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Post by Lethalia on Dec 1, 2021 15:05:55 GMT -6
Then again, the noise was all that was necissary from the farm dogs. Not as though a pint-sized pooch was going to be warding off any real threats to the property. But if they made enough noise about it for a real defender to arrive, that was the houluhs' real boon. More than outright brute force did, the mere presence of a barking canine alarm could be a strong deterrent for would-be trespassers. Just having dogs on the property could serve as a tidy deterrent. Not that Leth had any reason to be keenly aware of the fact. None at all. Who would say such a thing? Making guarding into a game served well enough, and Foggy even recalled the game well enough to engage in it the next day. That was the problem though - Leth didn't want this to turn into a game where the sole purpose was to guard Maple. It was convincing she knew the game they were playing, but not too certain she understood what the word might mean when not connected to Maple. Once they'd gotten in a round of protecting Maple the next morning, Lethalia dropped a squeaky cinnamon roll at the houluh's feet and told her "Guard it." guard|6
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 1, 2021 15:06:22 GMT -6
Foggy only mustered a look suggesting that her owner was a complete and utter idiot. Lethalia snorted a laugh, not needing a reminder of that from her own critters. "Don' wan'it? Fine," she decided, sweeping the squeaky toy off the grass and proceeding to squeak it like it held the answers to life. It was enough to gather both houluh spiralling excitedly around her. "Oh, wan'it now? Maple does too!" she marveled brightly at the red pup, letting her sniff and bite at the squeaky first. Maple didn't even know she was being used as a training tool; Leth grinned at Foggy's envious gaze past the pup. "Okay Foggy!" Turning to the grey once more she placed the squeaky on the ground next to the hound, telling her 'no' about picking it up, and backing several paces to leave her with it. "Guard it, girlie!" Foggy's tail twitched to the side stiffly, as if she wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but she did have the toy now. Of course, that meant Maple came barreling at the seemingly unclaimed toy on the ground. A sharp veer to the left was in order to dodge around Foggy's leg that appeared in front of the toy, as was a cacopany of yipping about it. guard|7
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 1, 2021 15:06:44 GMT -6
Foggy's response was little more than to lay down between Maple and the toy, stalwart against the puppy careening into her side or tugging at the nearest floppy ear. A feint to the left and then Maple made an attempt to race all the way around Foggy's rear side. The white dog bothered to get up so that she could resituate how she was laying, collapsing on top of the toy which gave a wheezing squeak to spur on the younger all the more. Well. She had the idea well enough. "Atta girl, Foggy! Good guardin"!" Lethalia cheered her on, impressed the fact some creatures seemed aware that the young ones were to be handled with more care. A nice change from those who would sooner eat their offspring. Maple was trying her best, but she couldn't get much of an upper hand on her older companion once Foggy was firmly planted atop their prize. So Lethalia took a large step forward to garner Foggy's attention, gingerly swinging the other hoof around to poke at the rubber toy protruding from beneath her. Hey! Though her growl retained a playful tone, the hoof was jerked back in a hurry when she loosened a real, deep bark. guard|8
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 1, 2021 15:07:26 GMT -6
The houluh spun as if to grapple her hoof, but being instilled firmly as Foggy's 'person' meant her jaws didn't even part in response to her assailant, closed jaw binking off of the satyr's shin. Leth couldn't help but wonder if the reaction would be a little more.. inspired if it were someone the houluh wasn't familiar with. Well, they might come to test that with time. "Good guard! Perfect!" she chimed, backing away to release the 'pressure' being put on Foggy as the reward. Any quarter gained by Foggy was dashed in a moment - she had forgotten completely about Maple with a bigger threat present! Courageous for the little red, she sailed beneath Foggy's thin frame to scoop the squeaky up and get out of there as soon as she could. Foggy's upset yip caused the puppy's tail to tuck, nonetheless while still hauling ass as far away as she could get. Foggy looked to her human for help with offended eyes and a stiff wag - did you see that?! "Maple gettin' one up on'ya, huh?" Leth chortled. She had to wonder if she was too quick to doubt Maple's intelligence when it could be her nervous energy masking it. guard|9
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Post by Lethalia on Dec 1, 2021 15:07:40 GMT -6
