Fighting Words

Writers: Aaron, Duskdog, Halyonix, Steel
Date Posted: 7th May 2026

Characters: R'zen, E'rian, O'rock, T'lonas
Description: R’zen gets in a fight. Consequences occur.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 15 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: Pernese swears

T'lonas

~~~~

Ibranth was ravenous, as he bounded toward the feeding station. So _hungry_.

So when he saw Shaegerith and O'rock heading for the same space, R'zen deliberately sped up, attempting to knock into O'rock. Ibranth’s irritation filtered into his, and his into Ibranth’s, and the blue stared at his clutchmate. }:Go away. We were first.:{

O’rock stumbled a bit, but quickly regained his footing. He sighed.

“All right, buddy. It’s not funny anymore. This one’s mine. Scoot over one, and I'll give you a meatroll before you get your hands bloody.”

“No _way_.” R'zen glared at him. “Ibranth wants this one so he's gonna _get_ this one. And stop offering me snacks!” He added. “I bet they're dumb and stale anyway.”

He glared. “I'm not your buddy.”

“Ibranth needs a lesson in dealing with disappointment, kiddo,” said O’rock. “And it looks like so do you. This one’s mine.”

“I'm not a kid, rock-head!” R'zen snapped at him. “Stop trying to tell me what to do!”

Ibranth mantled his wings, and very firmly planted himself in front of _his_ food.

“I’m not tryin'.” O’rock folded his arms. “Scoot over. And if you don’t want to be called ‘kid’, then quit actin’ like a spoiled brat.”

“Hey, hey, can we not?” E’rian called placatingly as he approached with Inarayth in tow.

}: Oh, let them fight. Let them duke it out, :{ Inarayth remarked. }: It’ll get whatever it is out of their system. Establish dominance or whatever it’s called. :{

**Inarayth, you aren’t helping,** E’rian pointed out to his dragon, a pleading tone in his mental voice.

}: Because I’m not going to. You want to beg them to be at peace with each other when they obviously have something they need to work out. So let them work it out! With fists if necessary. :{ She planted herself and pinned her clutchmates with her gaze. }: Well, go on. Work it out! :{

Ibranth stayed right where he was, lowering his head slightly as he stared Shaegerith down. }:Mine.:{ he said, simply, both claim and warning.

R'zen's gaze flicked sideways to E'rian before he focused right back on O'rock. “No.” He said finally, flatly. “This wherry-headed dimglow needs to get the _message_. Shove off. You smell like _herdbeast_, rock-head.”

Ibranth hissed.

Shaegerith warbled a song.

“And you sound like I bedded your mom,” O’rock laughed. “If you’re always gonna be this ornery anyway, I might as well! And then I'll ask her what your favorite snack is.”

Ibranth’s eyes whirled red-orange, and his furious growl nearly matched his rider's sound of choked _rage_.

Oh _feck_ no. R'zen's temper sparked and he lurched forward, all but lunging at O'rock with a ready punch. “You sheep-sitting bovine brain, you want a snack so bad, I'll feed you your own fist!”

O’rock had expected the attack, but R’zen was quicker than he thought he would be. He turned aside before the strike could land on his nose, but he still took a glancing blow to the jaw. Nevertheless, he aimed a countering cross at R’zen’s gut. Knocking the wind out of him ought to take care of things.

R'zen stumbled back from the hit, and Ibranth _shrieked_, eyes whirling swiftly. }:Stop it!!! Get away from Mine!!!:{ he demanded of Shaegerith.

}:I’m all the way over here.:{ Shaegerith was entirely unable to comprehend Ibranth. He was beyond knowing.

“Stop! Stop! This isn’t how to handle this!” E’rian shouted as he tried to interpose himself between the two men. **Inarayth, tell them to stop!**

}: No. Let them figure it out. :{

“It’s handled.” O’rock rubbed his jaw. He had had worse, but it certainly did not feel good. Nevertheless, he had no intention of brawling. As far as he was concerned, the matter was settled, and they could get on with feeding their dragons. And having a snack.

Ibranth shrieked again, wings fully flared, making aborted little forward jerks. }:Stop it!! Get away, you wherry!:{

R'zen charged O’rock. “I'll show _you_ handled!!!”

