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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 11:28:45 GMT -6
That left just one basic trick that she wanted to teach her. If Penny knew how to come over to her, then it made sense to teach her to stay in place as well. Sometimes she might need Penny to wait outside of a shop for her, or hold back while she investigated a dangerous looking area, or stay away if she was talking to someone who didn't like animals much- you know, the usual. But as of right now, Penny was a very gregarious pup and much enjoyed following Fiera around with or without her leash, so the humanish would have to put some effort into correcting that. She glanced around, examining her surroundings again. A little ways up the trail, it looked like there was a large circular clearing, with pathways coming off either side of it. Perfect- that was as good a spot as any to get started.
Fiera 1
Penny 11.1/24.1
Stay 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 11:38:01 GMT -6
She walked Penny into the clearing, and before the pup could get too far in her exploration of it, Fiera tied her to a nearby tree. She wrapped the leash around the thin trunk a couple times before tucking it into itself. Not the best knot, but it would only get tighter as Penny tugged on it. The houluh sniffed at Fiera curiously, but the humanish soon backed off. "Alright Penny- now stay!" She said, backing up again. Penny lifted her ears, looking at her intently, but Fiera simply turned heel and went back down the path she came from, before quickly ducking to the side so Penny could no longer see her. The plants, the lack of wind, and the fact that they had already walked through that area likely meant that Penny would no longer be able to smell her either, making it look like Fiera had left when in reality she was only a few short feet away.
Fiera 2
Penny 11.2/24.2
Stay 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 11:45:59 GMT -6
Not that Penny realized that. She soon heard the puppy start to whimper and then yap pathetically, no doubt wondering where Fiera had gone. The humanish didn't bring herself back quite yet though, and gave it a few extra seconds before stepping out from the trees once more. "See? I came back! Good stay, Penny!" She said, holding her arms out wide, and Penny leapt at her with joy, only to be pulled back by the leash. "It's fine, it's fine! Here, have a treat!" She said, pulling one from her pocket and offering it to the rambunctious pup. Then she pet her for a few minutes, letting her terror wear off and be replaced with calm again. Hoepfully Penny now had the general idea that if Fiera told her to stay, it meant she was going to disappear and come back... but Fiera wasn't going to take her leash off quite yet.
Fiera 3
Penny 11.3/24.3
Stay 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 11:50:22 GMT -6
Instead, Fiera decided to give it another try, just to be sure. "Alright, now stay there Penny!" She said, backing up again. Penny looked at her, but didn't seem nearly as panicked about it as before- a good sign. Fiera ducked behind the trees once more and waited, peering between the branches to check on Penny's progress. To her delight, the houluh didn't move. Instead she stood for a moment before circling in place and sitting down. She yawned and looked in the direction that Fiera left in, but didn't seem at all nervous about it... just bored. Well, Fiera decided to reward her before she lost focus, and popped up again. "Good stay, Penny!" She said as she approached again, and the houluh wagged her tail to see Fiera in one piece. Fiera tossed her another treat for her trouble and reached toward where the leash was wrapped around the tree.
Fiera 4
Penny 11.4/24.4
Stay 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 12:18:54 GMT -6
This would be the final test for this trick. Would Penny stay in place without the leash restraining her and forcing her to stay? There was only one way to find out. Fiera untied it, but left it attached. It would be a lot easier to chase after Penny and grab it if it was left like that and she ran off, after all. For now though, Fiera gave the command. "Penny, stay." She said, and the houluh seemed to settle down a bit as Fiera walked off. The moment Fiera was out of sight however, she crouched down and peered through the leaves again, watching Penny carefully. Sure enough, the houluh didn't budge. In fact, she seemed quite comfy, sitting on a pile of dead leaves as she waited for Fiera to return, with no effort made to even get up. Perfect. "Good stay, Penny!" Fiera said as she hopped back out again. Another trick learned.
