J’lin knew exactly what a wher was – almost a quarter of the NightWatch at Kielac had adopted wherlets, and a few had Impressed them, and the rest helped to care for them, lest they be attacked.

Of course, there were exceptions, like the one that had fancied J’lin for his lunch a ways back.

"A wher is a smallish creature, about the size of a very large canine – 11 or 12 hands a the shoulder. They hatch from eggs and can be Impressed like firelizards and dragons." J’lin began as Vemonth ate.

J’lin continued. "Whers look a tiny bit dragonlike – they’ve four cloven feet, two fragile wings (clipped for safety) and their eyes change colors like dragons’ but aren’t faceted. Generally, they’re considered very ugly."

So? Vemonth said, waiting for more meat. What’s so important about that?

"Because they’re ugly, most people don’t go aout of their way to meet one. Since whers have smooth eyes, they can’t stand bright light – like sunlight or glows. So they hide in caves during the day, and come out at night. It’s uncommon knowledge that whers come in gold, bronze, brown, blue, and green like dragons and firelizards. There are sometimes white whers, and Kyrrin’s wher, Dyle, is blue and white – his dam was a white wher, you see."

"You’re full of it, J’lin!" someone shouted. "There’s no such thing as a white wher!"

J’lin rolled his eyes. "Go to Kielac and tell that to Kyrrin, you creep! There may not be a white wher anymore, but sure as Vemonth hatched, there was one!"

J’lin’s new firelizard, Vaid, appeared, and came to get his share of Vemonth’s breakfast. The brown didn’t mind sharing. The blue couldn’t eat that much!

Vemonth has grown. Now what?