“WEYRLINGS!” T’lonas shouted -- not _quite_ a roar because his voice didn’t seem entirely capable of it, but a shout likely louder (and angrier) than they’d ever heard from him before, nonetheless. “R’zen, don’t you dare…!” He strode across the space quickly, taking a second to reach out as he did. **Domorth…**

}:IBRANTH,:{ the bronze echoed -- sounding more like his rider, oddly enough, than he typically seemed to, }:You will calm down _now_.:{

He came down from the ledge he’d been resting on, landing with a dusty _thump_ nearby.

Ibranth froze, though his eyes still whirled in agitation. His tail lashed. }:Shaegerith's is being _stupid_!:{ the blue told Domorth. }:Mine only wanted to make him leave us alone!:{

R'zen skidded to a stop, though his eyes remained narrowed as he glared his fury at O'rock. “_He_ started it!!” The blue weyrling spat.

Shaegerith chuckled with amusement at Ibranth.

“Oh, I threw the first punch, did I?” asked O'rock. “_I_ came shovin’ in here like always tryin’ to bully Shaegerith out of his food, like always? I started throwin’ all the crecheyard insults? I ain't never done you any wrong, but you're bound and determined to hate me for it anyway. So you finally got what was comin’ to you, and I ain't feckin’ sorry.”

“Shut _up_!” R'zen hissed at him. “Just shut up!!! Ibranth got to the food first, and _you_ couldn’t leave us be!”

“Ibranth has had it out for Shaegerith since they were hatched,” said O’rock. “Can’t go a whole flaming day without tryin’ to bowl him over. I never shoulda let you get away with it from the start. Get your me-firster, bullying, tail-fork of a dragon under some sharding control, because I ain’t havin’ it anymore!”

R'zen swelled with fresh outrage. “Ibranth’s no bully!” He snapped. “It's _your_ wherry-brained dragon who's been letting Ibranth take the lead, and it's not my fault you and your dragon are _dumb_! No one _else_ has a problem with us!”

Ibranth shrieked again, and R'zen immediately spun around, grabbed his blue's head and hugged it. “No, no, it's-- it's okay. It's okay, I… this is getting fixed. Ignore the wherry brains. Just… ignore them.”

}:You are hurt!!:{ Ibranth squealed.

“That’s quite enough, both of you!” T’lonas looked back and forth between them. He hadn’t seen how things had actually started here, but given what they’d both said -- and what he knew of both of them -- he could guess. “R’zen, Ibranth isn’t going to be calm so long as _you_ can’t be calm. Get _yourself_ under control, for shell’s sake. Have you both gone completely insane? Do you have any idea what could have happened to your dragons while you were busy throwing punches as if you don’t have baby dragons in your heads who may not yet understand how to handle your emotions and injuries without panicking?”

R'zen kept a firm grip around Ibranth’s neck, struggled to find his calm again. Shardit! Shells, shells, _shells_… They were gonna be in trouble!

Ibranth stopped hissing as his rider forced himself to breathe more deeply, one hand lifted to rub his dragon's eyeridge. “... Trying.” He bit out.

Ibranth’s eyes slowly lost their red tinge, and he pressed his head, more gently than usual, against R'zen. }:Mine?:{

“I'm _fine_, Ibranth. Promise. Just… catching my breath.”

“If he didn't start none, there wouldna been none,” said O’rock to T’lonas. “Am I just supposed to let him hit me?”

“Shut _up_!” R'zen flared at him, then winced internally, went back to focusing solely on Ibranth. Calm down. They had to calm down.

Ibranth nudged into his rider further, seeking and giving reassurance.

“You ain’t in charge,” O’rock said calmly.

R'zen opened his mouth to spit something else. Then he glanced at T'lonas and reconsidered, took another deep breath and looked away from O'rock's dumb face on purpose. “I _said_ shut up.” He muttered, but there was less heat now.

He was in enough trouble, and Ibranth needed him to calm down apparently.

“That’s enough, R’zen,” T’lonas said sharply, then took a deep breath, too, and softened his tone somewhat. “You’re doing good calming him down. Continuing the fight will only upset him again. Now. You be silent while O’rock tells me his side of things. You’ll get a chance to tell your own without interruption afterwards, and _when_ you’re able to do so calmly.”

He looked at O’rock, and nodded. “Go ahead. I just want to know what happened, from your perspective. And don’t provoke.”

