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Post by Vixen on Jan 8, 2018 15:15:22 GMT -6
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Post by Vixen on Jan 8, 2018 15:33:58 GMT -6
Over the years, Vixen had become a creature of a certain arrogance, when it came to the creatures she handled. Not in excess, no, she always carried a level of respect for the beasts she worked (and of course, she had to, didn't she? turning one's back on a Wiurn was a great way to end up dead), but even still, a level of self-assured confidence was a healthy part of her recipe for handling animals. It had to be. Approaching even an Equillion with fear in the heart was a recipe for failure. Yet... yet sometimes, she really had to wonder if she bit off more than she could chew. Now was such an instance. Vixen sat on the shore, knees to her chest, lips pursed in thought. What looked to be a heavily planted isthmus sat before her, but land mass it was not. You really didn't think this one through. She sighed, fingers idly rubbing the slick material of the wetsuit insulating her skin and scales from the chilly temperature. What are you wanting to do with a self-sustaining, LIVING ISLAND that's over twenty feet long and no need or want for you? Hm? How are you supposed to crack that little code? She squinted at the cool green of the leaves on Terra's back, tracing the solid looking trunk down to where it molded with the beast's skin- and then nothing but flat water. She couldn't even see her face- looking to the water, it truly did look as if trees had sprouted in the lake shallows, offering no clue that a massive creature lay below, rooted in the sand.
((Terra .1 // Loyalty 2))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 8, 2018 15:50:46 GMT -6
Fine, perhaps it was her bed she had made, and now she had to lie in it. "Nyssa and Pliathor," she had thought. "What a brilliant powerhouse," she had thought. "Truly a fantastic addition to the Keeps," she had thought. So she had gone. Rallied up some investors. Paid for the damn labs to splice the beast together. Now here they were, with a creature that neither longed for her attention, nor starved for her to feed it, and just like that, all of her leverage for training was removed from her. "What sort of 'Monkey's Paw' bullshit is this? Here's your wish, but here's the catch," she grumbled. The lab tech over the pickups had seemed to be practically grinning in hysteria as they told her, in a too-chipper voice, "I'd let it get used to you before trying anything with it!" How snide. The little "good luck" added after she'd signed for it had really gotten her goat. Luck. Luck! Ha. She'd show them. She didn't need luck. She had skill, she had a mind for animals, luck was beyond her. ...of course, it'd be nice.
Vixen rocked up to her feet, flicking a glance up and down the shoreline. No one bothered to train in the shallows, not really, so she was alone with her conundrum. She briefly touched the lilac stone on her underwater amulet, fighting back an intrusive thought of the beast dragging her under. These things were overall rather stoic, and had no reason to choose to expend energy in a hunt when nutrients could be drawn up from the ground... but even still, it was a bit nerve-wracking. She'd considered bringing Nessie along for safety, but an instinctive part of her suggested not. This was her chance to get to know the beast and bond; she didn't want to witness altered behavior. Clean start.
((Terra .2 // Loyalty 2))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 11, 2018 14:15:53 GMT -6
Truth be told, the eeriest thing about Terra was her lack of motion. Something about the stillness perturbed Vixen and set off alarm bells. Perhaps it related to how she observed other animals- snakes freeze before a strike, big cats pause before a pounce, and stiffness in a canine was a good indicator that shit was about to hit the fan. On the other hand, it could easily be the contrast between Terra's stillness and the creatures she usually worked. Wiurn, Vulticus, Equillion, Neptica- they were all expressive, lively creatures that telegraphed their emotions clearly to those who understood how to read them. Meanwhile, this beast... well, she didn't give Vixen much to read or go off of, and Vixen heavily relied on communication and visual signals to determine how to conduct herself with an animal. Without it, it was up to guesswork and instinct, and she was neither a fan of the former nor enjoyed solely relying on the latter. Ah, well. She would have to adapt and overcome.
Vixen stepped up to the waterline, squinting at the water in an effort to see the body of the beast that lay beneath the growths. Terra was perfectly colored for camouflage; her grey melted into the water, and the blue striping on her back broke up her outline from a dorsal view, but for Vixen, this only complicated things a bit further. Fortunately, she had studied Terra's appearance quite a bit upon initial acquisition, and she had a rough idea of the relation of the foliage to the body parts they were attached to.
