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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 13:38:53 GMT -6
Fiera had brought Zazzle back to the training grounds, and boy he wasn't happy. The inkrum was always a bit of a proud grouch, but he had a real bee in his bonnet about it today. At least he didn't have to do much this time. Fiera had a couple tricks in mind for him, but the first one she had in mind... well, he wouldn't have to do much more than sit there. There was a contest coming up. Fiera had never trained Zazzle for one of them before, but she was sure he would be a fantastic fit for a contest focused on defense- after all, look at that thick shell of his! Still, in order for that to happen, she had to get him a little more up to speed on well... things to do. After all, she didn't just want him to perform well- she wanted him to win! Fiera 6 Zazzle 15.1/15.1 Stone Skin 1 |
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 13:44:29 GMT -6
For that though, she'd have to toughen him up a bit- literally. His shell was hard, but it could be harder, and softer parts like the joints of his legs, and his soft fluffy ears were a lot more vulnerable than the rest of his body. If she wanted to show off how tough he was, he would need to actually BE tough... or at least, tougher than the competition. For that, she had a trick that she had used before to great effect. She carried Zazzle across the fields of the public park (as he refused to walk, as bothered as he was.) until she found a spot between two hills where the wind raced by even if there was only a thin breeze elsewhere- the two chunks of earth forced the wind into a funnel, creating a sort of wind tunnel. Luckily it was still a warm time of year, or else the effect would be freezing cold.
Fiera 7
Zazzle 15.2/15.2
Stone Skin 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 14:25:48 GMT -6
In addition, Fiera had brought just what she needed for this- a big bag of sand. Between carrying the sand and carrying Zazzle, Fiera was quite exhausted by now. The idea was that the sand would be blown by the winding, sandblasting Zazzle's body and causing the delicate parts to slowly become rougher and tougher over time. It would take a while yes, but it would be far easier than other methods... which could outright injure him. Plus, she also brought his favorite food- bamboo. She had quite a few shoots and tender sprouts of it in a bag near her hip, within easy reach for her to take one out and toss it to him as a reward. Zazzle eyed her warily as she set the bag of sand down, unsure of what was going to come next. It wasn't going to be pleasant for him, she knew that much. Fiera 8 Zazzle 15.3/15.3 Stone Skin 3 |
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 14:35:40 GMT -6
First, Fiera gently nudged him towards the center of the path between the two hills with her foot. This way he was right in the middle of the harshest wind. Fiera watched as his ears shrank halfway into his shell as he pulled his head in even deeper. Fair enough- the wind was quite strong. "Okay Zazzle- now stay." She said, giving him the command to be still. That was one she had taught him some time ago, but it looked like he remembered it well enough, not moving a single leg as he waited for Fiera's next move. Then she stood about ten feet in front of him and slightly off to the side and crouched down, opening the bag of sand. She dug her hand in, picking up a heaping handful of the white grains. She held her hand out in the middle of the stream of air, and even now she could see the sand starting to fly away from her.
Fiera 9
Zazzle 15.4/15.4
Stone Skin 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 14:38:37 GMT -6
Slowly, she began to open her sand, letting the sand fall away in a steady stream. As soon as she dropped it, the wind picked it up again, carrying it away from her- and directly into Zazzle's face. And across his shell, and onto his legs, and into his feathers. Fiera wanted to cringe, but to be fair this was the point. Zazzle pulled into his shell even more, but the nature of sand was that it... well, tended to get everywhere. It was a bit like glitter in that way, so no matter how much Zazzle pulled in, it was still going to sting a bit. Fiera saw him raise his wings, ready to fly away. "No, Zazzle. Stay." She said, reiterating the command, and he gave her another harsh glare... only to screw his eyes shut again as he got hit with another burst of sand carried by the wind.
