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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 15, 2020 1:16:28 GMT -6
“What’s that, you want these?” Fiera said curiously, and saw Ophelia’s tail lash slightly. “Well, come and get them!” The humanish said, crouching down and holding them out. Ophelia looked between her and the stream and grunted slightly before finally jumping in. Fiera jerked back a bit to avoid getting splashed. She didn’t mind if Ophelia got dirty, but SHE didn’t need any of that disgusting mud on her. That was something that was for amphadrons only, thank you very much. The swift current almost immediately started sweeping Ophelia away. Fiera would normally be worried, but was calm right now. After all, it wasn’t like Ophelia could drown, and the lake was right there- she could easily crawl right back out. And that’s just what happened- Ophelia disappeared beneath the waves and Fiera heard a loud splash as she was washed into the lake. Then she heard a scrabbling noise as she crawled back up the tiny cliff separating them.
Fiera 10
Ophelia 27.0/27.0
Stone Skin 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 15, 2020 1:16:57 GMT -6
Fiera chuckled slightly as Ophelia pulled herself up, looking quite dissheveled and covered in mud. “Good effort, Ophelia!” Fiera said, and tossed her the cherries. The amphadron snatched them up quickly, curling her tail around herself as she chewed. Still, Fiera knew that her gaining the endurance needed to make it over to her was merely a desired side effect of her training- it was the strengthening of her skin against the debris that she really wanted. And goodness knew that there was a lot of debris all over her pet right now. Even as she watched, Ophelia irritably picked a leaf off of her domed head and slapped it against a nearby rock. Fiera tried to not laugh at her familiar body language. Amphadron normally acted quite different to people, and the woman had to wonder if Ophelia had picked it up from her. Once she was finished eating however, Fiera went ahead and hopped over to the other side of the stream again.
Fiera 1
Ophelia 27.1/27.1
Stone Skin 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 15, 2020 1:17:16 GMT -6
The humanish had the feeling that she might fall in one of these days, but if that happened… well her outfit would be ruined, so she might as well let the waves claim her. This outfit was COUTURE. Still, her luck had been holding so far so she might as well keep working at it. She held up another cherry, waving it around so Ophelia could see. The amphadron didn’t budge however, and Fiera watched as another glob of mud dripped off her face and onto the ground. “Ok that’s fair… but what if I offered you… three cherries?” Fiera said, holding up another two fruits in negotiation. She saw Ophelia’s tail lash again, clearly tearing her up inside with indecision. Fiera raised her eyebrows and finally the amphadron couldn’t seem to take it anymore, leaping into the flash flood again. Her head popped up again almost immediately as she swam as hard as she could.
Fiera 2
Ophelia 27.2/27.2
Stone Skin 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 15, 2020 1:17:37 GMT -6
“Come on, you can do it!” Fiera said encouragingly, though the amphadron was usually self-driven enough to not need her cheerleading. She did a lot better this time, and finally grasped the opposite bank. To Ophelia’s surprise however, Fiera immediately took her wrists and helped haul her up. (Though she took care to not touch her with anything but her hands, keeping her outfit clean.) Ophelia…. Wasn’t used to Fiera putting her needs before the cat woman’s own. “Great job, Ophelia!” Fiera said, handing her the cherries. The amphadron carefully ate them as Fiera took the opportunity to gently touch her shoulder in what Ophelia could interpret as affection, but really it was Fiera checking to see if she was any tougher. It was hard to tell… but it did seem like she had been toughening up a bit. She nodded with approval- if they kept this up, she would have thicker skin in no time.
Fiera 3
Ophelia 27.3/27.3
Stone Skin 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 15, 2020 1:18:06 GMT -6
Fiera kept it up, hopping back and forth between the banks of the gushing stream and encouraging Ophelia to join her on the other time. Each time, Ophelia was able to maintain her position in the water for longer and longer, allowing more and more of the gritty mud to scrape past her skin. Fiera gave her frequent breaks of course, where they both snacked on fruit and drank water. Hydration was important- especially for an amphibian like Ophelia. Not to mention Fiera wanted the amphadron’s skin to toughen up, not be rubbed raw by the grit. After each break however Ophelia was able to jump back in the water with rigor, able to stay in the stream for longer and longer with Ophelia goading her on with treats. After about an hour of this, Fiera finally let Ophelia get out for (what was hopefully) good, moving to check her skin with her fingertips.
