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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 9:24:39 GMT -6
The next trick she had in mind was one that she always felt a little bad teaching, but was vital for her pets to have some manners. That is, she was going to teach Sasha "no". Hopefully the young stomper would get the picture sooner rather than later and they could move on, but for now she was going to have to be a bit brutal about it. Specifically, she was going to hold a treat within Sasha's view and tell her not to touch it. When she inevitably would try (and she would- all of her pets did, what animal didn't like food?), Fiera would keep it away from her until she calmed down and accepted it, at which point she would give it back. It was easy enough in theory, but what some creatures did to try and get at the food anyway had left Fiera with more than a few scars on her knuckles.
Fiera 6 Sasha 16.1/16.1 No 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 9:28:08 GMT -6
Still, she had plenty of scars from OTHER things as well, things certainly more intense and dangerous than a whiny baby animal. So she was hardly nervous about this, and treated it just like any other thing. It looked like Sasha was starting to give up on finding anything else to eat in the grass anyway, so Fiera figured that this was the best opportunity she was going to get to get started on this trick. "Hey Sasha..." She said sweetly, reaching behind her into the box of melon chunks. She pulled one out and placed it in the palm of her hand, letting the blue critter see it clearly. "Look what I have!" She said eagerly. Sasha started sniffing loudly, no doubt picking up on what Fiera had. When she approached however, Fiera was firm. "No." She said, pointing at the fruit. Sasha didn't seem to even hear her though, and kept walking toward it.
Fiera 7 Sasha 16.2/16.2 No 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 9:51:25 GMT -6
Fiera nodded to herself- this was an expected reaction, after all. Still, she closed her fist shut around the melon. Loosely of course, or else she would squish it right through her fingers which would be... incredibly unpleasant. "No!" She reiterated, even more sharply this time. Sasha sniffed at her hand for a moment, trying to see if she could even lick up any juices from it. When it was clear she wasn't getting any food however, the baby fossil let out a loud wail of distress and fell on the ground dramatically. Fiera raised an eyebrow- she certainly wasn't expecting THAT, but at least she wasn't getting bitten for once. She waited a few minutes, letting Sasha get it all out. Eventually, the baby seemed to calm down a bit, finally sitting up from the ground. It was then that Fiera let her have the treat, uncurling her fingers from it.
Fiera 8 Sasha 16.3/16.3 No 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 9:54:06 GMT -6
"Good girl, Sasha. Good no." She said, offering the treat to her finally. Sasha was up in a flash, clearly thrilled about getting to have the food now. She yanked it off of Fiera's hand and stepped away to chew on it while the humanish reloaded, setting another chunk on her palm while her pet wasn't paying attention. By the time Sasha was finished, Fiera already had another treat ready and waiting. Again, she pointed at it. "Sasha, no." She emphasized. Sasha paused for a moment, and Fiera could tell that she remembered what happened last time... but again she leapt forward, trying to grab it from Fiera's hand. The humanish sighed and clamped her fingers down again. "No, Sasha." She tried again, and to her credit Sasha calmed down a lot faster this time. She didn't throw a tantrum, she simply waited politely. Eventually, Fiera relented and opened her hand up again.
Fiera 9 Sasha 16.4/16.4 No 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 9:56:28 GMT -6
Sasha wasted no time in grabbing the treat as Fiera praised her again, but it was clear to Fiera that she was starting to get the hang of this one. "Does that taste good, Sasha?" She asked rhetorically as the fossil swallowed it down. She grabbed another piece of melon, hoping this would be the last time she had to do this. "Let's try another one, shall we?" She said, and placed the chunk on her hand. Sasha sniffed toward it, but Fiera gave the command. "Sasha, no." She said clearly. Sasha must have heard her, as she recoiled from the melon and backed up a few steps, watching her owner warily. Fiera smiled- finally, some success! "...Good job, Sasha." She said, releasing her from the trick, and she rushed forward to grab the food from Fiera's hand. That was another trick down and, thankfully, with a lot less drama than she was expecting.
