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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 14, 2019 10:23:11 GMT -6
Soon, they had reached their starting point, and Fiera spotted the tracks from where they had started. Thankfully, Fiera’s things had been left untouched since she ran off on Desert’s back. Thank goodness- anyone could have wandered through and looked through her things. She hopped off Desert’s back for a moment to check the cart. It’s wheels were a little dirty, but otherwise it was in perfect shape. He could be gentle when he wanted to be. Desert seemed a lot more comfortable with it too, ambling around with it hooked up to his saddle. He had learned that it wasn’t going to hurt him, and that it was just another thing to lug around like Fiera. Still, practice made perfect! Fiera hopped back onto the saddle and nudged him to start moving. With that, the two forged ahead, riding (and pulling) long into the morning.
Fiera 5 Desert 19.0/19.0 Pull Buggy 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 16, 2019 17:39:45 GMT -6
The next couple of tricks Fiera wanted to teach had a little more... pizzazz. Desert wasn't exactly a 'fancy' pet, but what sort of owner would she be if she didn't make sure each and every one of her babies didn't know how to strut their stuff? A terrible one, that's for sure. Also, she had heard a rumor that there was another contest coming up for strong pets, and she wanted to be sure that Desert had some crowd impressing moves. He lacked a flashy appearance, so flashy actions would just have to do. Furthermore, the trick she had in mind doubled as an attack, and Fiera knew that it never hurt to teach your pets how to defend themselves. "Horn Strike", she believed the technique was called, based on her research. That whole phrase was a bit of a mouthful though. She'd have to shorten it down something more... well, striking.
Fiera 6 Desert 19.1/19.1 Horn Strike 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 16, 2019 17:53:44 GMT -6
Desert certainly wasn't lacking for tools to learn the trade- he had at least one massive horn right on his forehead, another smaller one beneath that, and two on either side of his face. If horns were a form of wealth, he would be loaded. It was just a matter of teaching him to use what he had. She also had the tool with which to teach him. She had set up 'camp' right next to a dead tree. The ominous thing was still rooted to the ground, but the top half of it was completely gone, the crown and branches ripped clean off, perhaps removed in a storm. That left an approximately ten foot length with which Desert could strike at to his heart's content. The wood was solid too, not rotted yet. It certainly wasn't going to fall apart after just a couple blows, that was for sure.
Fiera 7 Desert 19.2/19.2 Horn Strike 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 16, 2019 21:48:39 GMT -6
The big question of course was... how to get him to hit it. First of all, she moved her bags away from the tree, including the treats and her personal effects. She didn't need those getting obliterated in the training process, what with how violent this 'trick' was supposed to be. Then, she unhooked all of Desert's riding equipment, his soft saddle and bridle. He didn't need the distraction they provided, and she didn't need a fee from damage to the rented bridle. "You break it, you buy it" wouldn't be getting to her today. From there though, she examined the tree and thought about how she could get him to cooperate. She poked around, and found that while it was solid in the middle and around the outside, the top of the tree had a hollow in it. Fiera mulled it over, and went to her treat bag. She'd have to get something good for this.
Fiera 8 Desert 19.3/19.3 Horn Strike 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 8:25:47 GMT -6
She got out some juicy apples- Desert's favorite food. He went nuts for these, so she usually didn't use them. Then, she got out some carrots, which were her standard treat for teaching him tricks. By this combination, she'd hopefully be able to teach him to get the fruit out of the inside of the tree... by going straight through it. She piled the fruit into an empty bag so he wouldn't see it (And hopefully wouldn't smell it), and made her way over to the tree. Desert lifted his head sleepily, but didn't seem all that interested, even as she dug her nails and feet in and started trying to climb it. Ugh, she was out of practice with this. Finally, she hefted the bag up, and opened it, waving around each piece of fruit so Desert could see before putting it in the tree trunk. Then, she half shimmied, half fell off the trunk.
