Tight Fit

Writers: Devin, Steel
Date Posted: 18th May 2026

Characters: R'zen, M'sar
Description: Tunnelsnake hunting does not go as planned.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 10 of Turn 13
Notes: Immediately follows "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

~*~

"... Let's follow them." R'zen suggested. "I wanna stay close to Ibranth while we're both awake. It's not weird."

M'sar snorted. "Some weyrlings are like that. Though I suppose if you left him alone, he'd find a way to climb to the top of the weyr and fall off." Even pretty early on, M'sar had been fine with Nazoth wandering off if he felt like it. They could talk to each other, feel each other, from anywhere, and he was confident Nazoth would call him if he needed him. But Ibranth was . . . different.

"Ibranth’s not dumb!" R'zen defended his dragon, though he couldn't help but snort. "... Maybe we'll try that when Ibranth’s big enough to fly. Really show what me and him can do." He added. "And then there's the lake plunges too, that I heard some of the other Candidates talking about one time. You know, jump off your dragon into the lake?"

}:This tunnel!:{ Ibranth declared.

"I'm _definitely_ doing that," M'sar declared as he retrieved the knives and then turned to follow the dragons. He eyed Nazoth, who was already the size of a (fat) green and considered trying that soon.

The entrance was wide enough for a full-grown gold, so Nazoth had no trouble following Ibranth inside. }:Do you see any tunnelsnakes?:{

"You're gonna get to do _everything_ before I do." R'zen huffed. "Maybe I'll have to find that wingrider again, see if he'd be willing to give me even one flying lap around the Weyr. I should get an idea of what flying is really like, not just the one ride I got to the Weyr in the first place."

Ibranth sniffed at a crack in the wall, and paused to consider. }:Tunnelsnakes are small, Mine says.:{ he told Nazoth. }:I think we must go... further.:{

}:Then on we go!:{ Nazoth looked around for tunnelsnakes as they moved deeper into the tunnel. When Ibranth turned down another passage he kept following, even though he had to tuck his wings tight against his body to fit in the narrower corridor.

"Course I get to do everything first, I Impressed first." M'sar sheathed Talon and tucked the other knife away.

"Yeah, and it's not sharding _fair_." R'zen huffed. "If I wanna aim for and stay at the top of the class, I have to stay focused. I'm not Weyrborn so that already puts me kind of behind. Those guys have been flying around on dragons since they were _babies_."

}:I am sure we shall find tunnelsnakes to hunt!:{ Ibranth told his bigger brown companion, prancing onward. }:We are, after all, in a tunnel.:{

The tunnel got narrower and narrower. Nazoth was reduced to wiggling on his belly, but he was determined to find the tunnelsnakes that were surely just up ahead. And then . . . he couldn't move. He strained forward, wings scraping against rock as he grunted with effort. No good. }:This tunnel is too small! We will have to find another.:{

Nazoth tried to back out, claws scrabbling on the smooth floor of the passageway. But the brown's bulk was too much. }:M'sar. I'm stuck.:{

"Oh shards!" M'sar raced down the tunnel to find a huge brown butt completely blocking the other end. **Why did you think you could fit in there?** he asked in exasperation.

}:My head fit.:{

M'sar put his face in his hands and groaned. **Your ass is way bigger than your head, bud.**

R'zen bolted after M'sar, the moment Ibranth squealed. }:Mine!!! Mine, Nazoth is stuck! I cannot get out!:{

"Hang on, hang on Ibranth!" R'zen blurted, both to his dragon and out loud, biting back the urge to laugh at the sight. "There's gotta-- can he wiggle backwards at all?"

Ibranth looked up and up at Nazoth, eyes whirling as he thought, and his rider thought. }:Hold still.:{ he told the brown finally, and reared up awkwardly on his hind legs, planted his forepaws on Nazoth's snout. }:I will push you free?:{

Nazoth snorted. }:This is not helping!:{

M'sar sighed. "I'll go get some oil. You stay here." He pointed at R'zen.

"I wasn't gonna ditch Ibranth anyway." R'zen huffed. "I'll stay here." He added, like it was his own idea. "Try to think of anything else that could work."

}:Maybe if I got higher?:{ Ibranth said, uncertainly.

}:You are too small to push me.:{ Nazoth wiggled. Side to side. Backwards. Forwards. But he was still stuck. It was very frustrating and starting to get just the tiniest bit worrying.

}:I cannot get to Mine until you get free.:{ Ibranth told him. }:So you will get un-stuck. Maybe if I tried to dig more space for you? Our riders will free us.:{

}:Yes, M'sar will help us,:{ Nazoth said with complete confidence in his rider.

It was a few minutes before M'sar returned, carrying two buckets of oil and two paddles. "Okay . . ." He panted, setting the buckets down. "I'll go up top, you try to get oil as far under his belly as you can." He pushed one of the paddles at R'zen. Then he opened one of the buckets and set it close enough to reach with the other paddle shoved inside it.

**Stay still,** he told Nazoth before clambering up his ample backside.

"Ibranth says if you can get any oil through the gaps, he can help too." R'zen relayed, even as he took a bucket and a paddle himself. "He wants to climb Nazoth and try to dig at the ceiling. I'm... not sure how effective it would be, but I can tell him to stand guard or something. Instead."

"Tell him to watch out for tunnelsnakes," M'sar joked. "There should be another way into the tunnel, but you'd probably get lost tryin' to find it." He slathered oil onto Nazoth where he was wedged against the ceiling, trying to make him as slippery as possible.

R'zen set to work with the other paddle. "I do that and it might distract him." He responded. "So.. thanks." he added, half awkward, passing it to his dragon.

Ibranth’s attention shifted from trying to climb Nazoth to marching back and forth in front of him. }:I will protect you, Nazoth!!! :{

If it had been a clutchmate or an older dragon, Nazoth might have protested that he didn't need any protection. But coming from the younger and much smaller blue, Nazoth found it amusing. He watched Ibranth pacing and it distracted him from his predicament for a moment.

After a while M'sar slid down Nazoth's tail and pulled the oil bucket out of kicking range. "Ok, get back," he told R'zen.

**Try it now,** he told the brown.

Nazoth heaved and heaved again. At first nothing happened. Then he shifted a tiny bit. And then finally the oil did its work and he slipped out of the narrow part of the tunnel, stumbling backwards several steps. }:I'm out!:{ There wasn't enough room for him to turn, but at least he could back his way out until he reached the widest part of the tunnel.

M'sar heaved a sigh and wiped his forehead with an oil-slick arm. He turned to R'zen. "Do _not_ tell the Weyrlingmasters about this."

"And us both look like idiots?" R'zen snorted. "No way. We're square. Just... maybe keep meeting up for more knife lessons? And obviously for Ibranth to play with Nazoth."

}:Mine!:{ Ibranth came bounding out, in a rush to reunite with his rider. He hit a patch of oil, slid and skidded straight into R'zen, who stumbled back with an 'oof'. "You-- Hah, it's okay Ibranth. You're okay! You did awesome."

M'sar laughed at the pair and then eyed R'zen. "Negotiating for your silence, huh?"

R'zen shrugged, tried to appear nonchalant. "I mean... no sense in embarrassing ourselves." He offered.

"Definitely not." M'sar turned to watch Nazoth carefully backing his way out of the tunnel.

Last updated on the June 4th 2026

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Tight Fit