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Post by Nadia on Jul 21, 2020 19:51:52 GMT -6
Guppy 2 - 11
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Name (1) Catch (2) Move (1) Fetch (1) Tolerance (2) Wear Harness (1) Tack Up (1) Carry Rider (2) Carry Load (2) Pull Buggy (2)
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Post by Nadia on Aug 10, 2020 21:09:45 GMT -6
Nadia stared at the thundergug, and he stared back at her.
She wasn't sure what she was meant to be doing with him. He'd come into her possession by chance; she'd wanted something a little more beefy to ward off potential threats, and had heard good things about these gentle giants. Yet, there was something about this one that was different. Where she had expected slowness and hesitation, she had instead gotten eagerness (and almost trampled). Was that why his previous owner had lost interest?
The advertisement for him that she'd viewed crossed her mind. No mention of his nature... no mention of his past at all. Hmm. Looking back on that, it sounded suspicious. What could drive someone to give up a specimen as beautiful as him, for very little monetary reward?
She could feel his breath on her face where he was bending a little to look at her.
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Post by Nadia on Aug 10, 2020 21:16:14 GMT -6
He didn't cower from her. He wasn't starved, and had no wounds - he was in perfect health. So, then... what was that major flaw? Call Nadia cynical, but she wasn't willing to believe that there wasn't one, when she'd bought him for pocket change.
Maybe she'd have to figure it out as they went along. That wasn't ideal, but it was the best she could do. If worst came to worst and she ended up stomped underneath his feet... well, they'd cross that bridge when they came to it.
"Hello, my large friend," She said to him. Her fingers shook when she extended her hand to him to sniff; did thundergug bite? "I... I am your new owner. Oh, owner sounds ghastly, doesn't it... consider me a new friend."
The thundergug blinked. So small! He wasn't afraid, though! His nose nudged against her palm, and then... he licked her. One long, slimy lap over the back of her arm, as far as her elbow.
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Post by Nadia on Aug 10, 2020 21:25:13 GMT -6
Oh. Nadia hadn't been expecting that; her face contorted with shock and mild disgust at the layer of gug saliva pasted over her skin. Wasn't that a houluh thing? A vulticus thing, even? She hadn't expected a large creature like him to lick.
There was something else strange, too. She could hear swishing - and when she craned her neck to look around him, she saw his tail, swaying back and forth. Like a canine creature's tail might, when happy. How peculiar. Was he happy? She couldn't tell, besides that.
"Would you like a treat, my friend?" What she did know was that they had voracious appetites, and enjoyed vegetables. As such, she'd taken a bundle of carrots out of Dodger's supply for this training venture. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. "Here you go."
He didn't need asking twice, but the way he took the treat from her was surprisingly gentle.
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Post by Nadia on Aug 10, 2020 21:40:30 GMT -6
Not food aggressive, not person aggressive... Nadia was puzzled. The poor guy was perfectly friendly by all accounts. Perhaps there were more personal reasons for his previous owner giving him up, then, because as far as she could tell, he was a sweetheart.
As sweet as an enormous dinosaur beast could be.
"You'll be needing a name, won't you, dear?" She mused, watching as he straightened back up. How on earth was she going to shepherd him around? Luring him with food, and praying that he didn't get fed up with her and lope off to cause trouble. They'd be making a visit to Supply and Demand before the month was out for some suitable items. "Let me see... I intended to make it sound tough, but... I fear that it wouldn't suit you."
There was no way she could call him anything cold. His unwavering focus on her was too endearing.
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Post by Nadia on Aug 10, 2020 21:50:13 GMT -6
What should she name him, then? Nadia was at a loss. Naming was a difficult process at the best of times - many characters in her stories remained nameless - and having to change her thought process wasn't helping.
"You are a thundergug. Of course," She was content to think out loud with no one else but him there to hear her. Even if he could understand, she already got the feeling that he wouldn't judge her. "But you are very canine in your mannerisms. Like a puppy. A thundergug puppy. Gug puppy..."
It was silly, how an idea smacked her in the face out of nowhere; but there it was! A moniker that was cute and strange, perfectly suited to an unusual beast.
