Impression vs. Bonding
So, because Whers are from the same generic line that the firelizards and the dragons were created from this means that Whers are also able to Impress to people. At hatching, a wher will often exhibit a strong attraction, or aversion, to a certain person, but in general, wher whelps Impress on whoever greets their arrival with food and strong thoughts of love and acceptance, unlike the dragon’s Impression where they choose their lifemate. This bond is stronger than how a flit connects with it’s person, but not as strong as the bond between a dragon and it’s lifemate. But besides Impression whers are also able to Bond to a human, and if a wher is Impressed or Bonded to their human affects how the wher behaves and views the human. There are also whers that are unImpressed, living nice full lives without ever bonding or Impressing to a human.
Impressed Whers
An Impressed wher becomes extremely territorial and while the bond isn't quite as strong as a dragon’s bond they tend to become rather upset if another element tries to intrude on their bond with their human. This means that if you are Impressed to a wher then acquiring a flit, second wher, or dragon tends to make for lots of acting out like, for example, a young child looking for attention when there is a new baby. The other side of this is that an Impressed wher also tends to obey more as they look at their human as say their 'gold', meaning someone there to make rules that the wher has to obey. Impressed whers also tend to be less talkative to people other than their Impressed human and less accepting of even other humans being around them. But the stronger mental connection an Impressed wher has with their human also gives them mental development benefits in that their wilder 'animal' nature is more tempered by that of a human's nature, at least as long as the human doesn't, for example, completely block off the bond or some such silliness. Essentially, Impressed whers, because of their close association and connection with a human, have enhanced mental abilities so that they are overall more intelligent, civil, and well-spoken than whers that never Impress or that only bond to a human. Lastly, a human/wher bond when they are Impressed is a two way bond - meaning it works like it would with a dragon in that both human and wher can mentally feel and talk to each other. Impressed whers tend to take after their draconic cousins in that they typically die when their handler dies. While this is not always the case, it tends to be the rule rather than the exception.
Bonded Whers
A bonded wher is in more of say a 'pack' bond, meaning that their human is considered their alpha (not their ‘gold’), and as alpha they lead because they are the strongest. But if the alpha doesn’t remain strong then the wher will lash out to take control of the 'pack'. A bonded wher is also more accepting of new anythings (flits, other whers, dragons) into the bond, but there will be some acting out as they establish where the new flit/wher/dragon/person is in the social rank of the ‘pack’. Opposite of an Impressed wher, a bonded wher is more open to talking to and even working with humans other than their bonded, as it isn't as close a connection as Impression, and as a member of a pack they are more social. They are as diverse in their words as any wher, but a bonded wher is far more likely to mangle words due to not having that stronger connection with a human. A bonded wher is also more likely to lash out like an animal would, without the ‘wilder animal’ nature being dampened by the stronger influence of the human nature through an Impression connection. Lastly, a human/wher bond when they are bonded is a one way bond - meaning that while the wher can send words/feelings to the human that the human can't mentally return those things and must verbally talk to the wher. Bonded whers mostly return to the wild on the death of their handler, but if there is someone else in the Hold, Hall, or family/pack that they feel close enough to, they may rebond with them.