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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2019 14:20:06 GMT -6
Fiera nodded along as Henri continued to sing without any assistance, until he finally noticed her. Her mouth was shut and she clearly wasn't singing, but she was smiling. He held the note for a moment, surprised, but just as it began to die off, Fiera showered him with praise and treats. Henri rushed around to collect all the seeds that Fiera had thrown to him. Fiera was hoping that now that he saw that he could sing without Fiera and nothing terrible would happen to him, he would be willing to sing when prompted and not just with Fiera whistling with him. Still, she'd have to test that theory. "Henri..." She said, getting his attention. "Speak!" Henri appeared hesitant... but soon started tweeting out one of his sweet tunes. The result was seeds thrown to him like roses at a concert, and enough cheering from his owner to match an entire audience.
Fiera 5 Henri Lv. 7.0/Lo. 9.0 Speak Up 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 4, 2019 21:37:10 GMT -6
Fiera had to think for a bit about the next trick she was going to teach Henri. Fiera, despite her appearances and (fake) personality, wasn't much of a cutesy person. Nor was she much in touch with what the kids these days enjoyed. Skateboards and video games, or something? Minedcrafts? To be honest, she wasn't really sure. She had written another small list regardless, however, full of various things that she personally found cute, things that she would have liked her childhood pets to have known. Or at least, would have liked them to know these tricks if she had ever had any childhood pets. Thinking back to her stuffed kennel... she might be overcompensating a bit now. Still, it was time to get down to business, and she called Henri over, watching as the jolly bird bounded towards her, away from the pile of leaves he had been playing with.
Fiera 6 Henri Lv. 7.1/9.1 Shake 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 4, 2019 22:21:11 GMT -6
He chirped at her happily, circling around Fiera's seated body. He was a very curious creature, and Fiera was glad for it- it made him a lot easier to train than some of her other pets. She dug through her bag while he got himself situated, and took out a jar full of seeds. The jar was likely his most favorite thing by now- it had proven very helpful in motivating him to learn. Even now, he had perked up and sat down, staring hungrily at the mason jar. She popped it open, and shook a couple of seeds into her hand. Henri jumped up, but instead she put one in her other hand and hid the rest behind her back. That one other seed she kept in the palm of her hand, and kept her fingers loosely curled around it. Henri tried shoving his head in there to get it, but he didn't fit.
Fiera 7 Henri 7.2/9.2 Shake 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 4, 2019 22:23:53 GMT -6
Fiera didn't move her fingers- the goal was to get him to try to solve the problem through other means. He put his head in there a few more times, pushing harder and harder, but Fiera didn't let her fingers move, keeping them caged around the treat. Eventually, he tried sticking his paw in there to dig the seed out. Bingo. Fiera closed her hand around the paw. He didn't seem too distressed by that, but instead gave her a strange look as she shook his paw up and down. "Shake!" She said as she completed the movement. Then, she released his paw and held her hand out fully, offering him the seed. "Good boy, good shake!" She said as he fell upon the seed, happily pecking it to pieces and picking out the flesh of the seed's insides. With a bit of repetition, he'd hopefully be able to do that on command.
Fiera 8 Henri 7.3/9.3 Shake 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 4, 2019 22:26:56 GMT -6
She then moved her hands behind her back to reload her shaking hand from the hidden one. Henri shuffled to the side to try and get a good peep (no pun intended), but she completed the movement before he could hope to snatch up a spare treat. Then, she stuck her hand out again, fingers slightly caged. "Henri, shake!" She commanded. He stuck his head in her hand again. "No... shake." She repeated. He drew his head out again... and very carefully, stuck his paw in once more. Fiera sighed with relief and shook his paw, repeating the command as she did so. That was good- he was figuring out what action he needed to do here. She let him have the seed, and got another one out, trying it again. This time, there was even less hesitation between her giving the order and him sticking his paw in her cage of fingers.