Fiera 10
Zazzle 16.0/16.0
Stone Skin 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 14:53:03 GMT -6
She did this until she finally ran out of her handful of sand. She gave Zazzle a moment to recover his senses and reorient himself after having his eyes closed for so long- and then she waggled a piece of bamboo in front of his face. "You didn't think I'd make you do that without a treat, did you?" She said with a chuckle. He pounced on the bamboo without hesitation, as if to say "I've earned this." And munched it quietly as Fiera returned to the bag of sand. He shook himself thoroughly to try and get as much of the sand out, and itched with a hindleg at the joint between leg and shell. It looked like the sand was doing its job of irritating him- now he just had to get used to it. Fiera gave it a few more minutes until he was done eating, and then put her hand back in the bag.
Fiera 1
Zazzle 16.1/16.1
Stone Skin 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 15:00:52 GMT -6
Fiera thought she heard a beleaguered sigh from her pet as she ordered him to stay put again, but at least he didn't move. Then she began opening her fist, full of the new scoop of sand. Just like before, the sand blew over Zazzle's body, sandpapering all of his delicate parts and getting into places he'd really prefer it didn't. He shuffled uncomfortably, but seemed to at least accept the status quo now. Fiera kept the stream steady- she wasn't trying to hit him with huge fistfuls of sand, after all. The aim of the game here was to have him be able to resist it consistently and slowly over time. Harsh blows wouldn't do him any good, though hopefully this training would help protect him from those in the future. Before she knew it, she had run out of sand once more. Another fistful down. She reached into her hip pouch again.
Fiera 2
Zazzle 16.2/16.2
Stone Skin 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 18:12:05 GMT -6
She offered Zazzle another strip of bamboo, and he accepted it graciously. His eyes stayed shut as he chewed it more slowly, perhaps knowing that when he finished, the training would begin again. Fiera let him take a break for a bit, but knew that they had to get started again soon. When the inkrum finally finished the last leaf, Fiera reached into the bag again. Zazzle moved to scuttle off, but Fiera held up a finger. "Oh no you don't! Stay right there!" She ordered. He huffed loudly but sunk back down again. Ultimately, Fiera preferred this- she could get a different angle on him now. "You know what? Good job. Perfect." She said, and held up the fistful of sand before letting it blow over her pet once more. Grains bounced over and under his shell, piling up in the cracks and into all the little nooks and crannies he no doubt hated by now.
Fiera 3
Zazzle 16.3/16.3
Stone Skin 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 18:20:45 GMT -6
Soon enough she had finished with that handful as well. Fiera repeated this more times than she could count. The sun crept higher over her head and began to sink again towards the other side of the sky. Handful after handful of sand, until she was reaching the bottom of the bag. It was undoubtedly boring work, but it wasn't like she had anything else to do today. Frankly she'd rather be out here with her pet than hanging out with- ugh- other people. Still, Zazzle was starting to get tired. He had long since stopped standing up for this, and instead shot Fiera the occasional dirty glance between rounds of sand. For the most part he just seemed... resigned. But for Zazzle's owner, that was a good thing- it meant that this process was no longer irritating him, which implied to her that her efforts may well have actually toughened him up.
Fiera 4
Zazzle 16.4/16.4
Stone Skin 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 18:38:42 GMT -6
There was only one way to find out for sure. As the sun sank towards the treeline, the wind that had been constant all day finally started to flag. Whatever small breezes the hills had been amplifying were finally fading away to nothing. With no more wind to support the sand- and frankly, barely any sand left- Fiera stood up and wiped her hands off on her pants. She walked over to Zazzle and checked him over. She ran her fingers over every part of him. His legs, his ears, his joints. Sure enough, all of them felt tougher and more leathery. Zazzle was tougher now- and all he had to do was sit there! When she was finally done checking him over, she felt a scraping at her pant leg. She looked down to find the inkrum clawing at her, begging for more treats. "Well... Fine. I guess so. Here you go- I guess you earned it." She said with a wink, tossing him another piece of bamboo.