Fiera 10 Sasha 17.0/17.0 No 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 10:03:55 GMT -6
The next trick was something that would hopefully get Sasha up and moving some, letting her shake some of the cold out of those tiny bones of hers. Winter was here in full force now, and while there wasn't any snow on the ground in this particular area, the air itself was absolutely freezing. She had no doubt that Sasha was cold right now, considering that she wasn't a fully warm-blooded creature, and even standing in direct sunlight it was likely to be pretty uncomfortable. Even Fiera was wearing a jacket right now. "Let's get you up and moving, then!" Fiera said, clapping and standing up. Sasha looked at her shyly, taking a step back at her new, tall countenance. Fiera was confident that her pet would figure "come" out pretty fast though- it was usually pretty fun for her pets to learn. All she needed was a few more treats.
Fiera 1 Sasha 17.1/17.1 Come 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 10:25:08 GMT -6
Sasha was curled up for now, trying to conserve body heat in the weak sunlight of winter, but that was fine by her. First, the humanish picked up the box of melon chunks, making sure that Sasha couldn't get to them. Then she backed up a few feet, making sure she wasn't running into anything in the process. She stayed where Sasha could see her of course, and where she could see any treats she was holding, but still far enough away that Sasha would have to get up and walk to grab something from her. She cracked open the box, and Sasha immediately raised her head at the familiar sound. "Oh, you want one of these?" Fiera said, pulling out a piece of fruit. "Well, come here then!" She continued, giving the command and holding the treat low to the ground. Sasha stared at it, eyes full of desire, and got up.
Fiera 2 Sasha 17.2/17.2 Come 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 10:30:38 GMT -6
It didn't take long for the stomper to make her way over to Fiera, and the humanish was happy to hand over the treat once she arrived. "Oh good job, Sasha! Good come!" She said, patting the little creature on the head as she ate. It was a good first try, but Fiera wanted to get her coming over from further away, relying more on Fiera's call and the word than the sight and promise of a treat. Still, they would work on it- this was a good way to start. While Sasha ate, Fiera backed up again. From this distance, Sasha could easily see her, but it would probably be fuzzy as to what she was holding in her hand. As Fiera got out the new treat and bent down however, the gesture at least made it obvious that she was holding SOMETHING. "Okay Sasha- come!" She said, shouting loud enough for her pet to hear her.
Fiera 3 Sasha 17.3/17.3 Come 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 10:46:40 GMT -6
Sure enough Sasha trotted over without needing any further encouragement, waddling with her wide stance but wiggling the tip of her tail happily. A few seconds later and she was situated in front of Fiera, sniffing at the fruit before taking a bite. Fiera let go of the chunk and Sasha backed off with it. “Good come, Sasha!” Fiera praised, but she was already scanning the surrounding area for a new spot to move to. Sasha probably knew the command word right now, and she trusted Fiera enough to have whatever she wanted as a reward for performing the trick. She just now had to find a good spot to give her the final test. A few yards away, she spotted a small gap between tufts of grass, a clearing in miniature. It was as good a spot as any, and Fiera made her way over to it before Sasha could finish eating.
Fiera 4 Sasha 17.4/17.4 Come 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 10:55:18 GMT -6
After high stepping over several that’s of grass, she was finally in the clearing. As she turned around to face where she knew Sasha was, she heard the stomper let out a few nervous honks, wondering where her owner went. The poor creature always was a bit nervous and clingy, so this wasn’t the best experience for her. Luckily, Fiera didn’t intend to leave her in the lurch for long. She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Sasha! Come here!” She called, and immediately heard rustling in the grass, and watched as it shook as Sasha got closer. Every time she appeared to veer off path, Fiera gave her another call and she would correct her course. Eventually she made it, popping out right next to Fiera’s feet. She would have given her a treat, but the fact that Sasha was finally able to find her was reward enough, based on how closely she was clinging to Fiera’s legs. Well. So long as she had learned it.
