The First Step

Writers: Estelle, Halyonix
Date Posted: 2nd March 2026

Characters: R'ayl, Tindral
Description: R'ayl gives new weyrling Tindral some encouragement
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 18 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Zaidi, R'lor

Notes:
~*~

"Mdorith! Mdorith, wait!" Tindral called futilely as she tried to chase down her charging green, hopping on one foot while trying to put on a shoe. "Wait!" she wailed.

Mdorith, however, was not waiting. }: We are _not_ going to be late to breakfast, Tindral. Look, Delorth and his rider are here already. We want the choice bits, not the leftovers that the latecomers get. :{

"B-But there's _plenty_ for everyone," Tindral tried to point out, but it wasn't worth it. Mdorith planted herself in front of R'ayl,watching and waiting for her little rider to catch up.

"Good morning, Mdorith!" R'ayl greeted her. He didn't need Delorth's prompting, since it wasn't hard to pick out the determined young green from among her clutch sisters. "You're up early today. You must be hungry?" He looked enquiringly past her to Tindral.

In response, Mdorith opened her maw while Tindral arrived. She seemed to shrink in on herself a little bit. R'ayl was her age but his dragon was already grown up. And...her stomach did a weird flutter whenever she saw him. She didn't like that feeling. It felt like that one time she had gotten really tummy sick but...not?

}: I like him, :{ Mdorith declared to her rider, making that feeling worse. }: He is kind and helpful. And he feeds me! :{

Realizing that R'ayl was still waiting on Tindral to answer him, she blurted out, "Do...dotheyeverstopbeinghungryallofthetime?"

The young bluerider blinked, and it took him a moment to work out what the question had been. "Oh! Yes, in a few months they'll be down to eating once a day, and then they'll learn to hunt for themselves, so you won't have to do this any more. It seems like it's endless, but it only gets better from here," he promised. "Since you're here early, do you want me to help chop?" He remembered all too well how hard it had been to keep up with Delorth's appetite during those early days.

Tindral paused for a moment before nodding that she would help. Cutting was easy. Mostly. At least she didn't have to strip it from the carcass. That was gross. Hearing that Mdorith would eventually stop being so hungry was a palpable relief for the little green weyrling. "And...and sh-she'll be flying soon too?" she asked with hope in her tone.

"Yes! Flying begins in the third month of training, if the Weyrlingmaster thinks you're ready," R'ayl explained, having long since memorized the schedule. "But _definitely_ don't try it before then, no matter how much she wants to. There's always one pair," he added with all the wisdom of an experienced weyrling assistant, "and they always get in a huge amount of trouble."

Tindral did _not_ want to get in any trouble. Trouble was bad. Trouble didn't just mean extra chores, it meant extra disappointment. She and Mdorith were _not_ getting into trouble. But three months sounded so very far away, even though Mdorith was getting bigger by the day. "W-We won't," she promised R'ayl truthfully.

"That's good." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Don't worry, it's usually a boy dragon." Walking over to one of the tables, he set to work on chopping up some meat for Mdorith. "How is training so far? Is there anything you're finding difficult?"

How to answer that? Tindral was tiny. Everyone else, aside from her friend Zaidi, were so much bigger, stronger, just better than her. "Um..." she started to answer. She didn't want to answer. It all sounded bad. Why did every answer that came out of her mouth sound bad, like she was some big baby that would never be anything better?

Mdorith stomped her little clawed foot. }: Enough of that negative mind talk! :{ she declared stoutly. }: You are mine and I did not pick someone unworthy. :{

Tindral burst into tears.

"Oh, no!" What had he done? He'd made a new weyrling cry, and now her dragon would be upset, and the Weyrlingmaster would be so disappointed in him... R'ayl dropped his knife and hurried around the table to Tindral, frantically reaching out to Delorth. **Tell Mdorith her rider will be okay. Tell her I'll make it right.**

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say what I did about getting in trouble for flying too early. I'm sure Mdorith would never do that," he promised hastily. "Or - is it the meat? Sometimes it makes people feel sick to look at but they always get over it, really."

