of 1 Bronze (rare), 1 Brown (2 Browns rarely), and the rest Blues and Greens.
Gold x Blue – up to 6 eggs, max of 1 Brown and the rest Blues and Greens.

Bronze
Mining Size Range: 13-15 feet
Guard Size Range: 17-19 feet
Chases: For the first time at 15 months, can catch any female.

Brown
Mining Size Range: 12-14 feet
Guard Size Range: 16-18 feet
Chases: For the first time at 12 months, can catch any female.

Blue
Mining Size Range: 11-13 feet
Guard Size Range: 15-17 feet
Chases: For the first time at 10 months, catches Greens, rarely Golds.

Green
Mining Size Range: 10-12 feet
Guard Size Range: 14-16 feet
Runs: For the first time at 9 months and twice a Turn after that. Can be caught by any male.
Clutches
Green x Bronze – up to 6 eggs, max of 1 Bronze (rare), 1 Brown, 2 Blues (1 more commonly), the rest Greens, usually at least one dud egg.
Green x Brown – up to 4 eggs, max of 1 Brown (rare), 1 Blue, the rest Greens, high chance of dud eggs.
Green x Blue – up to 3 eggs, max of 1 Blue, the rest Greens, high chance of a full dud clutch.

*Green Whers do not clutch every time they are caught. It is about a 50/50 chance as to whether they will clutch or not, and they have a high chance of dud eggs, with sometimes entire clutches resulting in duds.

[Zen]

Wherling Training

Hatch at 10% Full Growth
Month 1 - 20% Full Growth
Month 2 - 30% Full Growth
Month 3 - 40% Full Growth
Month 4 - 50% Full Growth
Month 5 - 60% Full Growth
Month 6 - 70% Full Growth
For the first 6 months, whers and handlers focus on basic care, control, and strengthening their bonds. After whers reach 6 months, they begin work with their handlers on their respective future jobs, whether mining or guarding (or both as is often the case at Mavros).

Month 7 - 75% Full Growth
Handlers begin staff training (learning to use the staff as a weapon). Handlers practice following their whers, letting them be their eyes at night/in dark spaces.
Mining - Handlers craft first harnesses, whers practice pulling empty carts.
Guarding - Handlers choose a secondary weapon to learn (sword, knife, spear, or bow).

Month 8 - 80% Full Growth
Handlers continue staff training and learning to rely on their whers to see for them in the dark.
Mining - Whers practice pulling carts with more weight added throughout the month.
Guarding - Handlers continue training with their chosen weapon.

Month 9 - 85% Full Growth
Handlers continue staff training and learning to rely on their whers to see for them in the dark.
Mining - Whers and handlers begin training to detect dangerous gases and structural weaknesses alongside an older mentor pair. Whers continue pulling carts as needed.
Guarding - Supervised by the wherlingmaster, whers and handlers participate in their first hunt together, and continue going on hunts periodically throughout the month. Handlers continue training with their chosen weapon.

Month 10 - 90% Full Growth
Handlers continue staff training and learning to rely on their whers to see for them in the dark.
Mining - Whers and handlers continue training to detect dangerous gases and structural weaknesses alongside an older mentor pair. Whers continue pulling carts as needed.
Guarding - Supervised by the wherlingmaster, whers and handlers continue to participate in hunts together, and continue going on hunts periodically throughout the month. Handlers continue training with their chosen weapon.

Month 11 - 95% Full Growth
Handlers continue staff training and learning to rely on their whers to see for them in the dark.
Mining - Whers and handlers begin training for emergencies and cave-in rescues, including learning to work together when separated. Whers continue pulling carts as needed.
Guarding - Whers and handlers begin patrolling with an older pair. Handlers continue training with their chosen weapon.

Month 12 - 100% Full Growth
Practical exams given include:
Staff sparring - All handlers must spar against the wherlingmaster to test that their skills are satisfactory before graduation.
Wher guidance - All handlers must successfully navigate a specified course while blindfolded, using their whers for guidance.
Graduation - If the staff sparring and wher guidance exams are passed, handlers are considered official and graduate from their training. They are then paired with a specific older pair to mentor them in their new profession as an unofficial apprenticeship until the mentor is satisfied that they are able to perform all duties on their own, without supervision. This takes no less than 6 months, but normally does not take longer than a full turn.