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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 8, 2022 15:51:06 GMT -6
That left only one task left pertinently in Fiera's mind for now- getting down from here. She grimaced as she looked at the ground below, still a little nervous about it. Getting up here had been one thing, but getting Orpheus to land again? Without killing them both? She wasn't sure how she'd pull it off. First things first though, she at least needed to get him CLOSER to the ground. "Go down, Orpheus." She said, tugging the reins down so he would know to descend. She saw his wings shift almost imperceptibly and then the ground slowly but surely began approaching them. "Good. Good!" She said, still a bit nervous but overall not as bad as she had been. In fact, she could even see the gear she had left on the ground from here- she could use that as a target when landing, give him something to aim for.
Fiera 1
Orpheus 23.1/23.1
Land 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 10:58:39 GMT -6
"Ok, you can do it! Land, Orpheus!" She said, pulling on his reins even further. She could see him hesitating, flapping more frantically. Still, the humanish kept pulling, driving him down and forcing him to fly more slowly than ever before. There was no way he'd be able to stay in the air at this rate, though she still hoped that the landing would be easy. She clenched her eyes shut as they got closer, catching a glimpse of Orpheus putting his legs down as she did so. Mere moments later she felt a massive thud as they hit ground again, sending her teeth clattering against each other in her mouth. It was a wonder she didn't bite her tongue open, though her jaw was definitely going to be sore later. There were a few more slow impacts before she finally pried her eyes open again, looking at Orpheus and the surrounding scenery.
Fiera 2
Orpheus 23.2/23.2
Land 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 11:01:12 GMT -6
Well, that could have gone worse. Looking behind her, deep divots were sliced into the earth where Orpheus's claws dragged across it. Below her, Orpheus was practically curled up into a ball, his feathers ruffled. However, he didn't seem injured, just kind of mad. "Ha! Were you not ready to land yet?" She said. Flying was fun, but he did need to come down eventually. Still, she tossed him a piece of meat from her satchet, which his head rushed out to grab. "Good land, Orpheus!" She praised, trying to remind him of the command. It was a rough landing, but she was sure he'd get the hang of it soon. When he was done eating, she flicked the reins again to 'wake him' back up. "Ready Orpheus? Fly!" She said, holding her breath as he began running, flapping his wings madly until he returned to the air once more.
Fiera 3
Orpheus 23.3/23.3
Land 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 11:04:22 GMT -6
Fiera still couldn't bring herself to look at the ground as it fell away below her, but luckily she didn't need to be up here for too long anyway. Just long enough for her to be able to justify landing again. She let Orpheus get comfortable again, catching the wind and getting his bearings. When she was sure he was ready, she began pulling on the reins in that familiar "braking" motion again before calling out the command. "Land, Orpheus!" She said. He still needed a few repetitions and tugs on the reins to get him to begin his descent, but at least he was obeying her easier now. Finally he began making his way toward the ground, sweeping his wings back, and putting his legs out, grabbing onto the grassy earth like he would a tree branch. It was still a little awkward as his chest hit the ground, but it was a lot better than last time.
Fiera 4
Orpheus 23.4/23.4
Land 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 11:08:55 GMT -6
"Good land, Orpheus!" Fiera repeated, tossing him another treat. That landing was a lot smoother- but she was sure she could get it even better. She would have to, if she wanted to avoid nearly getting a concussion every time he landed. "Okay Orpheus, back up! Fly!" She said, rattling off more familiar commands as he made his way back into the sky. Once he was comfortable, she decided to give this trick one more try. "Orpheus- land!" She said, just barely pulling back on the reins... but she hardly needed to, as this time he decided to obey her right away, swooping into a descent in the direction of her gear, which she could just barely see sitting on the ground. Her eyes stung as the wind whipped past her as he approached the ground. But to her surprise, he swept his wings out like a parachute this time, gently floating to the ground where it met his feet partway. The landing was surprisingly soft, no doubt aided by the soft grass underfoot. Fiera tossed him another treat. "Huh... good land, bud!" She said with a chuckle.