Foggy hadn't been prepared to fight this battle on two fronts! Having to look up to defend against her owner making her forget to keep an eye low down as a puppy was. Foggy let out a drawn-out bawl that had Maple tucking her tail between her legs but only spurred her to scuttle off all that much faster. Lethalia pondered at the chaos she tended to bring down upon herself. Frequently. It took time enough to settle both dogs even with the a signal to calm down. Maple, to bring the toy back, and Foggy to stop grumbling over her loss. Even so, bringing two over-hyped canines to an (eventual) halt with a mere word felt like some sort of magic. After the reset, Lethaia handed the toy off to Foggy with the instruction to guard it yet again. This time around the houluh wasn't taking any chances with either of her assailants, a viciously sharp eye on both owner and little Maple wagging and watching for her opportunity nearby. Some slight change in her demeanor drew the satyr to watching a bit closer - the dog's posture had grown stiff and more defensive, thick guard hairs on her nape bristling when Maple made a false charge at her. That just-right posture led the satyr to believe Foggy had more a handle on the serious side of this game than she would've thought. Maple lv|13 ly|22 Foggy lv|29 ly|58 | guard|10 end
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:34:14 GMT -6
Now that Foggy was keenly aware of her job on the farm, Lethalia had an unfailing way to summon up her dog for hunting. No matter what, every time the satyr set hoof out of the house with shotgun slung over her shoulder Foggy would come barreling up with a madly wagging tail that wiggled her entire body. It was a small blessing to have at least one creature who was interested in working. Without the intention to actually shoot anything today, Leth hadn't had to lead them far for this trip. In the thickets of brambles and reeds that halo'ed the lake, there was bound to be some kind of fowl hiding. Foggy was already poking her nose into the air in anticipation. Some other lifetime, the satyr could've guessed every type of bird there could possibly be hidden in that brush. Now, the labs had muddled everything so deeply, she didn't even want to decisively call something a quail or a pheasant. Foggy lv|49.1 ly|58.1 search|1
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:34:30 GMT -6
"Where're th' feathers, Foggy?" Lethalia prompted, halting Foggy into an immedate play bow. Birds?! She hadn't noticed any! Holy shit! "Settl'down." While she could appreciate the pup's excitement, it was too much for a more seriously aligned task. Until this girl, Leth had doubted folks who said dogs liked having jobs. Gold had abhorred working; Foggy lived to tail her owner all over the farm. Even more did she live for their hunting trips. "Go'n find me feathers, Foggy," Lethalia reiterated, shooing the pup off in the direction a bird had already been planted. She couldn't very well assume there would be a bird to chase in the thicket, or that Foggy would connect the dots if she did, so the woman had pre-planted a few bodies for the houluh to sniff out. Though she knew well the command 'feathers' - that was the one to go retrieve the bird her owner felled, what fun! - but there'd been no gunshot or feathers falling from the sky. search|2
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:35:26 GMT -6
Foggy would know - she looked skyward the moment she heard the command, knowing to find her target falling somewhere on the horizon. Lacking any target whatsoever dropping out of the air, Foggy looked utterly lost. This was not how they usually did things! "Find them feathers, girlie," the satyr insisted, prompting with another wave towards the lakeside scrub. It would be a good exercise for the dog to have to search out a quarry with a bit higher difficulty than simply watching where it fell. Though clearly dubious of the exhistance of said feathers, Foggy circled a few confused passes before she trotted off at an unhurried pace, nose to the tall grasses. Leth trailed along behind, subtly aiming for the cache of 'feathers' she'd planted earlier. Foggy stopped and a lingering lifted knee thoughtlessly pointed in the direction her interest was in before she decided that was the way, peeling out on the slick grass before tearing off that direction. search|3
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:36:14 GMT -6
Lethalia was grinning before Foggy even found her prize, crowing "Yay! Good find!" the moment that grey head reappeared over tall grass with a feathered carcass in tow. Leth continued singing praises as the feathered lump was brought back and deposited in her hands. The houluh didn't seem to have given much thought to the fact that her 'kill' was still half frozen. Letting the houluh find and bring back a bird was as strong of a modivator for this working dog as treats were to the next one. Foggy was far too busy with work for a treat, anyway. As soon as the bird was dropped to her owner, the wagging tail retreated back into the obscuring grass to sit nearby in wait for the next shot. Or, that's what she normally did. "Find mo' feathers, Foggy!" Lethalia suggested to the retreating waver in the grass, a command that made it stop suddenly, and a grey nose pop out. search|4
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:36:30 GMT -6
Again with the no gunshot to indicate her bird or that she was allowed to get up from sitting; how her owner was conjuring up dead bird without a shot was confusing the canine something fierce. She might've found one without her owner felling it, but just how many un-shot feathers was a dog expected to find in here?! Ever obedient, Foggy took off knowing exactly what 'feathers' she was looking for while trying desperately to work out the new word her owner provided. It shouldn't have been surprising that her dog would be the critter most willing to go on a wild goose chase. Others would've lost interest long before Foggy did, her looping search path drawing spirals in the long grasses she cruised through. "Hey! There'ya are!" Lethalia chimed pleasantly when a peachy nose separated the grasses beside her. "Oh - goo' findin', Foggy!" she added when the rest of the pup emerged, bird magically in mouth with a slowly swinging tail. (Leth sure hoped it was one of the birds she'd intentionally planted, because she wasn't entirely sure where Foggy found this one.) Foggy lv|50 ly|60 search|5 end