((Terra .3 // Loyalty 2))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 11, 2018 14:38:42 GMT -6
By her estimations, Terra's head would be about... ah, there. Vixen trained her eyes on the small tree furthest to her left, eight feet out into the water. She could see a still shadow under it, but nothing more. "Ah, yeah... Catcha later with that." No, she'd start at the tail and work her way up. Unpredictable animals hundreds of times her size and weight were not met face-first, not like this. Vixen mentally steeled herself, cursing the cold and praying her wetsuit would keep her temperature-sensitive body well-insulated from the bite of the lake, and with a breath, walked into the water. She smothered a low whine. How was it that she damn near lived in water, but the chill of it still caught her off guard? That is exactly what you get, when you're mildly ectothermic and like splashing around in winter. Ugh. Internalizing further cringes, she waded a few feet in, wriggling her toes into the dense, muddy sand and she went, cautiously feeling for extensions of Terra's roots. Her root system seemed expansive, and moreover, seemed to grow and branch regularly, much like a living plants. This is exactly why you didn't want to work with Nyssa. You don't "get" the whole sentient plant thing. Why did you do this? No, no. Work through it. Focus. Stop going off on these damn tangent thoughts. The last thing she needed was to be stuck in her own internal monologue while getting acquainted with a living island. By the time she reached the creature's tail, she was already treading water. Too damn short for this.
((Terra .4 // Loyalty 2))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 13, 2018 13:01:50 GMT -6
Vixen hovered cautiously near Terra's tail, now able to see the thick hide, trailing roots, and densely packed foliage in detail. Terra had not so much as shifted during Vixen's approach, and even now, remained perfectly still, and for a moment Vixen had to wonder if the thing was even aware of her proximity. Maybe it was a mistake, making these. It had sounded wonderful on paper. She'd done it for the Keeps, her and Ashe both had one. The possibilities were endless- luring enemies to "land", treating the Mangroves as self-sustaining, moving islands or ships, an ultimate ambush predator.... yet, did they even possess the drive for such a use? It didn't even seem to register her presence; could they truly be taught to respond to an enemy? It all circled back to the base question: how would Vixen motivate this thing to bend to her will? Perhaps if she could somehow isolate it to a nutrient-barren area, like a supremely large tank, therefore making it rely on her for food... That would likely work, but she didn't know where to even begin to obtain such an isolation chamber. No, starving it out as she did Pliathor would not work. A dark, barren water chamber was a tall order. Training conundrum aside, how was she to even bond with the beast? Even if she worked out the logistics of teaching it, it was all pointless if it viewed her on an equal plane as an enemy or prey item. Yet Terra didn't even seem to notice her! Maybe if she touched her...
((Terra 1 // Loyalty 3))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 13, 2018 13:40:32 GMT -6
Vixen put a hand out towards Terra's tail, but withdrew it in her hesitation. Let's scope things out a bit first... She'd brought her Amulet for a reason- but oh, she would never get over the hatred of the feeling of her first submerged breath. It caused a surge of panic every single time, despite her now extensive water experience between the Keeps and their aquarium. She used to think she'd grow adjusted to it, but she'd long since given up the hope. Hissing her resentment, she stilled her legs and allowed herself to sink down, pushing with her arms to submerge herself a foot under the surface. In previous days, Vixen had held her breath until desperation before inhaling the water, but now her method erred more on the side of ripping the bandaid off. Pushing past instinct, she forcefully inhaled a lungful of icy water, cortisol levels and heartrate spiking at the initial feeling of drowning, but with a soft glow of her amulet, it soon felt as natural as breathing air. Fucking awful, that...
Could've disconnected me first. The odd echo of Voodoo's voice drifted into her mind.
Could've given me some privacy.
Not my fault you scream your thoughts and feelings and don't block them in.
Rude.
Rude is letting me feel your panic when you're self-drowning- again.
I'm not- whatever, fine, yeah, blocking. Occasionally she resented the mental, emotional, and sensory link she and Voodoo shared. The two shared many years together, and as his ability to communicate thoughts improved, it became increasingly evident that, loyal and gallant as he could be, he was equal parts an asshole... but, fair, there was no reason she had to leave her telepathy ribbon or sensory totems on under her wetsuit, other than habit.