Fiera 5
Orpheus 24.0/24.0
Land 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 12:52:55 GMT -6
After that, Fiera decided it would be best... to take a break for a little bit. Her heart rate still hadn't entirely gone back down to normal after the flight they had gone one, and she really wanted to get her wits about her before they launched into another bout of training. Orpheus had been taught all of his basics, both in terms of obedience, riding, and just plain getting him off the ground. Unfortunately, the basics wouldn't be enough to win her a contest. Oh sure, it MIGHT work, but Fiera wasn't looking for a participation trophy. As in most things, when Fiera entered a contest, she was always going for first prize. She was sure that Orpheus could bring the shiny trophy home to her, but she needed to gussy him up a bit, to teach him something fancier than the average bird so he could impress more easily.
Fiera 6
Orpheus 24.1/24.1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 12:57:03 GMT -6
She had a couple things in mind, but first... lunch. Now that her stomach was unclenching a bit, Fiera realized just how hungry she was. A rumbling gurgle came from her belly, and she quietly thanked her past self for thinking to pack some snacks along with the training gear. Orpheus could fend for himself, of course. She had already fed him what felt like half a murp over the course of his training. If anything, it was best to leave him waiting for a bit- if he got a bit hungrier, it would be all the easier to teach him more tricks by bribing him with treats. It wasn't like he'd be interesting in anything she had to eat either, so she didn't have to worry about him trying to steal her food like she did with some of her other pets. The humanish hunched over her backpack, digging through the pockets.
Fiera 7
Orpheus 24.2/24.2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 13:03:59 GMT -6
After a few minutes, she had her lunch set out before her; a pasta salad with a side of fruit and some crackers to munch on. It wasn't the fanciest meal in the world, but she had to pack something that didn't need heating up and would keep in her bag for a while. Luckily it was pretty cold today though, so the food didn't have that awkward lukewarm taste that packed lunches sometimes did. A few moments later and she was able to produce a knife and fork she had dragged all the way from home. She took a few hesitant bites, making sure her stomach was fully settled before digging in with the vigor normally reserved for soldiers, wolfing down a meal before moving on to their next shift. Of course, she had been a soldier once. Orpheus watched her idly as she ate, his sides still rising and falling with breath.
Fiera 8
Orpheus 24.3/24.3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 13:09:00 GMT -6
It was good to give him a break too, even if he wasn't spending it on lunch like she was. After all, Orpheus had done the most hard work out of any of them today. He had learned to fly and obey several commands within the course of just a couple hours. She was sure propelling a body that size through the air wasn't exactly easy, and he was probably pretty worn out after working for so long. Almost as if on cue, Fiera watched as his eyes slid closed and his wings pulled in as he settled down for a brief nap. His breaths became long and regular as she ate. When he woke up again, Fiera was sure that he would be nice and refreshed, ready for another bout of training... though she hoped he'd wake up on his own and she wouldn't have to find a big stick to poke him with.
Fiera 9
Orpheus 24.4/24.4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 13:13:15 GMT -6
After all, an owl woken up from a prematurely ended nap would probably be a cranky one. It took Fiera a while to eat though, though perhaps she was just taking her sweet time to let the adrenaline wear off. Half an hour later she was finally packing up her containers, slipping everything back into her bag where she got them from as she tried to pick out the remainders of lunch with her tongue from her teeth. As she stood up again, she heard a rustling in the grass. Her ears perked up as she looked up to find Orpheus rolling over, looking at her with a single red eye. "Ah, good morning sunshine!" She said with a chuckle. "Ready to get back to work then?" She said, approaching him. The crested alurook stood up and shook himself off, sending a rain of dried grass back down to the ground.
