Do You Even Lift (No)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Aaron, Halyonix, Iluva, Kane, Sia, Steel, Yvonne
Date Posted: 25th April 2026
Characters: N'amsa, O'rock, Donnise, R'zen, A'garyn, R'divale, Donnise, E'rian, Oriene, R'divale
Description: The junior weyrlings do some strength training
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 23 of Turn 13
This was a joke.
It had to be.
N’amsa crouched, grabbed one of the sacks, and heaved. It barely moved. He tried again, face scrunching, muscles clenching, arms shaking, managing to shift just enough to prove the sack wasn’t nailed to the ground.
“This weighs more than I do,” he whined, hoping someone would notice.
Vhenasith stretched his left wing, settling into his morning nap, }: You should try harder. :{
N’amsa shot a furious mental glance towards his brown, “_Not_ helpful,” he said, even as he squared up to the sack like it had personally offended him. He bent, and grabbed, and strained, boots digging into the dirt for leverage.
The rest of the weyrlings were scattered across the circuit, too busy with their own challenges to care what N’amsa was doing.
“Now, I'm not saying this’ll work for you without a doubt, but what helps me,” said O’rock as he paused beside N’amsa, “is lifting with my legs. And once you get it lifted, you can heft it up onto your back across your shoulders like so.” He lifted his shoulders a bit, and the rock-filled sack on his back crunched a bit. “Eh? Want me to show you?”
“Hah, this… this isn't so hard.” R'zen huffed, even as he staggered under the weight of his own sack full of rocks. “I bet our dragons are heavier.” Nevermind that he hadn’t ever _actually_ tried to lift Ibranth. He came up on O'rock's other side, dropped the sack for a moment to wipe sweat from his brow. “Bet you I could even lift O'rock's bag!” His arm twinged, but he ignored it other than to brush dust off his sleeve.
}:Let me help!:{ Ibranth declared, on his feet in a charge to investigate, eyes whirling. }:I can lift you _and_ the bag, Mine!:{
“What’s going on over here?” Donnise had wandered over following Ibranth. She looked a little sweaty from her half-hearted go at pushing the sled, but she clearly wasn’t paying much attention to the weyrlingmaster with the timer. The large, white bandage on her foot was a good excuse to slack off a bit. “What’s going on with O’rock’s bag?”
“It’s heavy,” answered E’rian. With his own willowy build, he didn’t dare try to lift it. He had inherited his mother’s physique, not his burly father’s, and he wasn’t about to strain himself in order to prove any sort of point. He was currently on his second minute of holding a plank.
“Not too heavy for _me_.” R'zen insisted, without much (or any) basis of proof. “Here, O'rock, give it!”
Ibranth, naturally, seized the bag R’zen had already dropped in his jaws, planted his feet, and _pulled_.
Half a length across the field, A'garyn was working through a set of sit-ups, mostly concentrating on the cold earth against his back and the slight burn of clenching muscles. It was easier to manage that with the training yard this full, and he was long-accustomed to working in silence anyway. Preferred it.
}:How is it helping him if you do it for him?:{ Talarcheth interjected. The disdain in his mindvoice was mild but plain. }:The entire point is for your rider to get stronger, Ibranth.:{
A'garyn exhaled hard over his knees. **Go back to your nap. They'll figure it out.**
Talarcheth settled his chin on his forelegs, tail-tip still lashing as he watched. }:I doubt it.:{
Oriene finished pushing her sled, then straightened to wipe the sweat off her brow. “How am I able to sweat in this cold?” she asked incredulously. She was used to the heat of Dolphin Cove, not the chill of Dragonsfall, and had begun hoarding sweaters, one of which she wore now. She noticed Ibranth helping R’zen and grinned. “Now that’s a good idea. Maybe I can get Esperanth to help me with mine!”
“Ready?” O’rock unceremoniously handed his bag to R’zen without waiting for him to say yes.
R'zen had only a single moment to register O'rock's words before the bag was dumped into his arms. He staggered again under the increased weight, gritted his teeth and held on. So _heavy_….
Ibranth’s head jerked up, bag on the ground forgotten. The blue dragonet sidled closer, tried and failed for subtlety as he pressed his shoulder to the bag, supported it as well.