Fiera 9 Desert 19.4/19.4 Horn Strike 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 8:39:21 GMT -6
Fiera was quick to pick herself up off the ground and brush herself off, looking around sheepishly. Nobody saw that, she thought, that was good. Well, nobody but Desert, who had now significantly perked up at the sight of fruit, and was making his way over to the tree. Fiera smiled as she watched him approach. "Ah, ready to get started then?" She chuckled, and stepped back to let him pass by. He looked at the tree and sniffed at it hesitantly, tilting his head from side to side. He knew the fruit was there, but how to get it? Fiera waited until he made some sort of action- anything that she could either encourage or dissuade. After a few moments of waiting however, she found it difficult to be patient. "Strike!" She said, as if Desert would suddenly understand her. Instead however, he just turned back to the tree and continued sniffing the bark.
Fiera 10 (Level up!) Desert 20.0/20.0 Horn Strike 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 9:28:12 GMT -6
Eventually, one of Desert's horns brushed the bark- not necessarily intentionally, but just a coincidence from how he was moving his head around. Fiera was quick to leap upon the opportunity however, and showered him in praise. "Good boy, Desert! Strike!" She cried, and tossed him a carrot. It landed about a foot away from him. He sniffed at it, looked at Fiera, and ate it in one fell swoop. It wasn't his ideal food, but it would do. He soon turned back to the task at hand however, and continued sniffing at the tree. He lifted one foot up, and pawed slightly at the bark. "No!" Fiera was quick to scold- she wasn't teaching him to slash at things, she was trying to get him to use his head. Literally, in this case. He glanced at her and put his foot back down, a little miffed but not horribly upset by the restriction.
Fiera 1 Desert 20.1/20.1 Horn Strike 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 12:55:47 GMT -6
Time to try again. He had done the movement once, but he had just barely brushed the trunk and Fiera now had to get him to do it on command. And, you know, to get him to do it hard enough that it'd hurt, in theory. "Ok, strike!" She said energentically, pointing at the tree. Desert just flicked his ears. She sighed, and plodded over to him. She gently took his horn, and pressed it to the tree. "Strike!" She repeated, and gave him half a carrot as a reward for the "action". Granted, he wasn't the one who actually did it, but she was trying to get the equation in his head. 'X word plus Y action equals treat'. She then backed away, ready to let the thundergug try again on his own. "Desert! Strike!" She said again, pointing as hard as she could at the tree. He turned to look at it...
Fiera 2 Desert 20.2/20.2 Horn Strike 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 13:01:13 GMT -6
...And he trundled forward, gently scraping the dead tree with his horn. "Good boy, Desert!" She said gleefully, and tossed him another carrot. He was quicker to pick up that one, and had already brought his head back around to face the tree by the time he had finished chewing it up and swallowing it down. He seemed ready to try again, and Fiera wasn't about to stop him. "Ok Desert... STRIKE!" She said, even louder than before, and the emphasis seemed to make him want to try harder too. This time, he pushed his head forward harder than before, sending chips of bark flying off the tree, his horn gouging deep into the bark that was left. Fiera cheered him on, and tossed him two carrots. This implied to him that the harder he hit it, the more food he would get. And being a thundergug, Desert was all about food.
Fiera 3 Desert 20.3/20.3 Horn Strike 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 13:29:58 GMT -6
Desert really seemed to be getting the hang of this. Fiera let him have some time to back up before she gave the command again. “Desert, strike!” She said, gesturing at the tree with a dramatic flourish. The thundergug reared up this time, before crashing into the tree. The wood squealed in protest, and Fiera couldn’t help but flinch at the sound of the impact. At least his enthusiasm was something she approved of in this situation. The force of the blow also pulled the tree partially out of the ground, laying some of the roots bare in the summer air. He sniffed at them for a moment, then glanced at Fiera before realizing that she didn’t need to treat him at all. The strike with his horn and the movement of the trunk had knocked some of the fruit loose from the hollow, dropping a couple of apples at Desert’s feet.
