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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 18, 2021 18:35:23 GMT -6
Winter had warmed up just enough that Fiera finally felt comfortable with bringing some of her not quite cold acclimated pets to the public park. First and foremost on her list was Hellebore, her witchcraft tailypo. He had been waiting for some training for a long time now, after she realized just how much the kitten needed it when she took him to the gardens. He was a... subjectively sweet little creature, but his enormous appetite and lack of discipline weighed heavily on him. Even if they did just a short training session today, it would probably be just what the little creature needed to be better behaved. At the very least he could burn off some of that eternal playful energy he had. Fiera was feeling a little worse, but that was mostly due to the havoc being wreaked on her joints by the cold. It sucked, but what could you do. Fiera 1 Hellebore 4.1/6.1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 18, 2021 18:54:03 GMT -6
As for the weather, well... when Fiera thought about it getting warmer, it was more that she meant it wasn’t so bitterly cold that she got frostbite just from taking her hands out of her pockets to give her pets treats. Even now, snow gently fluttered down from the sky, and Fiera had to tuck her ears into a most unfashionable hat to keep it from freezing them off. She would definitely have to find a warmer area of the park to train Hellebore in. These conditions just weren’t very healthy for him. Not that the tailypo kit knew that, of course. If he had his way, he would dump himself out in the snow right now and go on a grand adventure for about five feet until he froze into a kitty shaped ice cube. That didn’t stop him from complaining about it however, and Fiera could hear frustrated little growls coming from the basket she had looked over her arm.
Fiera 2 Hellebore 4.2/6.2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 18, 2021 19:03:43 GMT -6
He was pawing at the cloth lining as intently as possible based on the tiny scratching noises she could hear, and growling up a storm. Still, Fiera had her arm tightly clamped over the top of the basket, so there was no way he was getting out (and letting out all the warm air) until she said so. She wasn’t expecting him to calm down any time soon, but maybe he’d wear himself out in time for training. As the humanish trudged down a gulley, she glanced around. The stream here had frozen over, but she knew the lower down and more hidden away she got, the more likely she’d be able to find a more warm and hospitable spot out of the way of the snow and wind. She had to be careful to keep her footing, however. The snow could easily be concealing any variety of rocks and roots for her to trip over.
Fiera 3 Hellebore 4.3/6.3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 18, 2021 19:08:28 GMT -6
Thankfully her journey wasn’t too beleaguered, and soon Fiera found the walls of the gulley swooping upward on either side of her before leaning over in sharp overhangs. Apparently this part of the stream was a lot wider a long time ago, or perhaps seasonally (it certainly wasn’t impressing anyone right now), leaving this area as a semi cave environment. It certainly wasn’t what Fiera would call warm, but it was free of snow. The stream even had unfrozen portions near the middle, and soft green moss grew in the crevices along the wall, safely hidden away from the low temperatures and low humidity of winter. Fiera shrugged and dropped her bag by the nearest large rock. She wasn’t going to be able to find anywhere pleasant to train, so this spot would be as good as anywhere else. She set Hellebore’s basket aside as well.
Fiera 4 Hellebore 4.4/6.4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 18, 2021 19:22:10 GMT -6
Before the tailypo could wriggle out however, Fiera went ahead and put another rock on top of the basket. Better safe than sorry, after all. It soon appeared to have been a good ideas as the basket shook with his escape attempts. After that however, Fiera took stock of her tools. She had several toys she could use to play with Hellebore, but for the most part her most important training tool was the treats she had. They were small, soft and meaty, easy for a tiny creature like Hellebore to chew and swallow without getting hurt... though knowing most tailypo’s appetites, the “small” part was probably unnecessary. Still, Fiera knew that they would provide the proper motivation needed for Fiera to be able to train her pet, with any luck. Most creatures were motivated by food, and from what she knew about Hellebore so far, he was no exception.
Fiera 5 Hellebore 5.0/7.0
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 18, 2021 22:16:53 GMT -6
With that in mind, Fiera decided to get started on Hellebore’s first trick. For most of her pets, their name was the first lick of training they would get. For Hellebore though, Fiera wanted a slightly different approach. The tailypo was, at best, completely unmanageable right now. If she tried to pick him up, he’d whine like crazy and slip out of her hands like soap in water. Needless to say, teaching him to tolerate her touch would be step one. Once he was a bit easier for her to rearrange and pick up, they would move on to some better known and easily performed tricks. He was still just a baby after all- she didn’t need to be teaching him backflips on day one. Now that she knew what to teach him though, it was time to get the man of the hour out of his basket.
Fiera 6 Hellebore 5.1/7.1 Tolerance 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 18, 2021 22:21:30 GMT -6
Fiera carefully lifted the lid of the basket, peeking in. Hellebore immediately leapt out at her face though due to being very small and just general discoordination, he only got about an inch before flopping to the ground again. Fiera couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey there, buddy.” She said as she finished lifting the lid all the way and reached into the basket. She grasped around for the wiggly kitten, finally managing to snatch him up around the belly, pulling the angry iridescent black ball of fur from his spot. He reached around and attempted to gnaw on her fingers, but with the gloves on he got nothing but a mouthful of wool. “Let’s try and stop... whatever this is from happening, eh?” She said, noting how unhappy he seemed at being handled. He simply gave a quiet hiss in response. This would not be a hill he’d leave easily.