((Terra 1.1 // Loyalty 3))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 13, 2018 13:57:53 GMT -6
Under the surface, Terra was a beast to behold. The illusion of being purely a cluster of treees was broken; from her vantage point underwater, Vixen could see the beast's bulk, from her blocked head, to her many root extensions. The seamless combination of plant and animal was fascinating, and despite her slight resentment towards some of the design point the Lab had come up with, Vixen couldn't help but admire the obvious artistry and science that had gone into Terra's creation. The complications of her existence would be frustrating, but Terra, at the heart of it all, was one of only a handful of creatures like her, and Vixen coveted the complex and rare. She would decode this beast, even if it killed her- and perhaps it would... but she possessed enough arrogance to bank on it not. Terra's roots were firmly dug into the sand, presumably feeding, or perhaps sleeping- it was hard to tell. Vixen had noticed no discernible eyes on the animal, yet she was certain it could see. Perhaps there were tiny ones she hadn't noticed- she'd look when she felt it time to approach Terra's head. For now, she'd keep to her creature's lower half. From her guess, Terra was many things, but dexterous was not one, and she'd not easily be able to whip around, rooted in and bulky as she was. Yes, it would be safe (enough) to begin touching the halfbreed, at least at the tail. It was time to become better acquainted.
((Terra 1.2 // Loyalty 3))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 13, 2018 15:03:41 GMT -6
Vision blurred in the strange haze of the aquatic world, Vixen slowly extended a hand until her fingertips rested lightly on one of the pale green roots before her, a section that branched out a meter from Terra's bulk. She stared intently in the direction of her beast's head, but Terra seemed to not have noticed. Why would she? I'm the equivalent of a fly buzzing around her. Why should a creature with no feasible predators ever have a skittish reaction to something as small as Vixen? Emboldened by the lack of response, her fingers curled around one of the roots, gently squeezing to test the texture. It was almost like wood... if one could feel the pulse of life through wood. Not quite bark, not quite hide, but still Vixen could detect the subtle pulse of life through the smooth tendril she held. It was interesting; the root extensions looked and felt smooth, but the hide became progressively more knotted and rough as one neared the mainline of the body. Cautiously slow, Vixen shifted her hand higher up the root system, subtly using it to pull herself higher along and stay anchored to Terra; the creature offered no response to her tag-along. For a moment Vixen felt as if Terra had perhaps shifted her weight somewhat towards her, but after freezing, all seemed to have been in her head. The shift, if it had been real, had been a very slight one. Probably all in her head, of course- the halfbreed hadn't even showed obvious signs of taking notice of her.
((Terra 1.3 // Loyalty 3))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 13, 2018 15:35:31 GMT -6
Vixen splayed her hand against Terra's side, near the base of her tail, gently pressing into her with her fingertips. Oddly enough, the sensation didn't mimic the slick, muscular body of a Pliathor, nor the steadfast one of a Nyssa, but instead, Vixen was curiously reminded of a Thundergug- why? Something about the vastness, the thickness of the hide, and the sense of dealing with something truly prehistoric, she supposed. A childish urge to press her cheek against Terra's side overcame her, but she fought it off. An impulse in response to the wonder Terra brought upon her, to be sure, but a dangerous one all the same. In all likelihood, the Mangrove would not respond to such an action, but there was little room for whimsical desires when dealing with a multi-ton monster with uncharted behavior. Instead, Vixen breached the surface with a kick of her muscular legs, bobbing next to the crossbreed like a cork. Still, Terra did not move. "They really weren't joking when they said you only moved if you had to," she panted, taking a moment to snort the lake water from her nostrils. Forget winning Terra's favor; even if she did that, how could she make her move? Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. She couldn't treat a unique splice like another species; it was time to accept that. Such tactics had worked on Esticus, Galion, Hypogriffin... but all paled in comparion to this project. Perhaps it was time to begin to consider... alternative methods of motivation.
((Terra 1.4 // Loyalty 3))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 14, 2018 15:04:05 GMT -6
Training boiled down to give and take. Vixen could give a reward, for which Terra had no desire. She could hold back reward until Terra stopped doing an unwanted behavior- which didn't apply to a stationary, disinterested beast who wasn't offering any behavior, much less an unwanted one. That left Vixen with the two negative sides of the training quadrant- adding in and delaying corrections, punishments, in order to decrease or prompt behavior. They weren't her favorite methods; she preferred to operate on desire and offer reward... but for creatures which wanted for nothing, she was put in a bind. Over the years, Vixen's sense of morality had evolved to forgive herself for taking necessary actions. If the choices were "induce minor discomfort" or "let a multi-ton beast be untamed", she would reach for minor discomfort every single time. It sounded worse on paper- the pressures of a bridle on an Equillion constituted as "minor discomfort", after all. But all of this just fed into another debate. Which tools could she even utilize in this instance? Vixen was a realist, but not a barbarian; she wouldn't be harpooning Terra any time soon. So what recourse did that leave her? Vixen was now resting both hands against Terra's side to keep herself steady, absentmindedly rubbing her wood-like hide as she thought. Vines trailed from Terra's tree tops and sides, touching into the water around Vixen, vaguely lending her the sense of being hidden away, though the vines were sparse enough for her to recognize the illusion. It's a challenge.. but I'm happy I did it.