Fiera 4
Ophelia 27.4/27.4
Stone Skin 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 15, 2020 1:18:23 GMT -6
To her delight, it did seem thicker now. When Ophelia started out her skin was thin and easily broken, with Fiera able to feel her muscle and sinew beneath that outer layer. Now though her skin was thicker and more rubbery, like she had traded out paper for tire rubber. The grit of the stream didn’t even seem to make her uncomfortable anymore. Fiera could chalk that up to moss amphadron just having natural adaptations for muddy water, but she liked to think that it was because of Ophelia’s personal efforts that she was tougher now. Still, she gave the amphadron an affectionate noogie and started walking back toward the shoreline they were training on before. “Good job, Ophelia! Now maybe we can take a break now, eh?” She said, laughing. Ophelia only sighed and stood up to folow her- even if they did take a break, there was probably more work to come.
Fiera 5
Ophelia 28.0/28.0
Stone Skin 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 6, 2021 15:11:39 GMT -6
The waters of the dock were still as Fiera walked along them. The air had been unusually calm these past few days, leaving the lake surprisingly smooth and glassy. The ripples created by Harding were about the only disturbance in the water around. Fiera was pleased with that though- the docks being so quiet, nice and early in the morning, meant that they would be free of distractions for this training session. She was standing on a long dock, a strip of wood over two dozen feet long. It left her plenty of room to meander around with her neptica, who was currently swimming around beneath her. She had attached him to a lead that she had tied to a nearby dock post, giving him a wide range to travel around with while still ensuring that he couldn't wander off completely. After all, she was hardly going to get in to follow him.
Fiera 6
Harding 11.1/13.1
Follow 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 6, 2021 20:16:29 GMT -6
Her goal today was to get him up to snuff for an upcoming contest themed around aquatic creatures. Well, creatures didn't GET much more aquatic than neptica. For that to work out though, Harding needed to know more tricks than he currently did. He only knew how to respond to his name right now which, while a great start, meant that Fiera still had a long way to go with him. Still, at least she had a bucket full of fish with her to make the process go easier. It was nice and far from the edge of the dock too, ensuring that Harding couldn't nab a piece when she wasn't looking. So with everything set up, Fiera was determined to first teach him to follow her around. This would allow her to easily guide him on the contest floor (what little of it wasn't water, at least). She got out a piece of fish.
Fiera 7
Harding 11.2/13.2
Follow 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 26, 2021 13:42:26 GMT -6
She plucked a piece of fish from the bucket, endlessly glad that she had gloves on to handle it with. Raw fish was the last thing she felt like holding bare-handed. She held it toward the water and let Harding "take a look" at him with his trills and chirps briefly before he moved in to try and take it. In response to that however, Fiera walked away. Over her shoulder, she gave the new command- "Follow, Harding!" She ordered, and kept walking under the expectation that he would continue on to try and get the treat. Sure enough, he swam after her, giving curious clicks as he kept track of the fish. They made the wide loop around from the base of the dock, out to the far end of it, and back again on the other side of it, with Harding following along. He wasn't very consistent, however.
Fiera 8
Harding 11.3/13.3
Follow 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 26, 2021 13:46:30 GMT -6
Instead of following along doggedly, sometimes he would trail off, slow down, or duck under teh dock for a moment instead of keeping an eye on her specifically. It meant that this attempt was a good first try, but they needed another go round for him to clean up his act. "Good job, Harding. Good follow." She said, dropping the fish down to him at the end. The neptica grabbed it before it even hit the water, diving for a moment to finish swallowing. By the time he came back up, Fiera was already ready with another treat for him. "Let's try that again." She said kindly, and began walking once more. "Harding, follow!" She ordered, and sure enough the mottled neptica followed her, undulating in and out of the water gently. The humanish kept a close eye on him to judge his progress, and sure enough he seemed to be following a lot more smoothly.
