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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 12:13:39 GMT -6
The next stone flew through the air and hit him on the neck. He whirled around after that one too, and Fiera sprinted to avoid being caught. In fact, she managed to get around all the way to the other side of the circle. Sure enough, Algol was still investigating the last spot she had been in by the time she got there. Fiera smiled as he used his horn to scratch the part of his neck she had just hit. If he didn't like it and couldn't find who was doing it, then he'd just have to learn how to avoid them, didn't he? He did seem to react faster to that last hit and had run toward the source of it a lot faster, but he'd need an even faster reaction time to avoid getting hit to start with. Progress, but no cigar quite yet. Fiera lined up another shot.
Fiera 6 Algol 24.1/24.1 Danger Sense 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 12:17:06 GMT -6
The stone whistled through the air as it flew, to Fiera's surprise. She supposed it must have been a special shape to make a sound as it flew. That was good for Algol though, as it mean that the sarane drake heard it before it hit him. She saw his head flick around before the stone hit and his feet start moving. He wasn't able to go quite fast enough though, and wasn't able to get out of the way in time. Instead, the stone bounced off his shoulder instead of his chest as Fiera intended. Still, it was a great first start! As a result, Fiera switched over to her bag of treats. She loaded a frozen chunk of some sort of critter into the slingshot, and shot that at him instead, aiming at his feet. Sure enough, the treat landed right in front of him, and he sniffed it carefully.
Fiera 7 Algol 24.2/24.2 Danger Sense 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 12:21:42 GMT -6
Once he realized it wasn't another rock, Algol was more than happy to snap up the frozen meat and chew through it. Fiera took that time to relocate herself, proud of his progress so far. Hopefully between his reaction there and the treat he got, he was putting together that he was supposed to be dodging these hits instead of just tanking through them and getting mad about it. By the time Algol even thought to try investigating the source of that last hit, Fiera was already long gone, occupying a spot between two trees on the north side of the clearing. She pulled back the next stone in the slingshot. It was a different shape than the last, so with any luck it wouldn't make any noise. Fiera let it fly, and it was a lot quieter than the last one too. That being said, she saw Algol's ear twitch before it touched down.
Fiera 8 Algol 24.3/24.3 Danger Sense 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 12:26:16 GMT -6
He was a lot faster this time, a blur of brown and white. She still saw him flinch though- it looked like the stone had managed to just barely brush him instead of missing him outright. Still, that was a lot closer than his previous attempts. He was getting the hang of this! Fiera was quick to load another treat into the slingshot and send it over to him. While he chewed she moved positions, keeping an eye on Algol. It looked like HE was keeping an eye out too, his line of sight flicking around as he chewed. Good. He'd need that sense of paranoia in a real fight. Now Fiera was pretty close to her original location on the edge of the clearing when she started this- she had come full circle. She smiled slightly at the thought, and raised her slingshot again. "One more try..." She said to herself quietly.
Fiera 9 Algol 24.4/24.4 Danger Sense 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 12:32:24 GMT -6
She let the stone fly, and that was all Algol needed. Apparently he had finally tuned into the subtle changes that happened when an attack was coming, and he managed to twist out of the way before the stone hit. She saw it whizz between his horns and heard it crash into the bushes somewhere beyond. After launching another treat at him, she quickly moved and tried again, but the same thing happened. If anything, it was even more effortless this time. Further attempts just proved the same thing- Algol had gotten real good at getting out of the way before things hit him. With that in mind Fiera finally came out of the bushes, a smile on her face. Algol had really gotten the hang of this, and was all the better for it. They had a few more things to work on, but this was a perfect start to the day.
Fiera 10 Algol 25.0/25.0 Danger Sense 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 14:23:23 GMT -6
The next trick Fiera had for Algol wasn't... really a trick in the traditional sense. Oh sure, it would be 'tricky' to teach, but hopefully it would be something more instinctual to Algol than telling him to sit on command. Specifically, Fiera wanted to teach him how to fly. Sometimes sarane learned how to fly on their own... in the midst of their breaking. Afterward, they had a tendency to escape and fly away. Thankfully, that hadn't happened to her. Fiera had bought wing bindings so that wouldn't happen, but he had nearly burst through them halfway through. Still, the breaking had been successful and Algol stayed safely land-bound... until today. Now she wanted to do the opposite of what she needed for his breaking- to encourage him to lift up and take off into the sky. She had taught other creatures this before but... never one as big as her drake.
Fiera 1 Algol 25.1/25.1 Fly 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 15:25:34 GMT -6
For this, Fiera had to lead Algol elsewhere. This clearing was nice and ordinarily would be just fine for teaching other tricks, but it left Fiera without a lot of options for teaching Algol to fly. So instead they took another, longer trek to a part of the park that Fiera knew had taller trees. She kept going until she found one that was at least twice as tall as Algol, with enough handholds on it that Fiera could probably get up it on her own. She dropped Algol's lead and told him to stay, which he obeyed with only a little bit of huffing and puffing. Then she grabbed onto the tree's trunk, getting a grip on the rough bark before shimmying her way up. It took a bit, but Fiera was finally able to find a spot in the tree that was well over the brown sarane's head.
Fiera 2 Algol 25.2/25.2 Fly 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 15:37:46 GMT -6
Algol looked at her curiously, but didn't move for now. Fiera got herself settled in the branch before putting her mini cooler of treats and her slingshot beside her. She was ready to begin... sort of. She had the treats and knew Algol would go after them, but getting him into the air was a horse of an entirely different color. She knew that she would just have to keep holding them above his head and hope that he would go for them. With that in mind, Fiera took a spool of thread out from her bag. She didn't think she'd ever need it with Algol, if she was being honest. She usually kept it in her training bag to use as a leash for very small creatures, which Algol definitely wasn't. Now though, she found herself using it to create what she uncreatively called 'meat on a string' for him.