“It's the same as always. Shaegerith and I were headed to eat, and Ibranth shoved in front of him. It happens every flaming day since the day he hatched, when Ibranth bowled him over like he was nothin’. I cut his meat for him the whole time his rider’s arm was sliced up, _by him_, I might add-- never one flaming thank you from either one of them. Well, I’m done putting up with it, I’m done trying to win them over. I told them to move along, and R’zen decided he was gonna hit me over it. I mighta said I was gonna bed his mom,” O’rock added for good measure.

T’lonas listened, nodding seriously, then glanced down at R’zen. “I very seriously doubt that he bedded your mother. Now, if you’ve got yourself under control, I’d like to hear your side.”

“Wherry-brain told it out of order.” R’zen muttered, glaring at O’rock again, but didn’t let go of his blue. Ibranth huffed, but rested his head against his rider, continuing to calm.

R’zen petted blue hide once more, then continued. “Ibranth got to the bucket first, and I was right behind him. O’rock tried to make us move over.” he added, shoulders hunching a little bit.

“He’s always offering me random stuff to eat, however many times I say no. It’s weird!” he flung at the other young man, before he exhaled. “I… He kept calling me a kid, and then a brat. So… yeah. I called him a wherry headed dimglow.” He scowled again, more at the ground than anyone. “Then he said he was gonna bed my mom. So I punched him. He punched me. And Ibranth _still_ hasn’t gotten to eat yet.”

“Ibranth isn’t starving to death right this moment,” T’lonas said evenly. “He can wait a few more moments, and learning a little patience will do him good. Shaegerith and Inarayth are waiting, too. Now. Is it possible that both of you happened to be heading for the same spot at the same time? And did you see the start of this, E’rian?”

E’rian shook his head. “They…were already fighting when we arrived but…” He paused to look over at Inarayth sullenly. “I asked Inarayth to help me intervene and she said to let them fight it out,” he reported. His tone was a mixture of confusion and betrayal. Wasn’t his dragon always supposed to be on his side?

“Ibranth got to the food _first_.” R'zen tacked on, and finally let go of his blue. “O'rock was just between me and Ibranth. My dragon didn't touch that wherry brain. Or Shaegerith.” He added.

“It ain't no coincidence that Ibranth just suddenly _needs_ whatever food Shaegerith is already headed for, not when it happens every single time,” O’rock insisted.

“Except Ibranth _was_ first!” R'zen snapped. “Dunno why your wherry of a dragon was following him, but Ibranth didn't do anything to him or you. He just wanted to eat!” he added. “You're the ones who got there after, started trying to tell me what to do.”

Ibranth eyed said food bucket, and then Domorth. }:I am hungry.:{ he told the bronze.

“Sometimes dragons do have minds of their own,” T’lonas told E’rian gently. “They’ll always be there for you when it’s important, but when it’s something they don’t think is incredibly consequential, their opinions and personalities are more on display. Don’t read too much into it, lad -- she’s still your girl.”

Domorth stared down at Ibranth, unamused. }:Perhaps you should have thought of that before behaving badly,:{ he said. }:Now you must wait.:{

“Your dragon didn’t touch anyone,” T’lonas agreed, fixing R’zen with a pointed look. “But _you_ did. You thought this was worth throwing punches over -- and potentially panicking Shaegerith or Ibranth /between/ forever -- when there’s plenty of food to go around? ‘Who got where first’ notwithstanding, it hasn’t escaped me that you seem to think that you and Ibranth are entitled to anything you want. This isn’t the first time that you’ve decided to just take what you want instead of compromising or sharing. And that’s _after_ O’rock was good enough to help you when you were injured, out of the kindness of his heart and not because any of us told him to.”

"So I'm just s'posed to smile and be friends because he can't take a hint?" R'zen appealed. "He started off trying to boss me around, and he's not even the _boss_." He repeated. "... Yeah. I punched him. He sharding _deserved_ it." He added, and then winced as soon as it slipped free. "Besides. He punched me right back. We're even, I guess."

Ibranth let out a gusty sigh and laid down to wait, though his tailtip twitched.

}:Mine does not like Shaegerith's.:{ he told Domorth. }:But he says riders do not have to be friends, to work together? They tussled. Mine will leave Shaegerith's alone now. If _he_ is left alone.:{

It was a lot of words for the normally 'act first' blue.