Fiera 7 Hellebore 5.2/7.2 Tolerance 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 18, 2021 22:30:14 GMT -6
She decided to start out nice and easy. She set the kitten in her lap where she herself was sitting cross legged, both to get him used to her overall presence and to help shield him from the cold. When he tried climbing out, he was immediately hit in the face with a gust of chilly winter wind, making his nose crinkle and his ears fold back. Fiera gently guided the little creature back down with one hand every time he came back up, but the cold seemed to do the best job of dissuading him. After a few minutes, he stopped trying to escape quite so eagerly and instead opted to lean into a fold in Fiera’s pants. Perfect! “Good job, Hellebore!” She praised softly, and rustled around in her pocket for the packet of treats. She pulled out a small, meat flavored lump and offered it to the tailypo. It was gonna faster than the humanish could blink, and he barely seemed to move!
Fiera 8 Hellebore 5.3/7.3 Tolerance 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 19, 2021 0:26:04 GMT -6
A few noisy bites later (tailypo were not designed for chewing, it would seem), and the tread was gone entirely. Fiera was surprised at the tailypo’s speed in comparison to his usual clumsiness, but she chalked it up to intense hunger. “Well, good!” She said emphatically. “You’re going to be getting quite a few treats today! I hope you’re hungry!” She finished. As she spoke however, Hellebore tried climbing up again... only for Fiera to gently guide him back down. When he seemed comfortable in Fiera’s lap and with her hands again, she gave him another treat. By rewarding his good behavior, Fiera soon had him peacefully curled up between her legs whereas before he was a wiggly mess. This was good progress! But she still needed to get him used to being touched more specifically. Luckily, that was precisely what she had planned for him next.
Fiera 9 Hellebore 5.4/7.4 Tolerance 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 19, 2021 16:21:27 GMT -6
Fiera decided to start off with picking him up. She needed to do a lot of that to move him around town, after all. It was always a fight to get him to stay in his carrier (or basket as it were), and getting him used to it would certainly take a lot of pressure off of her. She started out easy, wrapping her hands around his midsection and quickly lifting him before setting him back down a few inches away. It was too short a distance for him to give a significant amount of protest- he was too surprised by it to make a fuss. As a result, he behaved how she wanted him to, if mostly on accident- being nice and limp in her hand without any bites or scratches. And that was worth a treat! “Good job, Hellebore!” Fiera cooed, offering the tailypo another piece of food.
Fiera 10 Hellebore 6.0/8.0 Tolerance 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 19, 2021 17:56:19 GMT -6
Hellebore accepted the food with only a little bit of confusion, smacking his mouth noisily as he chewed. Once he was done however, Fiera rushed in to try again. This time she lifted him a little higher and held him for a little longer and set him a little further away. He seemed suitably placated by the previous treat still however, and as a result didn’t fight Fiera as she carried him along. The humanish praised the kitten again as she set him down once more before tossing him another treat. He happily munched on this one as well, and he was clearly starting to get the hang of this whole “not being bothered when the big lady touches you” thing. Fiera was able to easily pick him up and move him around for longer and longer after that, until it was practically a nonissue after a few more minutes of training.
Fiera 1 Hellebore 6.1/8.1 Tolerance 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 19, 2021 18:01:56 GMT -6
With that out of the way, Fiera was now free to work on getting Hellebore used to her touching specific body parts of his. Her pets usually weren’t very ok with this, and she doubted her fussy kitten would be any exception, but if there was ever a time to get it out of the way, it was now. She started out vague and gentle, stroking the tailypo’s head and ears, before bending them back a bit so she could see inside them. So far so good; he didn’t seem to mind that much. When she started going near the face however, that was when the problems started. She couldn’t touch the skin around his eyes or take a look at Hellebore’s teeth without him pulling away angrily, no matter how hard she tried. She’d have to go a little slower and work her way up to that.
Fiera 2 Hellebore 6.2/8.2 Tolerance 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 19, 2021 18:08:02 GMT -6
Every time the humanish edges close to the tailypo’s eyes or mouth without him immediately pulling away, she offered him a treat. She let him have a break as he ate it, allowing him to get out the nervous energy from her touching him. Once he was done eating however, it was back to training. After more minutes and more treats than Fiera cared to count, Hellebore was... well, not HAPPY to have his mouth opened up and his teeth examined, but he was willing to endure it so long as his owner gave him another meaty nibble for his trouble, which she was happy to provide. Now that one part of his body was good to go, Fiera decided to move on to Hellebore’s paws to make way for future medical checks and claw clipping- which she would really need to do sooner rather than later based on how sharp his little claws were now,
Fiera 3 Hellebore 6.3/8.3 Tolerance 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 19, 2021 18:39:09 GMT -6
She didn’t want to start him off right in the deep end, so she only handled his feet very gently and briefly at first. The second he showed a sign of wanting to pull away, Fiera stopped and handed him another treat. He always accepted them graciously and seemed to have infinite room in his stomach for them. Over time, she handled each of his paws for longer and longer and soon began handling them in a more in depth fashion, pushing out his claws and fondling them briefly to prepare him for what she would have to do when it came time to clip them. It took her a bit, but soon he was practically falling asleep in her lap as she messed with his legs. Perfect! With that part out of the way, Fiera knew that they were nearly done with this trick. Just a bit more to go.
Fiera 4 Hellebore 6.4/8.4 Tolerance 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 19, 2021 18:50:42 GMT -6
From there, Fiera just had to clean up the “loose ends” she had left, so to speak. She began handling all of Hellebore’s body parts, most of which she had worked with already, moving them around so she could see all of the angles and positioning them awkwardly. Hellebore, to his credit, went along with it swimmingly (albeit with some victual encouragement). Even when he was uncomfortable, it didn’t last for longer as he realized by this point that Fiera wasn’t likely going to hurt him and she always left him alone for a while after touching him anyway. Why worry? By the time Fiera declared them “done”, the warm and cozy little kitten was practically fast asleep in the last position she left him in despite how uncomfortable it looked. The cut off for “tolerance” being done was a difficult line to draw, but she figured that that would count.
Fiera 5 Hellebore 7.0/9.0 Tolerance 10
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