Fiera 5
Zazzle 17.0/17.0
Stone Skin 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 5, 2024 20:00:23 GMT -6
The following day, Fiera returned to the public park with Zazzle in tow. The seaspray inkrum was in a noticeably better mood that day, which was a boon to Fiera. It would definitely make training him a lot easier if he was more willing to learn. He wouldn't need to be put through nearly as much stress as last time either. The next trick was simple. It didn't have much to do with toughness or defence, but Fiera had a cute idea for it. She wanted to teach Zazzle to hold objects when she handed them to him. Any object would do, so long as he knew what "hold" meant. She got Zazzle settled under the shade of a tree, its leaves shaking softly in the late summer breeze. This spot would do as well as any. "Ready to start, Zazzle?" She asked rhetorically. She had treats and things to hold- didn't need much else.
Fiera 6
Zazzle 17.1/17.1
Hold 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 6, 2024 9:18:52 GMT -6
Zazzle fluttered his wings a bit, looking at her. He didn't make any noises, so she took that as a sign that he was ready. The humanish woman crouched down in front of her pet and held up a little twig she picked up off of the ground. "Ready, Zazzle? Okay, hold!" She said, and pushed it towards him. The inkrum scuttled away a bit, confused, but Fiera reached out and picked up his front pair of legs. He could balance pretty well without them, so it was easy enough for her to wrap them around the twig. "See, hold! Good job, Zazzle!" She said, holding his legs together. After a few seconds she could feel him start to struggle against her confusing touch, so she let him go. He dropped the twig to the ground, but Fiera offered him a treat. "Good hold, Zazzle!" She said, offering him a smile as well.
Fiera 7
Zazzle 17.2/17.2
Hold 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 6, 2024 14:48:19 GMT -6
He accepted the bamboo quizzically, but was clearly willing to wait and see where the humanish was going with this. After all, food was food. Once he had finished eating, Fiera picked up the twig again. "Okay Zazzle- hold!" She ordered. He didn't move to grab it- but when Fiera pressed it against once of his legs, he gathered it up into his chitinous grasp again. To her delight, when Fiera released the twig he stayed holding it too, without the humanish having to hold it steady for him. "Perfect!" She said, and held her breath for a few moments to make sure he got the idea. "Okay, good hold Zazzle! We're getting there!" She said cheerfully, and offered him another sprig of bamboo. He was quick to drop the twig and take it, pulling it into his shell. Fiera heard him crunching away on it as it disappeared into the inky void of his face.
Fiera 8
Zazzle 17.3/17.3
Hold 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 6, 2024 14:51:57 GMT -6
When he was ready to try again, Fiera once again held up the stick. "Okay Zazzle- hold!" She said. There was a moment of stillness before Zazzle finally reached out with one of his pointy little limbs. He scraped it gently against the twig, and then another, until he finally plucked it out of her grasp with both of them. He stared at her nervously- was he doing it right? Fiera gave him a few seconds to get used to it and hold it a bit more steadily until she gave him his treat and praise. "Excellent! Fantastic hold, Zazzle!" Fiera said, encouraging him more with a little clap. She gave him an extra big piece of bamboo this time- just so he'd REALLY know what a good job he did. He was more than happy to take it, instantly forgetting the twig and dropping it to the ground so he could have his treat instead.
Fiera 9
Zazzle 17.4/17.4
Hold 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 6, 2024 15:01:33 GMT -6
Fiera waited until he was done with his treat- and then she got a bit creative with it. Now that Zazzle had the basics of holding things down, Fiera tried having him hold other things as well. She started with smaller items. Pebbles, a bouncy ball she found in some forgotten corner of her backpack, a plastic bag. Things easy enough to hold. Then she got a little creative- she had him hold onto her arm. Onto the side of a picnic bench. Onto the outside of her backpack, where she could carry him around. He seemed to like that last one- it was certainly easier than walking. Soon, Fiera was sure he had this trick down. After all, even though his legs weren't really designed for it, it wasn't exactly difficult to learn. Even the simplest of creatures could get the hang of 'hold'. And luckily, Zazzle was no exception to that.
Fiera 10
Zazzle 18.0/18.0
Hold 5
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