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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 9, 2024 20:25:16 GMT -6
Next up were Zazzle's wings- large, powerful. Flappy. Other than his shell, they were his most prominent feature- and thus the most likely to be targeted in a fight, especially considering every other part of his body was practically invulnerable. His wings however were simply too big to pull into his shell. Fiera bribed Zazzle with another piece of bamboo, but when she reached out towards the base of the wing he still flapped them a few times, yanking them out of her hands. She sighed, but vowed to stay patient. If he needed to be tolerant, then so did she. After a few minutes she was able to figure out where he was the least likely to throw her off for touching- the very ends of his feathers. That made sense- it wasn't like there was any nerve endings down there. Could he even tell she was doing it?
Fiera 6
Zazzle 21.1/21.1
Tolerance 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 9, 2024 20:31:27 GMT -6
Only one way to find out. Fiera started out at the far distal tips of the feathers and worked her way in. Every time he twitched or pulled she stopped for a moment, gently stroking his head area, before continuing. Every time he put up with a particularly tough tug, she was sure to give him another little piece of bamboo to chew on. The whole time, Fiera offered her pet soft, murmuring words of encouragement. In her day to day, Fiera was a hellion towards other people- but her pets she had a lot more patience for. At least animals had an excuse for being rude. People should know better, Fiera thought to herself with a small huff. Soon Zazzle let Fiera get up close towards the base of the feathers, and she was able to carefully pry them apart as if looking for parasites or perhaps a cut on the meat of the wing.
FIera 7
Zazzle 21.2/21.2
Tolerance 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 9, 2024 20:34:02 GMT -6
Fiera couldn't help but notice that the meat of the wing itself was... fuzzy? Yes, there was definitely some sort of peach fuzz fur between the feather quills, the same pink color as his ears. It was absolutely bizarre, and it only reiterated to Fiera how truly strange inkrum were. Oh well though- it wasn't like she was the one who designed them. The labs could make their creatures as strange as they pleased. Soon enough though, it looked like Zazzle didn't mind her touching his wings, and she gave him another treat for behaving. After that though, she started gently pulling on his wings, stretching them out and in in various poses. This was ideal for checking for injury, such as if he strained a joint, but also in case she needed him to pose a specific way for a contest or what have you. Still, he didn't fuss over it.
Fiera 8
Zazzle 21.3/21.3
Tolerance 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 9, 2024 20:36:04 GMT -6
With wings, ears, and shell done, the only thing Fiera had left to mess with was Zazzle's legs. This was going to be a difficult exercise to be sure- after all, he was currently using them to hold the bamboo he was munching on. To start with, Fiera gently picked Zazzle up- already something he seemed more relaxed about- and flipped him over. THAT bothered him, and Fiera could imagine why- an inkrum stuck on its back was stranded and a lot more vulnerable than before. "Shh shh, it's ok!" Fiera said, plying him with more pieces of bamboo. She gently rubbed his belly as he got used to it, swaying back and forth and quietly eating. Soon it seemed like he was relaxing a bit, and Fiera gently reached over to play around with one of his pairs of legs, testing the joints between a thumb and a forefinger.
Fiera 9
Zazzle 21.4/21.4
Tolerance 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 9, 2024 20:42:24 GMT -6
She kept going until he stopped trying to pull it away, moving between different limbs. In a way, it felt like playing with a baby's feet. Just a very, very strange baby. Even after Zazzle finished his bamboo she kept going, making sure he would put up with it even when deprived of a treat. After his legs, she flipped him back over- no response. Good. Then she went through each body part in turn. Shell. Legs. Wings. Ears. Sure enough, Zazzle seemed a lot more comfortable with it now that he knew she wasn't going to hurt him. She didn't even need to get his good graces with food this time- some part of him just seemed to realize that he just needed to let her do what she was doing and it would be over soon. Well, that was fine by her- his cooperation meant that they were done now anyway!