}:If you do not want to help your rider, that is not my problem.:{ He told Talarcheth. }:I will be there for Mine.:{
O’rock jogged back and retrieved another bag of stones from the ‘heavy’ pile and then jogged to rejoin R’zen.
}: He's right, you know.:{ Gorvagath added. }: He needs to be strong enough to fly with you.:{ He looked towards the Weyrlingmasters' dragons for reassurance that he was correct.
Fianwyth stared back. }: Mind your own rider, Gorvagath.:{ She said. }: His arms are shaking.:{
}: He is _not_!:{ Gorvagath exclaimed even as R'divale gave up on push-ups by falling to the ground behind him.
}:Fine. But that doesn’t change that your rider is too skinny.:{ Talarcheth replied, seeing absolutely nothing wrong in his assessment, nor in having voiced it. }:You being there will only keep him that way. Do you not want a strong rider? He needs this more than anyone here. Clearly.:{
**Drop it.** A’garyn grit his teeth.
}:No. Ibranth needs to hear this.:{ The bronze’s tone sharpened, eyes flickering with something that wasn’t quite annoyance and wasn’t quite worry, though he wouldn't have called it the latter. }:He has no idea what he or his rider should be doing. That makes him a liability. And I won’t have a liability working next to _you_.:{
A’garyn paused mid-set, the words landing somewhere he didn’t want them to. He started again, harder than before, jaw tight. **If you’re so worried, then watch me work.**
Talarcheth stretched one forelimb long and slow, then the other, with the unhurried ease of someone who had already made his point and knew it. }:I am.:{
Ibranth squealed fresh offense. }:Mine is NOT too small and skinny! That's Vhenasith's rider!:{ he hissed at Talarcheth.
R'zen swore, and dropped the too-heavy sack after only a moment more.
“You all right?” asked O’rock. “Need me to get that for you?”
Donnise hid a snicker behind her hand.
}: I think that we can agree it's the both of them.:{ Gorvagath added.
**Why are you being such a 'yes' man.** R'divale asked.
}: I'm not. Unless we're right.:{
}:At least Gorvagath gets it.:{ Talarcheth said with a soft snort.
“I don’t think I could lift that either,” Donnise admitted after a moment. “It’s too full o’ rocks. Just like O’rock!” She clapped him on the shoulder, feeling immensely clever.
Oriene snickered at the pun. Esperanth had found a spot in the sun to snooze but at Ibranth’s and Talarcheth’s bickering opened one faceted eye and said, }: Will you two knock it off? :{
Inarayth immediately backed up her green sister, mantling her wings to make herself look bigger. }: Agreed. Our riders need our support and encouragement, not this scathing fuss. They have a long road ahead of them in training and it is our job to help them get there. :{
“Eh, you got me there,” said O’rock, who had definitely not heard some variation on that joke a thousand times before. That Turn. “Here, lemme see if I can…”
He hefted the original second back up with the first, one on each shoulder and continued on toward the goal. This was not a smart decision, but it was already done. He could manage it once, but he would end up hurting himself if he tried it again.
R'zen swelled with outrage, and lurched after him, hefting his own bag. “Hey! Get _back_ here, that's my bag!” He wasn't going to be shown up by _O'rock_.
Ibranth spread his wings and trotted after him. }:Of course our riders need us!:{ he told Inarayth and Esperanth. }:We ought to be there helping.:{
Zheverith yawned from his sunny wallow and watched Ibranth cross the field. }:_My_ rider doesn’t need help,:{ he said smugly as, across the field, Donnise also yawned.
}:Nor Mine.:{ Talarcheth echoed, with the same self-satisfied tone as Zheverith. Though he spoke to his siblings, his eyes never left A'garyn. }:You may as well chew their food for them while you're at it. Letting them do it _is_ helping them. There's a difference. A considerable one.:{
“There we go.” O’rock set the bags down at the goal and wiped the droplets of sweat and drizzle from his forehead. “What's next? Sit-ups?” He was not looking forward to getting his backside wet sitting on the ground in the rain.
“May as well,” Oriene said with a sunny smile.
Last updated on the May 1st 2026