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The bronze wher reared up on two legs, using his tail for balance. Standing on his hind legs, Lukask stood taller than a green's shoulder and towered above any human. He spread his tattered wings wide, multiplying his girth as he slashed the air with his claws and hissed.

"Good, good," Lukah cooed, giving another signal. Lukask folded his wings and dropped to all fours. Training strengthened the bond between wher and handler, so Lukah trained Lukask every night when time permitted. He was rarely so busy that he couldn't run Lukask through a few commands. Reaching into the pouch on his waist, Lukah tossed a small piece of dried meat to his wher. Lukask lunged to catch it in his snapping jaws. The green-eyed bronze turned to Lukah and thanked him with a deep, affectionate rumble.

The first stars were twinkling to life above the bowl. Most of the dragons and their riders would soon be turning in for the evening, but Lukah's shift was just starting. The graveyard shift suited him well despite his sunny personality. Too much sunlight reaked havoc on his pale skin, burning it a bright shade of red. He could always sympathize with whers and their sensitive eyes.

Next Lukah raised both his arms and walked straight toward the wher saying "Back, back" in a gentle, guiding tone. All wherhandlers were different. While many created elaborate commands for their whers using whistles, clicks and other sounds, Lukah focused on whistles and verbal commands. A sharp whistle could cut through any distraction to capture a wher's attention and verbal commands allowed him to use the strength of his voice to take command of a situation. His strategy was perfectly suited to a wher like Lukask, as Tsubari was about to discover.

At first Lukask lowered his head and backed away as his handler commanded, but he stopped suddenly when Tsubari came into view. The young wherhandler was smart to keep his distance. Lukask's eyes flared orange and a low growl that would have shook the earth were he a dragon emanated from his jaws.

Fortunately, Lukah sensed Lukask's unrest before the wher reacted and was already working to correct it. He made a sharp "Ah!" sound to get Lukask's attention followed by a series of clicks. With Lukask's focus back on him Lukah repeated the command. Lukask resumed backing away, though he occasionally glanced back in Tsubari's direction as if keeping tabs on his position. The bronze took about five steps before Lukah commanded him to lie down. Lukask lowered his massive body to the ground with his tail curled around his body and reluctantly lowered his head to the ground. Lukah walked up to him and rested his hand on one of Lukask's horns, turning to get a look at the intruder.

He was a tall, pale man with sun-bleached brown hair and dark grey eyes that made him seem wise. He dressed well, but not lavishly, and carried himself with the self-confidence one would expect from a man who works with ornery beasts twice his size. When he locked eyes with Tsubari he erased all hostility with a welcoming smile. "Hello there! I hope my wher didn't scare you."

"That's alright. He wouldn't be much of a watchwher if he couldn't deal with distraction."

Lukask snorted and eyed the teen intently. He sensed wherhandler blood in Tsubari. That didn't soften his opinion of Tsubari, though he did pass this observation onto Lukah.

"So you're a wherhandler too, eh?" Lukah said, still smiling. He assumed the boy must be an apprentice.