Fiera 3 Algol 25.3/25.3 Fly 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 15:45:13 GMT -6
When she was sure that the treat was tied on securely, Fiera held it off the side of the branch so Algol could see. The sarane's eyes immediately widened and he sat down, wiggling slightly in anticipation. "Okay Algol, you want it?" Fiera said, and he only wiggled more. "Fly, then! Come!" Fiera said, giving the new command alongside an old one. He tilted his head slightly- come? He tried walking up the tree with his front feet, but even fully stretched out the sarane drake couldn't reach the treat Fiera was dangling above his head. "Come on, fly!" Fiera said, jiggling it. The string was about ten feet long, so it swung around a bit as she did that, but if anything Algol only found that more encouraging, as if it was a piece of struggling prey. He grumbled happily and pushed off from the trunk, swiping at it with his front claws.
Fiera 4 Algol 25.4/25.4 Fly 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 15:55:36 GMT -6
Even then though, it wasn't enough for Algol to reach the treat. His hind feet would need to leave the ground too if he was going to catch it. "Come on Algol, Fly!" Fiera said, jiggling it even more insistently. Algol started growling with frustration and began hopping on his hind legs. "Yes, yes! That's it!" Fiera said, watching eagerly. Then, he started flapping his wings. "You've got it!" Finally, he managed to generate JUST enough lift that his hind legs left the ground, and he flapped just a couple feet into the air. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for him to snatch the treat away from the string, breaking it in a heartbeat. Fiera cheered and showered him with even more treats, which he happily hoovered up off the ground. "Good boy, Algol! Good fly!" She called and began getting more thread off of the spool.
Fiera 5 Algol 25.5/25.5 Fly 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 16:16:11 GMT -6
As Algol picked the other treats up off the ground, Fiera worked on tying the next one to the thread. This next one she dropped down only about three feet below her perch, as opposed to the next one which sat nearly ten feet down. Algol would have to jump up even further, flap his wings even harder to get this one. She lowered it down and then called out, "Algol! Fly!" hoping that he would follow. He noticed the treat almost immediately and began standing on tip-toes again, trying to get at it like last time. Once again, he swiped at it and realized he couldn't reach it. He sat down and growled slightly, before lunging upward again, half jumping and half flapping. He flapped harder and harder, finally managing to rise higher and higher. He opened his mouth and Fiera tried not to flinch as he snapped it mere feet from her.
Fiera 6 Algol 26.1/26.1 Fly 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 16:43:07 GMT -6
After hovering for a few moments though, he managed to finally snap his teeth shut around the treat and fell back down to the ground. "Good fly, Algol!" She cheered, and threw him a couple more treats for good measure. He seemed to have the idea of 'fly= flap wings= go up' down... she just had to get him, you know. Actually swooping and soaring now. Thankfully, she still had the slingshot that she used to teach him 'danger sense'. She held it up and loaded up another half-frozen chunk of meat. "Okay Algol... fly!" She said. Algol immediately focused on the treat and bunched himself up to jump, only for Fiera to release it, sending it out into the distance. Algol immediately ran after it, flapping his wings. He rose a few feet up, but lost it when it hit the ground, causing him to come back down to the ground and sniff around.
Fiera 7 Algol 26.2/26.2 Fly 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 17:17:35 GMT -6
"Come here, Algol!" Fiera said. Begrudgingly (and still looking over his shoulder for the treat he lost) the sarane came back to Fiera as she reloaded the slingshot again. "Okay bud, let's try this again." She said and aimed the slingshot higher this time. "You gotta catch this one, okay? Now fly!" She said, letting loose again. Algol was a lot faster on the reaction this time, and immediately leapt up and began flapping. She crossed her fingers as he took longer and longer to return to the ground. He wasn't quite flying, but he managed to make several very long 'strides' before he managed to catch the meat. Fiera cheered and called him back. He practically pranced as he came back over, proud of himself and what he did. Fiera smiled, and threw him some more treats for the good effort. They were getting there! He still had trouble managing his weight, but he was getting there.
Fiera 8 Algol 26.3/26.3 Fly 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 18:38:12 GMT -6
Once he finished eating those treats, Fiera readied the slingshot again. She didn't see the need to try and hide it from Algol anymore, and he sat eagerly like a puppy beneath her. A huge, toothy, clawed puppy with horns. She gave him a few false starts just to rile him up, and the third time after he jumped she finally let loose. Algol was off again like a shot, eagerly keeping an eye on the meat as it flew. He flapped his wings madly, slowly lifting off. Fiera held her breath watching him. He was so close! He gained height- three feet, five, ten. Slowly but surely his legs folded up under him. Then... he caught the meat. Fiera resisted the urge to squeal in distress. Now he had no reason to stay up! He... he kept going. He caught it in flight, but then proceeded to keep flying!
Fiera 9 Algol 26.4/26.4 Fly 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jun 5, 2020 18:54:41 GMT -6
Fiera watched as Algol didn't return to her, all other treats forgotten in favor of enjoying his newfound freedom. She realized that he... probably didn't want to come back down like this, but she wasn't about to ask him to. He flew freely, slowly getting the hang of the updrafts and airstreams that drifted past his wings. She smiled slightly and made her way back down the tree, only nearly falling off a couple of times. By the time she managed to get back down to the ground, Algol was still up there enjoying himself. Fiera just sat back and watched. Now was not the time to give him sudden orders- it was time to let him enjoy himself. She sat down under the tree and went back over her list, waiting for him to come down. They had plenty of time to train- he could have a few minutes to himself.
Fiera 10 Algol 27.0/27.0 Fly 10
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