Fiera 9 Henri 7.4/9.4 Shake 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 4, 2019 22:29:59 GMT -6
Then, there was the final test. Most people didn't offer gnarled claws when shaking others' hands after all. She had to trust that Henri would do it without the idea that he was doing it just to get access to a treat hidden within. She stuck the remainder of the seeds in her pocket. With any luck, she wouldn't be needing them. This time, she didn't reload her hand, and instead stuck it out, palm up, without a seed. "Shake." She demanded once more, but this time with a bit of nervousness behind her voice. Would he do it? He tilted his head one way... then the other... and lifted his paw, sticking it directly in Fiera's palm. Fiera sighed with relief and closed her hand, shaking Henri's "hand". "Good boy, Henri!" She praised, giving him a big rub on the head afterwards. With that trick down, he could pass for the world's tiniest businessman!
Fiera 10 (Level up!) Henri 8.0/10.0 Shake 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 7, 2019 10:20:44 GMT -6
Another day, another pet to train. It was a real scorcher that day, but Fiera’s selected pet didn’t mind in the slightest. She had owned Desert, her thundergug, for some time now, and the weather was one thing that never bothered him. In fact, on a day like this, he seemed to quite enjoy the sunlight warming his hide. He was a savannah ‘gug, after all. Fiera wasn’t enjoying the weather quite as much though, and brought him to a forested area of the public park so she could at least have some shade. It wasn’t that much cooler under the leaves, but at least the ground was softer and she wasn’t liable to get a sunburn. The various dead logs lying around would help with various tricks she wanted to teach today too- but not the one she had in mind as of right now.
Fiera 1 Desert 14.1/14.1 Bridle Knowledge 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 7, 2019 10:28:24 GMT -6
She quickly tied the rope she had around Desert’s neck to a tree. He still had a decent length to himself, but that would keep him from wandering off too far. While he sniffed around, picking up leaves off of the ground and eating them. Meanwhile, Fiera dropped her bag and dug through it. While Desert knew the basics of accepting a rider and going in different directions, she had never actually gotten him acclimated to proper riding equipment. Well, that was going to change today. She had a saddle already, but she had rented a proper bridle for thundergugs to get him used to it. She turned around with it now, getting it untangled. Once it was properly freed, she ambled over to Desert, holding it out to him. He sniffed it gently, getting used to the scent of the leather, feeling it with his lips. She was careful to not let him bite anything but the bit, however.
Fiera 2 Desert 14.2/14.2 Bridle Knowledge 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 7, 2019 11:29:42 GMT -6
Once he clamped down to gnaw on it a bit though, testing it with his teeth, she flipped the rest of the bridle over his head, careful to not get it in his eyes. She didn't strap it on properly. Instead she let him get used to just the presence of stuff on his face. He tolerated it for a second while chewing on the bit, but soon shook his head, like he wanted it off. She took it off immediately, not wanting him to start disliking the bridle, and scrambled to find him a carrot as a treat. He chewed on it thoughtfully, eyeing her. She hoped that being rewarded for interacting with the bridle nicely would be enough for him to come to accept it. She'd slowly increase the time she left it on and the number of straps she put on, until he was fine with wearing the whole thing. Fiera 3 Desert 14.3/14.3 Bridle Knowledge 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 7, 2019 12:33:11 GMT -6
Once he had finished the carrot, he looked at her, no doubt expecting Fiera to bother him again. He was absolutely right of course, as she approached him with the bridle once more. However, she clearly had a carrot in the other hand, and she showed it to him before sticking it in her back pocket. Desert watched the carrot, and then watched Fiera, grumpy that he couldn't have it now, but not struggling. She put the bridle on again and let the bit slip into his mouth, before adjusting the straps on the rest of his head. This time, he let her finish doing up the straps before he shook his head again with irritation. Fiera quickly praised him and slipped the bridle back off. He flicked his ears back up, eager for the treat he knew was coming, and Fiera made sure to toss him the carrot before he could go find it himself.