Fiera 4 Desert 20.4/20.4 Horn Strike 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 14:08:15 GMT -6
Desert was on them in a heartbeat, happily scooping them into his mouth. He sniffed at the tree. Even though he had eaten a couple of apples, he could still smell more of the delicious fruit, hidden inside the tree he had been brutalizing. He looked at Fiera, and she pointed back at the tree. “Go on, then!” She encouraged. “Strike!” Desert was happy to oblige, and lunges forward to attack (what was left of) the tree. He hit it full force, producing a sound that would make those further out in the Park think that lightning had struck. The dead tree was completely obliterated- Desert’s horn ran it straight through, causing it to splinter into pieces along a jagged fault line. Desert panted with excitement as the fragments fell to the ground. Then, his countenance turned to joy as he realized the ground was now covered in the apples hidden in the tree. Fiera couldn’t help but chuckle as he ran around eating them. “Go ahead buddy- you’ve earned it.
Fiera 5 Desert 21.0/21.0 Horn Strike 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 14:37:44 GMT -6
Fiera gave Desert a brief break after that, letting him finish eating his motherlode of treats and calm down from his attack training. He was particularly receptive to training today, Fiera had found. Whether that was from the thundergug being in a good mood or just because Fiera was giving him bucketloads of treats, she wasn't sure. Regardless, Fiera only had one trick left on her list to teach him today. Desert was a working animal- strong and sturdy, but not particularly... pretty. This trick was a great deal 'fancier' than his usual fare. However, Fiera's goal for today was to get him ready for the upcoming contest, and like it or not, impressing a crowd of people used to cute pets and pretty animals would require Desert to know more tricks than the default beast of burden. So he would be learning this whether he liked it or not.
Fiera 6 Desert 21.1/21.1 Up! 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 16:09:57 GMT -6
The trick she had in mind was to teach Desert to rear up on his hind legs. She had seen the pose all the time on romance novels that... she definitely never read, no, just saw them in the store, yep. Those creatures were usually equillions or galabex however, graceful and dashing creatures. She wasn't sure if Desert was quite capable of an action so graceful, but they'd sure as heck try. She'd like to try and do it by stashing some treats up in a tree to lure Desert over, and then tempt him to climb the tree. After a while, she'd try to get him to do it without any support. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd do that... maybe tying a treat to a stick? She gave the surrounding area a glance over for something that could work. Thankfully, she brought plenty of treats- carrots, apples, and mangos.
Fiera 7 Desert 21.2/21.2 Up! 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 16:19:48 GMT -6
There were plenty of treats to give Desert, but... unfortunately, she had knocked down her best option for teaching him the trick. The last thing she had taught the thundergug was "horn strike", and she used a sturdy dead tree to teach it to him. It had a convenient hollow in the top that she could place food in to tempt him up, but as of half an hour ago, the tree had been completely obliterated by their efforts. Fiera groaned and nudged a shard of wood with her foot. She'd have to find something else. She wandered around the clearing they were in for a few minutes, taking in the scenery. Eventually, she settled on an oak tree off to the side. It had a split near the bottom that gave her easy access to the upper branches without a lot of effort in climbing. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough.
Fiera 8 Desert 21.3/21.3 Up! 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 17, 2019 21:20:48 GMT -6
She quickly gathered as many piece of fruit as she could carry in her arms or stuff in her messenger bag at once. Then, before Desert could inevitably nose his way into her bag, she trotted toward the tree. She stuck her foot into the fork near the base, and was able to climb it with only a little less grace than she was expecting. Once she reached a fork in the branches of the tree that she was sure Desert couldn't quite reach, she upended her bag of fruit into it. After a bit of arranging of oranges and wrestling of apples, there was a veritable fruit basket amongst the branches. Her work done, she hopped down from the tree, landing elegantly on both feet. "Desert!" She called, ready to get the party started. "Come!". The thundergug sighed stubbornly, but stood up and stretched before lumbering over to his owner.
Fiera 9 Desert 21.4/21.4 Up! 4
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