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Post by Noa on Aug 11, 2021 18:52:28 GMT -6
This really wasn’t an ideal arrangement, especially since it meant that Noa would have to exercise along with the little feathered creature, and exercise for himself wasn't really something Noa was particularly enthusiastic about. Endurance wasn't exactly his forte either. But it was working so far, and Noa had hope that the creature would tire before he did, since it was smaller than he was, and had to work harder to travel across the same distance.
And so began one of the stupider training sessions in Noa’s life. No, rather, this had to be the stupidest one to date. He couldn’t preclude the possibility of there being a stupider one in the future, since divination wasn’t really a school of magic he had looked into very closely -- and of course there was the fact that he would be doing more stamina sessions at a later date with the little feathered creature, likely as not. But for the moment, he couldn’t think of a more absurd experience that he’d had in this facility.
Through this method they were able to create a semblance of what Noa usually did to train up a creature’s stamina.
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Post by Noa on Aug 11, 2021 19:06:55 GMT -6
And when Noa wanted it to slow down but keep walking, he would essentially chase after it to get it moving instead of using a bribe to accomplish that goal. This got harder as the creature got tired, and was less willing to move at his urging, especially when there wasn’t food involved. Noa had to nudge it with his foot more often. He was getting better at it with all the practice that he was getting, which made sense, but that was tempered by the fact that it was slowly losing its effect.
After a while, he had no choice but to let the little feathered creature rest. At that point it wasn’t even responding to the worms with its usual level of enthusiasm, which was pretty telling.
It was just as well though, considering Noa hadn’t wanted to exercise. As it was, he didn’t feel that tired. He was beginning to feel better about the prospect of this session, even if he was going to have to spend it shepherding around the little feathered creature. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about being tired and sore at the end of it too.
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Post by Noa on Aug 11, 2021 19:07:16 GMT -6
Rhys did what he could to help. He wasn’t big enough to exert the kind of pressure that would make the little feathered creature walk forward, but he could fetch the creature a bit of water to drink while it was resting. The little feathered creature did seem glad for the chance to have a drink as it was catching its breath, and took a few sips by dipping its beak into the water, then tilting back its head.
“It’s really very bird-like, isn’t it?” Noa said, observing it as it drank. “It reminds me a lot of an Izer. They have the same long tail, and the same claws at the end of their wings… though Izer babies are even less capable than this.” He’d seen a few of them before, and they mostly looked like flesh sacs with beaks and eyes attached. Visual appeal wasn’t a strong criterion for Noa, but they also looked pretty useless. At least the little feathered creature could move around and do things other than just eat and poop.
{You said they came from fossils, right?} said Rhys. {Maybe they’re some kind of ancestor that existed before Izers were a thing.}
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Post by Noa on Aug 11, 2021 19:08:23 GMT -6
“Could be,” Noa said. “Though I hope they’re more capable as adults. I’m having to do a lot of work to raise it properly.” The result had better either be worth it or fetch a nice price in the market, or else all that work will have gone to waste.
Once Noa felt that the little feathered creature had rested enough and recovered some of its spirit, he ushered it forward again. The thing about stamina training was that he had to keep pushing the creature past the point of being tired. He didn’t want to kill them, or ruin them with exhaustion, but at the same time it wasn’t really possible to push past one’s existing limits without challenging those limits a little. The gym wasn’t meant for comfort or relaxation.
He wasn't expecting to get as much distance out of the little feathered creature this time around though, since it was already tired. After it had been walking for a bit, Noa coaxed it into another run with a worm. He let the little feathered creature get the worm, eat it, then walk a little further before prompting it to run once more.
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Post by Noa on Aug 11, 2021 19:11:31 GMT -6
In this manner he got another two bouts of running out of the creature before it refused to go any further, and Noa was forced to stop and let it rest again. This sort of start and stop progression, where the bouts of running were so short, was new to him... but he realized as he watched Rhys present it with another drink that the breaks weren't as long either. It was bouncing back faster, possibly because of its small size.
Or maybe it was because it was getting snacks as it went. All those calories had to go somewhere, and it certainly wasn't into a growth spurt as of yet.
Noa chased it around the course a few more times, with short breaks to rest in between. Rhys continued to act as a water boy. The amount of running that the little feathered creature did dwindled with each round, until Noa was satisfied that they had pushed the little feathered creature far enough for one day. There would be time to come back and do this again, and build on whatever musculature or tone it had developed in this session.
Besides which, he was also tired of chasing it.
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Post by Noa on Aug 11, 2021 19:14:10 GMT -6
Noa couldn't honestly say he was tired in the physical sense. It really hadn't been as taxing as he had thought it might be when he had first started. But having to gently nudge it every so often with his foot had gotten old pretty fast, and he was just as glad that it was over, and he could go back to walking normally again without worrying about what he might kick too hard in the process.
There wasn't anything to pack up this time either, since all they had done was herd the little feathered creature around the track. So leaving was just a simple matter of scooping up the little feathered creature -- whose head was already drooping, and was liable to go right into a nap -- and placing it in his pocket, then giving the room another once over before heading for the door.
They would be back when Noa could next book a session, and by then he might have thought of some other methods to improve the little feathered creature's endurance. But for now they were done with this first experimental session, and only time would tell if they would have anything to show for it.
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