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:37:32 GMT -6
Foggy knew how to 'get' birds for her owner. It wasn't as if the houlouh would ever manage to successfully catch one, but she could sure as hell try. That meant the ability to flush birds hunkering down in brush, which was obviously handy, but she wasn't terribly good at finding the buggers. Helpful enough in her current format, but it would be nice if Leth didn't have to know exactly where to point Foggy to find them. Much as she might not like to say it, some days a dog's nose could find more than she could. Further, the woman came to the realization she seemed to have taught her dog to look for birds more than using her stronger sense of smell. Oops. So Lethalia went out in the early morning to set up another 'course' for Foggy to encounter. It was admittedly a lot less fun to drag around and hide pre-dead birds than it was to go hunting. track|1
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:38:19 GMT -6
The houluh didn't expect a thing - she was thrilled to be allowed out all the same after her owner was done thrashing bird-smell over the lakeside. Still, the fact that her owner had yet to heft the shotgun and take aim like normal was suspect even to a canine. Willing as she was to work and learn, Foggy gave her owner a look of disbelief when the woman held out a small tuft of feathers. That was most certainly not what they were here for - they were here for the loud bangs and running and whole entire birds! Contemplating the feathers, Foggy's tail began to wag and she growled with a playful sneeze at the end. When her owner didn't budge, another growl turned to a whine and the feathers dissapeared between the houluh's front teeth. "Hey now!" Lethalia admonished between cackles of laughter, ineffective when the hound had already bound away with bits of fluff sticking out of her mouth. track|2
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:38:33 GMT -6
"Foggy! C'mere 'n be good -" Returning to her owner's side, Foggy had an expectant look, wondering if her human was ready to get serious about their hunting trip or not. She insincerely sniffed the next feather offered, licked her nose, and continued to look expectant. Lethalia pointed to a feather that 'just happened' to be on the ground next to them, the planned starting point of a trail. "Track it," she told Foggy, the tone of voice prompting the pup to at least go check it out. Briefly looking and not scenting it, she looked up like 'that sure is another feather, mom.' "Well, c'mon, lessgo findin' feathers," Leth switched to a more known command; that one garnered Foggy's attention. Lethalia began to retrace her steps from earlier while wondering about her dog that didn't even notice human smell all over the area. Since it seemed like the satyr had a better idea on where to go, Foggy trailed close on her owner's heels. track|3
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:38:49 GMT -6
A sudden stop along the trail saw the houluh careening into the back of Leth's legs. "Look 'ere," Leth pointed again, another bundle of feathers dancing on the tip of a greed. It was snapped up in short order. "This 'un's easy, Foggy," Leth groaned, half covering her face with a palm. Foggy had bound away and danced her owner in goofy twisting circles. Allowing the houluh her fun for a few moments, Lethalia cut it short with a curt whistle, the one Foggy very well knew she was meant to start paying attention. Sure enough the laughing loling tongue ceased and the houluh's demeanor quieted, returning to her master's side with a semi-apologetic twitch of her tail. Before she could second-guess the sudden idea, Lethalia figured it would be quick enough to give it a shot. She took a pinch of the feathers stuffed in her pocket (hey, she was in charge, she could bullshit a little) and showed Foggy before sticking her nose close and giving the bundle an exaggerated inhale. track|4
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Post by Lethalia on Jul 18, 2022 14:39:03 GMT -6
Sure smells like a lot of nothing and bird dander. That got the houluh's attention, tilting her head and shifting in place to get a good look at whatever interesting thing was in her owner's hands. Foggy strained upwards to get in a sniff and lick to the feathers, to which Leth turned her back to hoard smelling the feathers all to herself. She'd never done that before! Foggy gave an offended woof, almost under her breath, and another louder one when her owner kept hunched over with her nose in her hands. What did she have?! Foggy had to know! It was so much more interesting now that her owner was doing something with it! An energized yip and Foggy was up, bouncing next to one of the satyr's elbows before racing around to her other side, trying to find a hole in her owner's defenses. Foggy lv|51 ly|62 track|5
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