Fiera 4 Desert 14.4/14.4 Bridle Knowledge 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 7, 2019 12:53:56 GMT -6
As he chewed on the carrot however, Fiera realized that when he was eating a treat, he was left pretty distracted, and maybe she could sneak the bridle back on. She took it in both hands, and snuck over to the thundergug. Pacified by vegetables, Desert didn't even flick his ears as she slipped it over his face and did up the straps. Soon, it was completely on, and she was able to hook the reins on too, throwing them over his back. He finished his carrot and swallowed, but didn't even seem to notice the bridle by this point. In fact, he idly took the bit into his mouth, chewing on it absent mindedly. Fiera was relieved- he was fine with the bridle! Desert was normally so stubborn, but it looked like the bridle was so light and comfortable that it didn't bother him enough to ping on his radar.
Fiera 5 Desert 15.0/15.0 Bridle Knowledge 5
(Ok turns out this was actually Tack Up that I was training, so pretend I was saying that this whole time.)
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 7, 2019 20:41:18 GMT -6
Fiera had finally managed to get Desert to wear his bridle, and he was looking quite smart in it. She told him as such, but of course, he didn't understand. Next up however, was to teach the thundergug how to actually USE it. She went and got his soft saddle out from where it was rolled up in her training bag. She let it unroll, flapping it a couple times to get the dust off, before slinging it over Desert's back. She drew the strap down and under his belly, and soon he was wearing his saddle as well as his bridle and looking like a very fancy boy. Desert himself didn't seem all too interested in how attractive he was however, and seemed to prefer eating some dandelions he found at the base of a tree instead. Fiera didn't mind, of course. It was better he ignored her than if he tried to struggle. Fiera 6 Desert 15.1/15.1 Bridle Knowledge 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 7, 2019 20:44:35 GMT -6
A quick heave-ho later and Fiera was settled on his back, sitting pretty. Thundergugs were a little large for her to handle, but they generally moved about the same as the cattle back in her hometown, so she was able to get used to them pretty quickly. She had never tried controlling one with a bridle before however, so this was bound to be interesting. "Ok Desert... go right!" She said, tugging on the reins. Thankfully, Desert already knew his left from his right, so Fiera was hoping it wouldn't be too hard to connect those concepts with the function of a bridle. Sure enough, as she pulled, it put pressure on that side of his mouth, and he snorted with discomfort. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't the most pleasant, and he turned his head to the right to relieve the pressure, taking a few steps that way as he did so.
Fiera 7 Desert 15.2/15.2 Bridle Knowledge 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 8, 2019 9:20:02 GMT -6
"Good boy, Desert!" She said, tossing him another carrot in that direction, which he happily ambled over to, further releasing the pressure on his lip. Then, he leaned down and quite happily ate the carrot off the ground. Fiera waited until he was done eating and straightened out before trying again. After a moments hesitation, she tugged on the left side. "Ok Desert... let's go left! She said, but this time he refused to budge. She sighed and gave him a second to make his decision, before steadily increasing the pressure on that side of the mouth, pulling the rein in harder and harder. She was able to pull pretty hard before his sense of stubbornness finally broke and he turned in that direction, walking a couple feet. Once again, Fiera threw him a carrot and some praise for his good behavior. Obey the bridle, get a treat. Easy as that.
Fiera 8 Desert 15.3/15.3 Bridle Knowledge 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 8, 2019 9:42:34 GMT -6
Fiera tried that a couple more times, and with a little practice, she was successfully able to get Desert to go in circles. He was also very quick to change directions now, only needing slight tugs on either side of the bridle. He was really getting the hang of this! The next big challenge was to figure out how to make him go forward in a straight line, instead of just turning. Or to get him to stop, she was getting dizzy. In an attempt to get him to stop, she pulled on both sides of the reins, thus pulling on both sides of his mouth. He grumbled and shook his head around, but the distraction did indeed cause him to come to a stop. "Phew!" Fiera exhaled. "Atta boy, Desert!" She said happily, tossing him another chunk of carrot. In fact, that gave him an idea how how to get him to go, too...
Fiera 9
Desert 15.4/15.4
Bridle Knowledge 4
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