Fiera 9
Harding 11.4/13.4
Follow 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 26, 2021 13:59:39 GMT -6
Sure enough, that was a big improvement from last time. She was sure he was nearly done with the trick by this point, but she wanted to try it one more time just to be sure. And for an extra shot of difficulty, she was going to try and do it without the offer of a treat this time as well. She dropped the fish down to the water, praising Harding for his good work as they reached the end of the "track". He leapt up and grabbed it gratefully before falling back down into the water, returning to the deep. When he popped up again, Fiera gave him the command. "Harding, follow." She said, and began walking toward the end of the dock again. Sure enough, the neptica followed along, matching her speed. The humanish breathed a sigh of relief- that was one more trick she didn't have to worry about with him.
Fiera 10
Harding 12.0/14.0
Follow 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 26, 2021 14:42:43 GMT -6
The next trick she had in mind was also related to the upcoming aquatics contest. Most contests made it easy for people to view the creatures, but aquatics contests were usually... well, underwater. That meant for those higher up in the stands, the pets that were performing usually weren't in plain sight, visible as blurry blobs under the surface if at all. Fiera knew better though- and she would be sure to take the show to them! For that though, she would need to teach Harding to leave the water- a potentially dangerous concept. Still, the neptica was sturdy and strong, and even if he landed on the dock she was sure he could flop his way back off. After all, she wasn't even asking him to jump over anything... yet. No, for now all the humanish needed was for the mottled neptica to make a quick leap out of the water.
Fiera 1
Harding 12.1/14.1
Leap 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 26, 2021 14:48:34 GMT -6
Thankfully, she was pretty sure that would be easy for him to do. She already had treats he responded well to, and he was smart enough to try and figure out ways of getting to them. With that in mind, she grabbed another one from the bucket. It was a small (about five inches) silvery fish, still somewhat frozen but not to the point where it was impossible to eat. She walked over to the edge of the dock, where Harding immediately came to the surface, swimming in wide circles around the humanish. "Hey Harding." She said casually before holding the fish out. "You want it? You've got to jump for it! Go on, leap!" She said encouragingly, hoping that the neptica would obey sooner rather than later. A flurry of clicks confirmed that he did indeed "see" it in her hand, and by this point he recognized the shape.
Fiera 2
Harding 12.2/14.2
Leap 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 26, 2021 14:54:23 GMT -6
She watched as he "paced" beneath her, back and forth past the dock, slowly growing more agitated. "Go on, leap!" She encouraged, wiggling the fish a bit more. It took a moment, but he wound up- and leapt straight up out of the water, before flopping back in. It wasn't much of a breach, if Fiera was being honest. Barely anything past his pectoral fins hit air, and he wasn't anywhere NEAR grabbing the treat out of her hand. Still, it was a great first try. The humanish happily dropped the fish down him once he had gotten situated again. The neptica accepted the treat gratefully, and while he ate Fiera wound up for the next try. He at least had the idea of jumping up a bit in his mind now- all she had to do was get him to jump up to the height he needed to be at.
Fiera 3
Harding 12.3/14.3
Leap 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 26, 2021 14:58:13 GMT -6
She held the next treat out over the water. The humanish was holding it at the level of her head, high up, so from there down to the dock and then down to the water it was about ten feet- a healthy distance for a creature as strong as Harding to jump. She was sure he would get there eventually though. "Harding, leap!" She called out again, waggling the fish once more. The neptica swirled around in the water again, but there was a lot less hesitation this time as he pushed himself into the air once more with a few strokes from his powerful tail. He soared upward, reaching out with his teeth, but sure enough he wasn't able to quite make it. He flopped back into the water limply, as if disappointed in himself. Fiera wasn't about to let him wallow in it though, and immediately threw the fish down after him.
Fiera 4
Harding 12.4/14.4
Leap 4
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