Fiera 10
Orpheus 25.0/25.0
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 13:35:17 GMT -6
"Well, I suppose that settles it!" Fiera said with a laugh, trying not to get grass in her eye. "I guess you're ready to try something else!" She had decided exactly on what to teach him, too- wing buff, a powerful fighting move. The sheer force of wind from a pets wings used offensively, sweeping away the opposition. It was a hell of a thing to see in the arena, but she knew it would be impressive in a contest as well. After all, what better way to show off Orpheus's strength and skill in flying then by showing off a brutal example of how powerful his wings truly were. Besides, the clouds of dust he could kick up would be quite pretty. First things first though, Fiera checked her cooler to make sure he had enough treats to keep him occupied and rewarded through this- and indeed he did.
Fiera 1
Orpheus 25.1/25.1
Wing Buff 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 15:44:38 GMT -6
First, she took his bridle in hand before tying it to the branch of the nearest tree, one of the few that peppered this clearing. Hopefully that would be enough to keep him from flying away- she wanted him to use his wing beats for explosive force, not to have him actually fly away. Then, she opened a suspiciously shaped bag and pulled out another recent purchase- a training dummy. It was always much easier to teach pets battle moves if they had something to actually focus on, but the scope of this move (and the size of Orpheus) meant that it wasn't feasible for her to have him aim at a tiny gauntlet. Once he was settled however, she held up a treat to get his attention before placing it on top of the dummy. Then, she gave the command. "Ready Orpheus. Okay, now- fly!" She called out, cupping her hands around her mouth. Fiera 2 Orpheus 25.2/25.2 Wing Buff 2 |
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 15:48:20 GMT -6
Orpheus blinked at her for a moment but soon began to flap his wings, making to take off... were it not for the fact that he was tied down to the tree. The wood groaned as he strained against it, but held firm. The wind from his massive wings buffeted the dummy, causing it to slump over a bit. "Perfect! Good buff, Orpheus!" Fiera called, setting up the new command. Hopefully he'd be able to stick with it. When the alurook settled down, Fiera scurried out from her hiding spot and picked up the treat she had been using to keep his focus, tossing it to him. She repeated the praise, telling him he did a good 'buff', whatever that was... then, she moved as if putting another treat on the dummy, keeping his focus on it. She didn't actually put one on this time though- the last one had gotten... a little dirty from all that.
Fiera 3
Orpheus 25.3/25.3
Wing Buff 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 15:53:42 GMT -6
With Orpheus now focused on the dummy and the treat he thought it held, Fiera gave the command again. "Okay Orpheus, fly! Buff!" She said, giving both commands at once, with the intention of weaning him off the first one. Sure enough, he began whipping up a whirlwind with his wings again, to the point where Fiera's hair still flew around, her tail practically flapping in the wind, even though she was hidden behind the tree he was tied to. The dummy fell over again, this time even sliding a foot or two from the force of his blows. The humanish grinned- perfect! He was getting much better at this. "Good buff, Orpheus!" She called out, and the massive bird glanced her way before pausing and settling his wings back down. Fiera tossed him another scrap of meat which he dutifully caught before dragging the dummy back to its starting place.
Fiera 4
Orpheus 25.4/25.4
Wing Buff 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 9, 2022 15:57:25 GMT -6
This time when she ran behind the tree, she was sure it was going to work. He seemed to have gotten the hang of what she was asking him to do- it was just a matter of seeing how much effort he could put into it. "Okay Orpheus- buff!" She called out, hopefully one last time. He obeyed dutifully, rearing back on his legs and stretching out his wingspan to its full, terrifying extent. He let out massive blasts of wind as he flapped, each one seemingly stronger than the last. The dummy immediately fell over, flipping end over end for almost ten feet before sliding to a stop against a rocky lump in the grass, almost hidden from Fiera's view. Perfect- she couldn't ask for anything more by this point. "Great job, Orpheus!" She called out, stepping from behind the tree. He looked at her carefully- he wasn't doing anything special, as far as he was concerned. Just using his wings differently, that was all. But Fiera knew how useful that could be.
Fiera 5
Orpheus 26.0/26.0
Wing Buff 5
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