Fiera 10
Zazzle 22.0/22.0
Tolerance 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 9, 2024 20:46:23 GMT -6
The next trick was just a very quick, simple one- she wanted to teach Zazzle to jump up in the air a little. Just a quick little leap, something cute and fun to show off to the judges in the next contest. The only issue she was imagining was his legs. They were a bit, uh. Short. She heard that other inkrum could leap quite easily- in fact, body slamming other creatures was one of inkrums' key strategies in battle. And yet, she had never seen Zazzle do much but scuttle and fly. Hopefully this was something he could manage easily enough. She had plenty of treats left though. She was sure that he would figure just about anything out if it meant getting a piece of bamboo. "Alright Zazzle, come here." She said, inviting her pet closer. When he crawled up to her feet, Fiera held up a piece of bamboo above his head, at about knee height.
Fiera 1
Zazzle 22.1/22.1
Leap 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 8:04:57 GMT -6
She waved it above his head, and he waved his legs at it in turn. "Come on, you can do it. Leap!" She said, saying the word extra clear to be sure he understood her. He probably did though- those big fluffy ears picked up a lot of sound. And yet... he scuttled over to Fiera and tried climbing up her leg instead. "Uh no no, none of that." Fiera said, gently pushing him back down. He huffed a bit and flailed his legs harder, but Fiera was luckily strong enough to out-muscle him. She pushed him gently back onto the ground for a bit and he sat there for a moment, staring at her with irritation in his gaze. He considered his options, pacing around for a moment. Then he stopped under the bamboo and reared up onto his hind legs, flailing them at the bamboo stick just a few tantalizing inches above him.
Fiera 2
Zazzle 22.2/22.2
Leap 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 8:29:01 GMT -6
Zazzle was capable of flying of course... but not straight up from the ground like this. He wasn't a bird, he needed a cliff of some sort to drop off of, or at least a lot of hurried flapping of wings. She watched as he stretched further up and up, first reaching out with just one pair of legs, then hopping up briefly onto two, and then finally- giving a little leap into the air, pushing off with his last four pairs of legs. It was the most pathetic little jump ever, but Fiera was greatly pleased with it. "Good job, Zazzle! Good leap!" She said, and dropped the bamboo into his grasp at the height of his jump. He seemed almost surprised at catching the bamboo- had he really jumped that high...? But he wasted no time in chowing down on it, and soon it disappeared into the darkness of his shell.
Fiera 3
Zazzle 22.3/22.3
Leap 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 8:33:24 GMT -6
Fiera waited until he was done eating, then got out another piece of bamboo. "Okay Zazzle, lets do it again! Even better this time. Leap!" She said. The inkrum seemed a lot more focused this time, eyeing the bamboo carefully. It was clear he had a better idea of his goals now- and luckily for her, those goals happened to line up with what Fiera was trying to teach him. This time he tensed all six of his legs, building up power before launching himself at the bamboo. To Fiera's surprise, he actually overshot his goal, smacking himself in the face with the bamboo on the way up and ending his arc at somewhere around Fiera's sternum before falling back down to the ground. "Woah!" Fiera exclaimed, taking a step back. She had heard that inkrum had impressive jumping skills, but this was certainly her first time seeing it in person.
Fiera 4
Zazzle 22.4/22.4
Leap 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 8:36:50 GMT -6
He landed messily, but still the right side up. He stumbled around for a moment, surprised at himself, and Fiera tossed him the bamboo. "Good uh, great leap Zazzle! Wow." Fiera said, as they were both still reeling a bit from it. He ate his food quietly this time, and Fiera decided to give it one last try, just to make sure he had the commmand down. This time she didn't hold a piece of bamboo- she wanted him to jump from her words only. "Okay- leap!" She said, and sure enough the inkrum pulled his wings in, bunched up his legs, and pushed off. He popped up just as high as before, making brief eye contact with her face to face before falling back down again. His landing this time was much more graceful now that he knew his own strength, and he landed back down perfectly on all six legs. She couldn't ask for any better.
