Month 2: Dragon Ages 3-4 months
Overview
Now that your dragons are starting to grow beyond the subsistence stage of life, they'll begin to start manifesting more distinct personalities. While they're still very attached to you, and very much need you around, they may begin to pretend to want more space, and even test out disagreeing with you-- albeit in rather roundabout ways. Hopefully you've really practiced exerting control through your mental bond, because you may have to start using it. Still, all in all, they're agreeable, more interested in reassurance and your love than in asserting themselves. Your dragons will only be eating about twice a day now, though the meals will be increasing in size, and they'll still need frequent oiling.
Thankfully, your dragon is also now old enough to go to the muck pile behind the barracks-- mucking now becomes a once-a-week group task rather than the daily (or more) mess to clean out of your dragon's personal space!
Your dragons will also be taking an increasing interest in the outside world and in beings outside of themselves and you. The questions will come just as fast as before, but now, they may be directed to older dragons, even those they've never met before! Best make sure you answer as much as you can, or that horribly embarassing question about what it is you were doing over in the corner may just be spread from dragon to dragon around the weyr.
Older riders will be checking in on you regularly to make certain everyone is adjusting well, though there's very little hand-holding left for you to rely on. Ruvoth may even start leaving the barracks at night as he feels the weyrling dragons can handle it. Basically, the Weyr now provides just enough support to let you know you aren't alone and everything will turn out all right.
Your dragons are regularly able to be left alone for short spans of time-- a couple of hours when awake-- though you're expected to return to them the moment they begin to get anxious.
Exercise sessions are becoming more physical in nature as both humans and beasts become stronger. Weyrlings that lag behind in terms of physical capacity will be handed extra work to help build stamina, though even R'vain is unlikely to demand of you something you simply can't do. The girls will have more free time here, as your Weyrlingmaster's personal bias is such that at /least/ once monthly he excuses them from exercise entirely. He just doesn't expect as much from them... ^_~ Yay sexism.
Classroom sessions are becoming more academic in nature-- it's expected that you will be able to attend to your lessons more consistently now that your dragons demand less constant attention. It's also expected that you'll have mastered the basics of weyr heirarchy, protocol, and so forth presented in previous sessions. Anyone who didn't know how to read or write upon Impression will receive intense instruction in that arena-- probably from a posted Harper, however, not from R'vain! ;) Likewise, an increasing number of classes will be guest-taught, as many as a couple per IC week, relying on the expertise of the Weyr's full complement of riders and staff.
Lesson: Strapmaking
This "lesson" actually comprises an overview of what many, many strapmaking lessons will look like during the next two IC months. Only a few sessions will actually involve R'vain instructing weyrlings in a large group. Most will actually consist of him taking a few aside in small groups, reviewing the work they've done and assigning new projects.
Strapmaking is a many-step process. Thankfully, there's experts in curing, tanning and softening leather to do most of the specialty work. Likewise, the sheepskin provided to line your later set of straps will be pretty much ready to work with-- but you won't be seeing that for a few months yet!
This first set of straps serves two functions: first, to give you the skills necessary to make your own straps; second, to have something to help you stick to the dragon when you start groundriding next month.
Some of the first tasks you'll be set to will just get you accustomed to working with leather while teaching you the 'anatomy' of riding straps. You'll begin with oiling and treating old straps and scrap leather; salvageable portions of these materials, along with fresh, will go into the first set you make for your own dragon. R'vain is also not above handing out the caretaking of Ruvoth's straps to 'favorite' weyrlings as a peculiar form of punishment.
Eventually you'll actually begin constructing the first set of straps. The leather is brought in already cut into strips of appropriate widths (it takes a variety to make a full set). Brass buckles are also provided, as is the fine leather thong used for most of the stitching and the heavy-duty thread used where the thong is too coarse. You'll learn how straps are constructed, how to sew leather, and although you won't be troubled to line this set of straps with sheepskin, you'll all get a lesson on how that's done to prepare you for the next set you'll be making. You'll also learn to punch holes in the leather. You'll be making this first set of straps quite a bit too big so your lifemates can grow into them. Punching new holes to expand the fit of the straps will be, for some of you, a weekly exercise!
There are several known configurations of riding straps and R'vain ascribes to none of them as 'the one right way to make straps.' A strapping young bronze flaming Thread in the forward part of a formation may need a different sort of straps than a slender, aging blue handling watchduty at the Weyr. Furthermore, your dragons aren't fully grown yet. For most of them, you'll be making a very simplistic set of straps: a neckpiece that encircles the dragon's neck near his or her forequarters; a shoulderpiece that goes around his or her chest just behind the forelegs; a piece that connects the two loops between the forelegs; and an arrangement of pieces up top along either side of the spine, to which rings for the rider's belt are attached.
Since humans are generally easier to fit than dragons, most of you will just be handed old riding belts out of the Weyr's stores. However, it is possible your riding belt may need a new hole or two punched to fit you perfectly. The riding belt consists of a belt (shocking, I know) and straps that wrap your thighs, so that in flight the rider can't easily slip free; it's basically a harness arrangement.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, you'll have this first set of straps done by the midpoint of the fourth RL month. That means you have about 3 IC months to work on them, so it isn't something you'll necessarily be doing daily. The extra time also allows for the natural failures of a first effort: a lot of you will probably foul up some straps and have to start over. However, because straps are the first obvious progress weyrling pairs make toward flying together as dragon and rider, many weyrlings (and their dragons) become understandably excited about it.
Restrictions
The restrictions on sexual relations remain in effect for these developmental months of your dragon's life. However, R'vain is not the type to 'notice' if a pair of weyrlings are necking in the back of the barracks, as long as it seems to remain in the realm of PDA and not venture over into, uhm, performance art. Making out with a full rider or non-weyrling is a little more noticeable-- and a bit more taboo at this point. Weyrlings are allowed freedom to drink (but not get drunk; your Weyrlingmaster reserves that indulgence for himself) and travel within the Weyr's confines as they wish during free time-- not that there is an excess of free time.
Sample Schedule
6:00 AM - Wake up, dawn feeding of dragons (this feeding will phase out for most dragons this month)
6:45 AM - Running: any of a variety of circuits and terrain around the Weyr's outdoor areas may be assigned
8:00 AM - Cleanup/Breakfast
9:00 AM - Classroom lessons, dragons nap
11:00 AM - Late morning feeding of dragons, bathing and oiling
12:30 PM - Lunch
1:30 PM - Outdoor or practical lessons
3:00 PM - Group exercises (calisthenics, obstacles, climbing)
4:00 PM - Designated homework/straps/punishment time
6:00 PM - Dinner, free time
10:00 PM - Nighttime feeding of dragons/lights-out
Chores
Get to know other dragonriders and dragons
Butchering carcasses
Feeding and oiling dragons
Increasingly physical exercises
Keeping the barracks tidy
Refilling oil vats
Occasional written homework!
Strap work (see classroom lesson)