The Red Tent

Writers: Aaron, Halyonix
Date Posted: 1st September 2026

Characters: Vianne, Tindral
Description: Tindral has her first menstrual cycle
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 24 of Turn 13

Mentioned:
Notes: warning for blood

~*~

Tindral had been sleeping really, really well. The kind of sleep someone got from finally getting an extra hour, rather than going to bed late. It also helped that weyrling training was _exhausting_. She was working so hard and she was doing her best but she was still behind the other weyrlings in strength. The extra exercises she was doing were wearing her out.

She was dimly aware of a full bladder, just feeling…well, bloated? No, that wasn’t really the feeling but she felt really full down there. And when she shifted in her sleep to ease it, she felt…well…a wetness. Embarrassment swept through her. Had she…had she peed on herself overnight? She hadn’t done that since she was a little kid! Hoping not to draw any attention to her predicament, Tindral opened her eyes and took a peek under the blanket.

There was blood. Blood all over her thighs. In her shock over discovering that her body was now stepping into the stage of womanhood, Tindral did exactly what she had been hoping to avoid and let out a loud scream.

Mdorith’s head shot up. }: What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Tindral, love, what’s wrong? :{ The growing green rushed to Tindral’s side in an effort to figure out what was causing her rider such distress so early in the day.

She should answer. She should hide. She shouldn’t worry Mdorith. Yet all Tindral could do was just _stare_ at the blood smeared across her skin. She could hear her mother’s voice, trying to calm her and assure her that this was just a natural part of being a woman but all she could see was that _red_.

To make matters worse, Mdorith peeked her head under the blanket. She let out a panicked scream of her own. }: My rider is bleeding! My rider is bleeding! Help! :{

“N-N-No, Mdorith, shhh, n-no!” Tindral begged but it was too late. Other weyrlings were waking up, confused, and Tindral was certain that at least one of the Weyrlingmasters was on their way.

"Everything all right?" Vianne poked her head in. She perched a basket full of furs and linens from at least three or four other wallows on her hip. She was a touch early to be fetching laundry, but it was technically time to wake up, and she wanted to get started as soon as possible.

Tindral squeaked in surprise. No, no, no, this was embarrassing! No one needed to see this! "Y-Y-Yes--" she started to say.

Mdorith shoved her head straight at Vianne, eyes whirling a worried yellow, and roughly nudged Vianne towards her rider with an imperative bark and a matching, }: Everything is _not_ fine! :{ that rattled through the Candidate's head.

How strange a feeling it was to hear such a thing. Vianne closed her eyes and shook her head momentarily, though she let the dragon shove her. No need to fight it and get all sliced up. She slipped into mother mode.

"It's going to be all right," she said. "We'll fix it. What's happened?"

Color draining from her young face as she clutched the blankets, Tindral admitted, "I'm b-b-bleeding."

"Monthlies?" That was a relief. That was easy enough to handle. "It's all right. We'll get you cleaned up, and I'll get everything washed. No one has to know. Do you have a pitcher?"

"M-M-Monthlies?" Tindral echoed. Her mother had talked about this before. Had warned her. But she had always made it seem so...seem so...not _this_.

}: Monthlies? As in each month? :{ Mdorith asked even though she was addressing the second part of what she had heard the other woman say. }: Pitcher. Water. Oh! :{ Her jaws closed around a pitcher of water on another table. She managed to set it down in front of Vianne without spilling it. }: Here we go. We'll listen to this woman, she seems to know what she's talking about, and get you all fixed up Tindral, love. Don't you worry. :{

Vianne looked up. Briefly, she was tempted to say something like, ‘Didn't your mother tell you...?’ But that was not what a girl with a baby dragon needed to hear in that moment.

"Yes, sweetheart. It's completely natural, and it comes once a month." She was not sure how much of a biology lesson the girl needed, but it was probably more important to get her cleaned up for the time being, before anyone had more opportunity to notice. "Only for a few days."

Tindral gulped. Mdorith let out a small screech of alarm. }: Is she going to bleed to death?! :{

Vianne was jarred at hearing what she could only assume was the dragonet in her head. But she quickly recomposed herself.

"No. No, of course, not. It's just your body's way of... getting ready to be able to have babies someday," she explained. "Nothing at all is wrong with you."

Tindral tried to swallow her panic over the idea of babies, making babies, anything babies. It didn't help that Mdorith squealed, }: Babies? Like eggs? Are you going to clutch? Is that what's happening? Are you going to clutch monthly? Oh, this is a lot to handle. Humans are quite weird! But you aren't dying, that's good. That's good. Babies we can handle, death we cannot. :{

"N-N-Noooo," Tindral softly wailed uncertainly, though it was to intended to be heard by her very confused dragon only.

Vianne glanced askance at both the dragon and the girl.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked. She suspected babies... she would say, ‘did not interest her’, but at this point, it seemed better not to guess.

Tindral just shook her head rapidly. She didn't want to explain what Mdorith was saying. She didn't even want to talk about what was happening now! This was so gross and embarrassing and why was all of this happening to her?!

}: Tindral, love, it's going to be _okay_, :{ Mdorith assured her in a tone that was almost convincing. She let out a soothing croon. }: This young lady has been very nice and helpful. You should listen to her, maybe ask her more about this so you aren't scared about it, and then thank her! That sounds like a good idea, right? :{

The young woman (even though she didn't think she was a woman in _any_ way) shrunk in on herself. "Th-This is s-s-s-so embarrassing," she quietly wailed.

"Hey." Vianne squeezed her hand. "It's going to be all right. All right?"

}: See? She understands! :{ Mdorith said with a happy squeal. }: Okay, we've learned some big lessons from this. We can prepare for the next one, right? It won't be as scary. And we'll be just fine! This monthlies thing will be _easy_ going forward! :{

Tindral didn't really believe that but she knew better than to say otherwise.

Last updated on the September 13th 2026

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The Red Tent