((Terra 2 // Loyalty 4))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 23, 2018 8:55:53 GMT -6
Thus far, she had been hovering around and somewhat under Terra, treading around the broad monster to wait for any averse reactions. She wasn't entirely convinced the halfbreed knew she was there, but of course, she must... and is just ignoring her like an Equillion might ignore an annoying stable fly. "Here's the thing, I need you to like me a little. Not a lot. I'm not being greedy. Just a little. But you can't like me if you're just..." Vixen flipped onto her back and kicked out with her legs, shooting up Terra's side, approaching near where her shoulder would be, if she had had front legs. "...ignoring me, right? So what if I just..." Vixen flattened both of her palms against Terra, gently pressing her fingers into one of the bold navy stripes that crossed the grey wood-hide. Terra, again, didn't seem to move- but then, the branches above them swayed a bit as if moved by wind, the sound of rustling leaves and quietly creaking wood echoing off the still lake surface.
((Terra 2.1 // Loyalty 4))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 23, 2018 9:07:55 GMT -6
Vixen paused, head cocking sideways like a dog. There was no wind on the water; the lake's surface was smooth, dim, and somewhat reflective, like an old clouded mirror. Yes, that had been the first confirmation of Terra acknowledging her presence... and for the life of her, she couldn't decipher if it was positive or negative. Her experience with Nyssa was woefully short- she could simply never "get into" them. Giant, sentient trees had never been much of her calling. She had known going into this that the combination of a Pliathor with an animal she had little knowledge of could be tricky; she had simply banked on the resulting outcross bearing more resemblance to its serpentine parent. Though it often did, rolling the dice did not always come up in her favor, and this was one of the times she had to bite the bullet and figure it out herself. How was she supposed to identify a "good tree sound" from a "bad tree sound", for goodness sake? This was the whole reason she had avoided Nyssa to begin with!
((Terra 2.2 // Loyalty 4))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 23, 2018 12:18:15 GMT -6
Vixen opted to test her luck and progress further to Terra's head. Briefly Vixen touched the lump under her suit that was the black mane hair and feather totem that linked her senses to Voodoo, and she projected her sight of the crossbreed's broad expanse and her potentially perilous position. Just in case things go left.
Middle of the lake? Ah, that's right. The damn beast hated water.
It's by the shore. Don't be dramatic. Just maybe think about saving your partner of seven years if I start to go under, yeah?
A grunt of acknowledgement was her only reward for reaching out, and she suppressed a growl into a deep sigh. He'd always come through for her, of course... but with any luck, she wouldn't need him. She felt Terra wouldn't suddenly explode, but she didn't like to make assumptions with new pets. She had assumed Juniper was harmless, and look how that turned out... Vixen shook off the intrusive flashes of the Chiryma standing over the brutalized corpse of a Sarane. No, let's not think about that now.
((Terra 2.3 // Loyalty 4))
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Post by Vixen on Jan 23, 2018 12:39:53 GMT -6
"Okay Terra... Not really sure if you can even hear me. Probably not, I'm talking because I'm stupid and nervous... whatever.. I'm just gonna keep coming this way, yeah? You cool with that? Gonna do that creepy branch thing again?" Of course, no response. Quiet and rather still, what a... creepy combination. Gnawing her lip, Vixen slowly walked her hands up Terra's side, determined to keep the beast alert to her presence by some means or another. The last thing she wanted to do was to pop in front of its face with no warning- that sounded like an excellent way to get snapped at, and lucky though she tended to be, Vixen was not optimistic of her survival in such a scenario. The water hardly rippled at the sluggish pace Vixen was moving. The way she figured, if she gave Terra abundant signs that she was approaching her face, the creature would be more likely to give her a warning sign should she begin to feel illy towards her small cling-on.
((Terra 2.4 // Loyalty 4))
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