Fiera 5 Sasha 18.0/18.0 Come 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 11:00:14 GMT -6
Of course, that clinginess was something that they were going to have to work on. Sasha trusting Fiera so much and staying so close to her was cute NOW, but it probably wouldn't be once she grew up... and she was probably going to get pretty damn big, if the fossil she had been revived from was any indicator. Plus, it likely wasn't pleasant for Sasha to be so nervous and scared every time Fiera walked off, no matter what the humanish did in advance. Fiera had to teach her that it was safe to stay in one place on her own... if just for her own sake so she would stop tripping over the little blueberry. So she would teach her "stay" next... which required a couple of tools. Fiera dropped her backpack to the ground and began rustling around in it, pulling out a stake and a soft rope.
Fiera 6 Sasha 18.1/18.1 Stay 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 12:18:08 GMT -6
It felt a bit cruel to do this to Sasha when she was so nervous about Fiera leaving, but it was the only way she could ensure the baby stomper wouldn’t follow her… or worse, panic, run off in a random direction, and get herself lost. She stamped the stake into the ground, making sure it was nice and sturdy, and then tied one end of the rope around it. Then she placed the other end on Sasha’s neck, tying a loop around it that wasn’t so tight it would choke her, but was tight enough that she wouldn’t be able to wiggle her way out of it either. And boy did she wiggle- it took a lot of effort for Fiera to get her to hold still long enough to let her put it on. Finally though, she was secured and ready to start training.
Fiera 7 Sasha 18.2/18.2 Stay 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 13:54:54 GMT -6
The stomper didn’t seem to mind being tied down… at first. “Okay Sasha, stay there!” Fiera said, holding her hands up to reassure her. The creature snuffled calmly for a moment, not knowing what the command meant yet. As Fiera began to back away into the tall grass however, she got to up to follow her… only to realize that she couldn’t, as she was restrained by the rope. Sasha gave it a few good tugs but realized that she was well and truly stuck. She honked loudly as Fiera slunk away and ducked out of sight. She was no doubt trying to get to her, but she needed to learn that nothing bad was going to happen to her if Fiera walked away; she just needed to stay put until she got back. After several seconds, Fiera popped back up. “See? Here I am!” She said happily, reassuring her pet.
Fiera 8 Sasha 18.3/18.3 Stay 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 14:16:07 GMT -6
Sasha stopped honking, but she still seemed pretty stressed out. Fiera practically dumped the whole bucket of treats on her to make her feel better, and gave her soft little compliments while scritching her head. Within a few minutes she was back to normal, pressing up against Fiera's leg. "See? Nothing bad happened! Let's try it again, ok?" She said, and stood back up. Sasha peered up at her with bright green eyes, curious. "Now, stay!" Fiera said, and backed into the grass again. For a few minutes, Sasha was silent. Fiera could hear her shuffling her feet awkwardly, but there was no outright signs of distress yet, nor did she hear her trying to walk off or pull against the rope. After nearly a minute though the stomper seemed to reach her limit and let out a plaintive squeak. Fiera decided that that was a good time for her to come back, and stood back up.
Fiera 9 Sasha 18.4/18.4 Stay 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Dec 3, 2021 16:02:50 GMT -6
“See? I’m back! Everything is fine!” She said, approaching Sasha from her hiding place. The stomper was thrilled to see her (and to see the food she was getting) and didn’t seem to need the same level of reassurance Fiera offered her earlier. It was an encouraging sign to be sure. Once Fiera was done feeding her and stroking her head however, she decided to give her pet one last test. She removed the loop from around her neck. She was now free to go wherever she wanted… but hopefully she would stay right where Fiera left her once commanded. The humanish stood up again. “Sasha, stay.” She said firmly before creeping of to her hiding place in the tall grass. She sat there for some time but sure enough, she didn’t hear her pet protest once. When she stood up and returned to her, she was right where she left her, sitting patiently. Fiera smiled. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.”
Fiera 10 Sasha 19.0/19.0 Stay 5
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