"Guppy. You can be Guppy. Thundergug puppy, but condensed! You see?" The newly christened Guppy exhaled in a soft snort. "Precisely. Those are my sentiments exactly. Hello, Guppy."
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Post by Nadia on Aug 13, 2020 18:30:42 GMT -6
The name was the most important thing, after all. It would be tremendously sad, to live without a name - Nadia did her best to name all of her companions, no matter how small. It was important to her. Now that Guppy had been given his, they could continue walking. The day was mild. She preferred the weather on the cooler side; there was nothing wrong with a hot spat, but she was known to get a little tender in the sun. It felt rather silly, trusting an enormous beast to walk alongside her, tethered only by a makeshift rope leash... but he hadn't left her side since she had brought him home. "Guppy," She called softly. When he didn't respond, she raised a hand to pet his leg, and his head turned. "Good boy. Guppy, that's you. Your name is Guppy. You see? My name is Nadia, and we will be friends." [Name - 1]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 13, 2020 18:44:18 GMT -6
She could only imagine how it looked. Wandering along, like she was being walked by the gug instead of the other way around - Nadia had to laugh! She would've rather considered it as a mutual outing. They were in pace with each other, if only because she had to adjust her speed to accommodate the plodding gait of her friend. "Guppy," She repeated. Her voice was not quite as interesting as the new surroundings; whenever he saw another person, Guppy strained his neck to look, his tail taking up the happy wag. How awfully peculiar. "Guppy! Let's be careful, now... Guppy?" Oh, dear. The stranger was looking his way, and by all accounts, this was permission for him to go and say hello. All she could do was brace for the inevitable tugging at the rope, and hope that they weren't too afraid of giant things. "Guppy! Oh, my lord--" [Name - 2]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 13, 2020 18:54:59 GMT -6
Off he went. Guppy's gait was a jog at best - he was hardly a Mosca - but Nadia could see how frightening that might be to an unsuspecting passerby. She threw her entire weight behind the rope to tug him back, but he barely felt a thing, and dragged her along with ease. "Guppy! Guppy!" It was a good thing he HAD a name, so she could efficiently yell at him. It wasn't so good that he didn't recognise it yet. " Guppy, GUPPY!" The change in tone and volume worked best. When her physical effort hadn't worked, she hadn't expected to be successful with words alone, but the gug took heed; he slowed to a reasonable pace, still a few metres off from the stranger. Thank goodness. Her hands ached from her grip on the leash! "I'm so sorry," She made a hasty apology to the stranger, who was gracious enough to wave it off. [Name - 3]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 13, 2020 19:29:53 GMT -6
Nadia turned to look the thundergug in the face. If it was possible for them to look sheepish, Guppy certainly did; he hung his head and sighed, and she felt bad for frowning. Still, he had to be reprimanded! "That could have been very dangerous, Guppy. Bad boy," She said, waggling a finger. What a pitiful little expression he made. "But... you did listen to your name, and I suppose that counts for something." He did look very sorry. Nadia found it hard to believe that he could be so affected by an angry tone coming from a being much smaller than him, but there was no fabricating that posture. "Guppy?" She tried. The gug lifted his head to look at her straight. "Oh, that was very good. I forgive you, dear. Just... please try not to run off like that again. You shall rip the skin clean off of my hands, and I just got a manicure." [Name - 4]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 13, 2020 19:35:58 GMT -6
Guppy couldn't make any promises, on account of not understanding what he was supposed to be promising, but Nadia felt secure enough to continue their walk to her plot. He was getting used to his name, if nothing else - everything served a purpose in the end, even if it came through chaos. She was sure to wait until a little time had passed since the incident to proceed with any positive reinforcement. God knows she didn't want to indirectly reward him for running away. "Guppy," She called, and clapped her hands excitedly when he stopped to look at her. "Excellent! Good boy!" They made a game of it, taking the hill to the reserved training area Nadia had picked out. Each response to his name was rewarded with a small portion of carrot; not enough to satisfy him in one go, and enough to keep him coming back! "Here we go, Guppy," She said when they reached the fenced-in area, smiling when he perked up in response to his name. "Shall we begin?" [Name - 5]
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