Fiera 5
Penny 12.0/26.0
Stay 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 12:23:09 GMT -6
Fiera wasn't entirely sure what to teach next. She had already covered all the basics she normally did when training houluh- what else was there to learn? She supposed this was the point at which she started branching out into more specialized areas of training for houluh. Some she trained for agility, other for guarding, other for pure wits. Fiera wasn't quite sure which Penny should be. She was a plenty clever pup, but she hadn't shown much of a tendency towards running or biting or anything else. She had a lot of energy, but most houluh did at this age, and she wasn't much faster than anything else. Really, the best thing she had going for her was her pretty coat. The salonne judges would appreciate it of course, with its almost camo pattern splotches of orange and yellow, but it didn't mean much for her in terms of abilities.
Fiera 6
Penny 12.1/26.1
Danger Sense 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 12:34:32 GMT -6
The humanish rotated slowly, examining her area as if waiting for some idea to come to her from the position of the leaves and branches surrounding them. The pair of them were currently standing in a clearing within a forested area of the public park. The clearing itself was filled with short grass and fallen leaves around the edges, with a pathway leading in and out. Other than that, the edges of the circular clearing were bounded with tall, thick trees and bushes. It was a lot easier to see in from the outside than it was from the inside out due to the bright sunlight. When Fiera and Penny had arrived it was early morning, but training took time and the sun had been slowly creeping up, shining into the clearing with nearly blinding intensity that Fiera had to hold a hand up to block so she could keep looking around.
Fiera 7
Penny 12.2/26.2
Danger Sense 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 12:37:32 GMT -6
In fact, that gave her a thought- if Penny couldn't see what was beyond the treeline, but Fiera could see IN, then that set them up for a trick that Fiera didn't teach all that often. It wasn't really a trick in fact- more like a battle move. And a very fancy one at that. But if Fiera had the opportunity to train it, then why not? She was sure it would impress the judges at Penny's debutante, if anything else. So that was that- she would teach Penny "danger sense". "Penny, stay there sweetheart!" Fiera said as she flounced off towards one of the paths, utilizing one of the command words she had just taught her pup. Hopefully it would serve them well as she stepped off the beaten trail and hid behind some bushes. Good- it was easier to get around back here than she thought, but she could still see Penny through the twigs.
Fiera 8
Penny 12.3/26.3
Danger Sense 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 14:01:55 GMT -6
From there, she crept around the rim of the clearing, making sure she could pass by easily. Penny didn't seem to notice her creeping around, to her delight. A combination of the sun being too bright, too many smells to pick one out, and enough birds singing that Fiera's footsteps were hidden. Perfect. Around Fiera's feet were scattered dozens of acorns. She picked one up. It was old and cracked, likely a dropped individual from the previous fall that had never managed to germinate. Well, even if it didn't achieve its dreams, it would still do Fiera some good today and get SOME use out of its short life. She began tucking acorns into her pocket, keeping half an eye on Penny as she did so. They would be useful as ammo- something that would spook Penny and make her want to avoid them, but wouldn't actually hurt her in any way.
Fiera 9
Penny 12.4/26.4
Danger Sense 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 14:05:20 GMT -6
Of course, there was no command word for this either. It was more an instinct that Penny needed to develop- to dodge danger before it could get anywhere near her, to never be caught off guard. It was pretty difficult for most creatures to learn, especially one as young as Penny, so Fiera had the feeling they'd be here a while... and she'd need a lot of acorns for it. After a while though, she had managed to gather up a tidy pile of them, mostly shoved into her pockets. Penny seemed to be losing patience too, edging closer to the treeline and sniffing around, looking for Fiera. It was time to begin. Fiera lined up a shot, aiming carefully with one eye closed. When she was sure she was aiming right she let loose, sending an acorn soaring through the air at Penny. It landed directly on her head, bouncing off into the bushes beyond her.