Fiera 5
Zazzle 23.0/23.0
Leap 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 8:52:50 GMT -6
The shadows were getting a little long, the day was getting a little late. And yet, there was still one more thing that Fiera wanted to teach him today. She had taught him all about jumping, flying, all sorts of forms of exercise- but not climbing. Inkrum were very naturally inclined to climb however. They were designed to live on cliff faces, crawling up and down to avoid predators. As a result, it shouldn't have been too difficult to teach it to him. Still, she was determined to start him out easy. She brought him to a tall hill, steep hill in the public park and set him right at the bottom of it. "Okay, stay there Zazzle." She said, and started making her way to the top of it. Her knees were mad at her about it, but soon she was perched at the crest of the hill. "Okay Zazzle- come! Climb!" She called down.
Fiera 6
Zazzle 23.1/23.1
Climb 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 10:56:01 GMT -6
By the time Fiera got to the top she was wheezing and out of breath, but she passed that off as a personal "failure" (a quirk really, she was pretty perfect) and not something Zazzle would have to worry about. After all, Inkrum were supposedly very good at climbing, and this hill should theoretically be no differnet. Luckily, he had a lot of spots to grab onto. The hill was covered in sturdy, drought resistant grass with thick roots, so it was trivial for Zazzle to get started on his journey over to Fiera. Sure enough he crawled towards her quite easily, scraping his legs fruitlessly through the grass a few times every couple of steps, but finding a good spot to plunge his leg into a few seconds later. It only took a minute or two for him to make his way to the top, where Fiera gave him a piece of bamboo as a prize.
Fiera 7
Zazzle 23.2/23.2
Climb 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 11:12:37 GMT -6
"Good job, Zazzle!" She said, and gently carried him back down to the bottom as he ate. Once they were there, she pointed back up towards the top of the hill. "Okay Zazzle- climb!" She said, hoping he would get the idea. He looked between her and the hill a couple times. It wasn't paired with "come" anymore, so she probably didn't want him walking over to her, so... He decided to try what he just did again, climbing his way up the hill. Now that he had a bit more experience with it though it was faster and more graceful. Within half the time of last time he was at the top of the hill once more, peering back down at Fiera. "Good climb, Zazzle! Now come back down here!" She said, holding up another treat for him to see. He was even faster coming down- if just because he flew back down instead.
Fiera 8
Zazzle 23.3/23.3
Climb 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 11:14:46 GMT -6
Now that Zazzle had the basic idea of climbing down, Fiera wanted to give him a bit more of a challenge. She walked away from the hills towards a more wooded area of the park. Many of the trees were too skinny or smooth for her purposes, but soon she found a huge, old oak tree with plenty of branches sprouting from its side. Perfect. Fiera set her inkrum down in front of it before pointing at the tree. "Okay Zazzle- climb!" She ordered. He looked up at the tree with not a small bit of confusion, but soon put one foot on it, and then the other. With a bit of effort he dragged his way up the tree, carefully testing footholds and using the rough texture of the bark to help him stay adhered. He even used his wings to wrap around the trunk a bit, better distributing his weight.
Fiera 9
Zazzle 23.4/23.4
Climb 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Sept 11, 2024 11:52:29 GMT -6
Within a few tries, Zazzle was scurrying up and down the trunk like it was nothing, looking for all the world like some sort of ungainly spider. But Fiera wasn't done yet. Finally, she took him to a public bathroom within the public park- which had concrete walls with a stucco-like pattern. If he could climb this, he could climb just about anything. "Alright Zazzle, go at it- climb!" She said, pointing at the wall. He gave it a few tentative taps with his legs. It seemed... stable, at least. But there wasn't much in the way of footholds. Luckily, Zazzle had very tiny points for feet- and six of them at that. Slowly but surely he pulled one leg up over the other, trying to distribute his weight as evenly as possible against the little crannies in the stucco. Careful footstep after careful footstep he made his way up, until his shell touched the bottom of the roof. Fiera smiled- he couldn't do much better than that!
Fiera 10
Zazzle 24.0/24.0
Climb 5
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