“Yeah, we’re square.” O’rock glanced at T'lonas hopefully. He certainly did not want either of them to deal with extra duties or silly punishments when it had all worked out just fine in the end.

“Can’t take a hint?” T’lonas replied, frowning. “A hint about what? That you want what you want, and he’d better not get in your way, accidentally or purposefully or otherwise?” He sighed, more disappointed than angry now. They both had such potential. “I’m glad to hear that you think you’re ‘square’ -- I hope that means that the two of you will get along at least at the bare minimum from now on. You don’t have to be friends, but you _do_ have to be able to work together sometimes. Maybe a long time, if you’re tapped for the same Wing someday.”

He eyed them both speculatively, then sighed again. “Unfortunately, I can’t just let this go. It’s not just about whether or not you’re still angry with one another. We cannot pretend this is something that’s just a personal matter between the two of you, because it’s not. Your dragons could have died. If Inarayth had been a more flighty, anxious dragon than she is, you could have even inflicted the ultimate price on E’rian here, through no fault of his own. Beyond that, the entire Weyr is affected when a dragon dies. Your entire class would carry that loss, and the Weyr would lose something it cannot get back.

O’rock, while I don’t blame you for standing up for yourself, or for defending yourself from attack, you still stoked the flames here. That’s why both of you will be on middens duty for chores for the next sevenday. You don’t have to speak to one another -- in fact, it might be better if you don’t -- but you _do_ have to be able to do the same work at the same time in the same area without letting your feelings about one another interfere.”

He fixed R’zen with a harder look. “R’zen, you’ve been the aggressor from the beginning, and can’t even seem to wrap your head around the fact that you are, in fact, the problem. And so when your class begins flying next month, Ibranth’s first solo flight, and then your first flight together, will each be delayed by three days. You both need to learn patience and humility. Perhaps watching your classmates fly without you will serve as a reminder that you aren’t the main character in this grand story we call life.”

R'zen opened his mouth to respond. Closed it.

His jaw clenched on the words he wanted to say, and he swallowed them down, the thought of losing Ibranth forming a sick sort of twisting sensation in his gut.

The Weyrlingmaster was right. He was _right_, and... and what had R'zen himself been doing but... but posturing, and showing away like some silly wherryhead?

The realization should have made him feel better. It didn't.

Ibranth. He could have _lost_ Ibranth, lost the only reason he belonged here. He'd been so _angry_, of course Ibranth had been angry. Of _course_ Ibranth had followed his lead.

}: ... Mine?:{ Ibranth nudged R'zen, far more gently than usual, eyes whirling faintly yellow. He stroked Ibranth’s head, in response. **I... I'm _sorry_, Ibranth. Are... are you okay?**

Ibranth pressed his head closer. }:Of course.:{

R'zen swallowed again. This was _his_ fault, and... and now Ibranth wouldn't even get to fly with the rest of the others. _He_ wouldn't be able to fly with the rest of his class.

He wasn't going to add to Ibranth’s problems. "... Yes sir." R'zen said finally, quietly. It was… it was fair.

O’rock certainly was not going to argue, either. He had shoveled dung before. There were worse punishments. Like having to wait to fly. Shaegerith had never been more than a little concerned, even when R’zen scored his glancing blow. He just believed that deeply that O’rock would always prevail.

But if O’rock had contributed to Ibranth going between? Or Inarayth? That would be hard to live with.

“Yes, sir.”

Inarayth settled her wings against her spine in a satisfied shuffle. }: See? This is a far better way of solving the problem. They’ve fought it out, they understand what they did wrong, and now they’ll be punished fairly, :{ she told her rider. }: Your way would have only delayed the conflict for another day. :{

E’rian, even though T’lonas had told him that his dragon would be on his side in the ways that truly mattered, didn’t think she would after a comment like that.

T’lonas nodded, pleased to see that they at least seemed resigned to the consequences. He had expected more pushback from R’zen, but perhaps this meant that something had gotten through to him.

“Very well, then. E’rian, thank you for stepping in. It’s always good to see people who feel a sense of responsibility to others, or at least to keeping the peace. I know your dragons are hungry -- you’re all free to get them fed now. And you two,” he indicated O’rock and R’zen with two inclines of his head, “know where to report when chore time comes around. You’re dismissed.”

Last updated on the June 4th 2026

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Fighting Words