Wing Measuring Contest

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 9th April 2026

Characters: M'sar, H'lem
Description: M'sar and H'lem talk after Nazoth fails to fly.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 19 of Turn 13
Notes: Follows "You Can Certainly Try . . ." Caution for swearing.
Mentioned: Galgaith, Malzyveth

}:How did you do it?:{ Nazoth demanded of Mactallath. }:Is there some trick?:{ He was still frustrated and angry after watching his clutchmates fly when he hadn't been able to.

For a moment or two, Mactallath stared at Nazoth. How did one answer a question like that? Of course, he knew what his even heftier brother meant. But what was there to say, apart from, I just did it? At last, he showed Nazoth a series of images of himself leaping into the air and flapping his wings.

He sent the feelings of heft and effort and the certainty that he was only one strain of the muscle away from the air under his wings spilling out, suffering the same fate as Nazoth. But they held. And he flew. Just for a little while.

}:I tried that!:{ Nazoth stomped his feet. Then he spread his wings wide.

**Hey -- wait, wait!** M'sar said as he ran up. **You can't try again untll tomorrow, remember? You don't want to hurt your wings.** An injury would just make everything worse.

Then he looked over at H'lem. "You gonna talk shit about him, too?"

H'lem pointed incredulously to himself.

"The fuck did I do?" he demanded. "I didn't say anything. Mac almost did the exact same thing Nazoth did, you know."

M'sar huffed, the twisting feeling in his stomach growing worse. "Yeah, well. I know everyone's laughin' at him."

}:Why can't I fly? Why is it so hard?:{ Nazoth pouted. }:Everyone else can fly. I've been waiting so long!:{

M'sar reached up to rub Nazoth's muzzle. **Your body just grew too fast for your wings, that's all.** Which was true enough, but that was because M'sar had let him eat way too much.

}:We are large,:{ said Mactallath. That was enough.

"I'm not laughing," said H'lem.

}:We are very big,:{ Nazoth agreed. }:Like Galgaith.:{

"Fair." M'sar sighed. "He's real upset about it." He'd wanted to spare Nazoth from ever feeling hungry, but instead it had led to . . . this.

"How long until he can try again?" asked H'lem.

"Nazoth has to wait until tomorrow, with someone watching. They're worried he might hurt himself if he tries too hard." Which M'sar thought was a possibility. If the brown failed to take off again he was going to be even more upset.

"Makes sense. He'll get it," said H'lem. "Would it help if Mac comes to cheer him on?"

M'sar snorted a laugh. "Why would that help? Cheering's not gonna make him less . . . heavy."

H'lem shrugged.

"I dunno. It just seemed right for us to be there for you."

The words tugged at something in M'sar and he turned away. "They'll probably do it during class, so everyone'll be watching anyway." He tried not to think about facing more embarrassment and poor Nazoth's frustration.

"Maybe it would help if he didn't have the, you know, pressure or whatever? Do you think they would let him try again without everyone watching?" H'lem suggested. "I could ask my dad if it would help."

M'sar glared. "I don't need _favors_ from your _dad_." And he didn't want to slink away to have Nazoth practice in secret.

}:I want everyone to see me fly,:{ Nazoth agreed.

"Right, no, sorry. Stupid idea," H'lem held his hands up defensively. "Nazoth'll get it."

"Course he will." Nazoth _would_ fly, M'sar just hoped it would be soon.

Nazoth studied his fellow brown. }:Are your wings bigger? Is that how you did it?:{ It was hard to believe any part of any of his clutchmates could be bigger, but then again Mactallath was _almost_ as big as he was. Maybe his wings had grown faster.

Mactallath sidled up to Nazoth and extended his wing to compare.

Nazoth stretched his wing and held it close to Mactallath's as he studied them. }:Hmm. Perhaps yours is longer but I think mine is wider.:{

That got an amused snort out of M'sar. "Shards, they're havin' a wing measuring contest."

"Well, you know, my brothers always say the size doesn't matter as much as how you use it," said H'lem. "But that sounds like some shit a guy with a small-- ... with small wings would say."

Whether or not H'lem's brothers had ever said that was not important.

M'sar snorted again. "Neither of them gotta worry about being small. Wonder if they'll be able to match some of the bronzes when they're grown." Nazoth was certainly bigger than Malzyveth, at least for now.

"Yeah, maybe some of them! Browns win goldflights sometimes. Of course, then you'd have to bed a girrrrl, ewww." H'lem grinned like an idiot.

M'sar was horrified. "No golds for him. No way."

"Not going to be weyrleader someday?"

Aside from the power and prestige and being able to rub it in everyone's faces -- ok maybe it _was_ a fun idea. "Not interested in all that work," M'sar said. "What about you? Think you're gonna be the first brownrider Weyrleader?"

"I do not need that in my life," said H'lem. "But maybe I'll take over for my dad someday."

}:I want to be Weyrleader,:{ Nazoth said. It was a bronze's place, but bronzes were not always the best.

M'sar snorted. Loudly. He waved a hand. "Not you. Nazoth's got big ideas."

"What do you wanna do, Mac?" asked H'lem. "Be weyrleader? Be a weyrlingmaster?"

Mactallath sent feelings of contentment and an image of himself exactly as he was.

"Mactallath has quiet ideas."

}:We will lead the Weyr and you will train the weyrlings,:{ Nazoth told Mactallath. }:Yes, I like that. :{

Mactallath sent further feelings of contentment to Nazoth. He would be happy with that arrangement, if it were to come to pass.

"What's he saying?" asked H'lem.

"He's arranging everyone's lives." M'sar shook his head. "He wants us to be Weyrleader and says you and Mac can be Weyrlingmaster."

"Would that be so bad?" H'lem wondered. It was ages away, anyway. It could be fun to imagine it.

M'sar laughed. "Wouldn't that just make them flip their shit! A Holdless becoming Weyrleader. And a brownrider on top of that." It was just a game. A brownrider had never been Weyrleader, and M'sar wasn't full of himself enough to think he'd be the first. But other things _were_ possible -- Wingsecond, even Wingleader. He shied away from that thought.

"Well, now you have your motivation to become the Weyr's best flier, Nazoth!" said H'lem. "Gotta catch all the golds."

Nazoth stretched out both his wings. }:Yes. I will be the best flier.:{

Once he managed to get off the ground.

Last updated on the May 1st 2026

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