Fiera 10
Penny 13.0/28.0
Danger Sense 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 14:22:32 GMT -6
Penny's reaction was instantaneous, whirling around to look behind her and barking wildly. Fiera smirked and slunk off into the bushes, for once looking partially like the cat she bore the ears and tail of. She would give Penny treats eventually, but only when she started showing signs of improvement. And for a first try, well... that was pretty bad. Even now Penny was still chasing her own tail, as if the appendage was the one that had thrown something at her. Well, she could do that if she liked- Fiera was going to go ahead and throw another acorn at her. She whipped her hand forward, this one striking Penny in the haunch. To her surprise, the houluh didn't freak out this time. Instead, she paused and looked into the underbrush, trying to figure out where it came from. Good- she was trying to get more information on her foe.
Fiera 1
Penny 13.1/28.1
Danger Sense 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 14:29:51 GMT -6
Fiera didn't stick around long then, in case Penny was able to suss out her location and came bounding after her. But it was clear that the houluh was trying to pay better attention now, scanning the forest around her for any signs of danger. Fiera would probably have to start giving her treats soon at this rate. Still, once she had moved to a different part of the periphery of the clearing, Fiera wound up another acorn. She was further away from Penny now, but her shot still flew true... but to her surprise, Penny actually tried to dodge it this time. "Tried" was the operative word here of course, as she more wiggled around as the acorn drew close. Fiera expected it to hit her in the shoulder, but instead it struck her in the flank, bouncing off ineffectually. Fiera raised and eyebrow- she hadn't actually managed to avoid the damage, but she did try.
Fiera 2
Penny 13.2/28.2
Danger Sense 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 14:44:42 GMT -6
Well, Fiera could reward her for trying. Before she moved on, Fiera tossed Penny a treat from the bushes, letting it land in front of her instead of hitting her with it. Penny looked like she was about to barrel headlong into the brush, but when Fiera's little bribe arrived, she stopped to sniff it instead. That allowed Fiera to make a quick getaway, sneaking to another part of the ring while Penny ate. After the houluh finished, Fiera wound up another shot, letting it fly through the bushes. She definitely noted how Penny lifted her head before it struck. Perhaps she was hearing it whistling through the air, or she even heard the sound of Fiera's arm moving despite her not hitting any branches with her hand while she threw. She still wasn't able to move fast enough though, with the acorn still bouncing off her tail and onto the ground.
Fiera 3
Penny 13.3/28.3
Danger Sense 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 14:51:17 GMT -6
She hadn't managed to dodge it, but that was still fantastic improvement. It was clear that Penny was now paying attention to her surroundings, trying to anticipate attacks before they landed. All she needed to do now was develop her agility a little more. Fiera resisted the urge to shout out praise and instead resorted to just throwing her another treat, which Penny happily accepted. From there, Fiera scooted further around the edge of the clearing, trying to find another spot with a good but well hidden vantage point of her pet. It was harder than she thought, as Penny was still watching like a hawk now that she knew what was going on. Eventually however, Fiera managed to find a nice spot near her initial starting point and hunkered down, pulling out another acorn and lining it up with Penny's neck. If she was lucky, she would be able to dodge this one.
Fiera 4
Penny 13.4/28.4
Danger Sense 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 16, 2022 14:53:54 GMT -6
Fiera let the acorn fly and it whizzed straight towards Penny, who appeared to be sitting there unawares... until she jerked her head down, letting it whiz right over her ears. "Yes!" Fiera couldn't help but cry out before immediately slapping her hands over her mouth. Well, the jig was certainly up now. Penny immediately lifted her head again, looking in Fiera's direction while wagging her tail. "Okay, yeah, you got me." Fiera said, raising her hands in defeat as she stepped out from the bushes. Penny wasted no time running over to the humanish as Fiera held out another treat for her. Perhaps they could have practiced a little more if Fiera hadn't messed it up, but it looked like Penny had figured it out pretty well. Fiera had managed to instill those detective instincts in her, and hopefully they would serve her well if she was ever in a bad situation... not that Fiera intended to let that happen.
Fiera 5
Penny 14.0/30.0
Danger Sense 10
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