}: She's fine, she's fine, :{ Mdorith assured Delorth. }: She's just...oh, I love her but she's just so scared of everything! Even with me here. The world is so big compared to her and she's never had someone love her like I do and she's just overwhelmed. Poor thing. :{

Tindral tried to shake her head and assure R'ayl that he hadn't done anything wrong but all that came out was a burbling hiccup. He was going to think she was so inept! Such a scaredy feline! She had Mdorith so why was she crying? It was just soooo much!

}: Mdorith is calm, :{ Delorth reported, sounding puzzled, but reassuring. }: She says that her rider is scared and this place is too much. But it is only the Weyr, our home. :{

R'ayl felt a sudden rush of relief that at least the little green wasn't panicking, but he knew that they didn't have long before hunger began to overwhelm her, or the other weyrlings started arriving. He took a breath to control the anxiety that squirmed deep within him. He was a Weyrlingstaff Assistant - and he might not be tall, or strong, or brave, but he _did_ know what it was like to be afraid in a strange new place, and how to survive it. He could do this.

"It's okay. I'm here." He surprised himself by how steady his voice sounded. "I know there's a lot going on, but the first step is to feed Mdorith. I'll help you. Is that all right?"

Tindral, sniffling, nodded. Mdorith made a soothing sound. }: That sounds like a lovely plan, doesn't it, Tindral love? Feeding me is easy and you do it very well. Dry your eyes, dear. You can do this. :{

Encouraged by both R'ayl and Mdorith, Tindral wiped her eyes and reached for the bucket. "S-S-Sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay. You're doing fine." R'ayl swept the meat he'd already chopped into Tindral's bucket and started on some more. "You know, it was really hard for me, too, when I was Searched. I was the smallest in the class and I'd been sick for a long time, so I could hardly do the exercises. I didn't know anyone, and I was afraid of everyone. The Weyrlingmasters, other dragonriders, even my own classmates. Once I nearly fainted in the middle of the Weyrbowl. I pretended it was the heat, but really I was so scared and overwhelmed that it was like everything locked up in my head..." He'd never told anyone about that, not even R'lor or his mother, but now there was no more reason to hide, and he wasn't ashamed. "But slowly I started to understand how many people here are kind, and I made friends, and of course I have Delorth. It'll be the same for you. I promise."

His story sounded so much like she felt that it surprised her. She...she wasn't the only one to feel this way? She wasn't the only one to be small and Impress a big dragon? She wasn't the only one to come to a big place and know no one?

In her head, Mdorith hummed happily, glad that her rider had made another connection to someone here. But Tindral shyly asked, "S-Sick?"

"I was always tired back then, and I didn't grow as strong as my brother and sister," R'ayl explained. "But when I was Searched and came here, the Weyrhealer said that I didn't have the right diet. I needed to eat more meat and green vegetables, like you, Mdorith, except for the vegetables." He smiled and pushed more chopped meat her way. "By the end of weyrling training I could even do the dragon toss - that's when you throw a sack of firestone to another rider - and now I'm as tall as my Mama. It wasn't just the food, though. It was my classmates helping me, and the Weyrlingmasters. You'll see."

}: I like him, :{ Mdorith repeated. }: He has a good head on him and look, his story mirrors yours! If he can do it, so can you! :{

Tindral was not going to contradict her dragon, even if she wanted to. Mdorith might be right. R'ayl might be right. Maybe she _would_ get the hang of it. Eventually. Definitely not as fast as some of the others who were bigger and stronger already. "I...I h-hope so," she told R'ayl.

"You will," R'ayl said, with more confidence than was usual, for him. "And - if you ever need it - I'll help you. If you want to practice, or go over the classes, or...if you just want to talk."

In her head, Mdorith continued to hum happily so Tindral took that as a good thing and said, "Th-Thanks. I...I appreciate that."

Last updated on the March 19th 2026

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The First Step