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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 10:20:55 GMT -6
Fiera kept practicing with him though. "Harding, hoop!" She said, placing the hoop further away from him before. He seemed more confident this time, having practiced it enough times to know he was getting food regardless, and swam through with little issue. Fiera was happy to reward him with a treat, but kept repeating the trick. He needed to have the idea of going through a hoop down pat for the next phase of the trick. After several repetitions though, he seemed to have the idea down. The mottled neptica responded quickly and accurately to her commands and sped through the hoop as soon as she called it out. Perfect. Fiera threw him a few more fish, but overall she was ready to move on. He was good at swimming through the hoop in water- but now she needed him to jump through the hoop in mid-air. A difficult task, to be sure.
Fiera 5
Harding 15.0/17.0
Through Hoop 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 10:33:48 GMT -6
But, not an impossible one. She had already prepared him to a degree already- he knew how to leap up into the air, and she had just taught him how to swim through the hoop, so it wouldn't be too difficult to teach him to combine the two. In theory, at least- in practice, she knew just about anything could happen and frequently creatures were uncooperative at best when it came to learning things. But, she and Harding has a rapport by now and they had already come this far, so she was cautiously optimistic. This time, she held the hoop partially in the water, partially out, hoping to ease him into it being higher and higher. "Harding, hoop!" She called, and sure enough he swam over to go through the hoop. This time however he paused, clicking at it thoughtfully, and just barely managed to wriggle over the part of the hoop that was still submerged.
Fiera 6
Harding 15.1/17.1
Through Hoop 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 10:38:28 GMT -6
"Good job, Harding! Good hoop!" She called, and threw him a fish or two. He had done it... for now. It would only get harder for him from here however. After he had finished eating that particular treat, Fiera raised the hoop a little bit higher. This time the bottom of it was just barely touching the water, the rest of it suspended in the air. There was no swimming through this no matter how hard he tried, but perhaps he could do a little hop through it if he tried. "Harding, hoop!" She called out, and tapped the surface of the water with it a couple times to get his attention. He clicked at it with his echolocation before swimming around it in circles, apparently frustrated. "Come on, hoop! Leap!" She said, using another trick he already knew. He squealed at her irritably- it was too high! "It's not! You just need to jump!" She called back.
Fiera 7
Harding 15.2/17.2
Through Hoop 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 11:30:47 GMT -6
Harding thrashed around in the water for a moment, frustrated. Fiera stayed patient, waiting for his little temper tantrum to end. "Harding, leap! Hoop!" She repeated. He "looked" at her for a moment before huffing loudly through his blowhole and diving deep under the water. Fiera peered in, but couldn't see him- even here at the docks the water could be deep and murky, so he was completely concealed from her sight. Had he given up? Then, she saw a faint shape in the water, moving quickly, and immediately leaned back. Moments later Harding surged out of the water, just barely clearing the surface enough to leap over the bottom of the hoop and through it. He torpedoed through the air and back into the water without so much as a splash- a perfect, quick leap. "Wow!" Fiera exclaimed with a laugh in spite of herself. It was exactly what she wanted, but it was still amazing to see in person.
Fiera 8
Harding 15.3/17.3
Through Hoop 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 11:44:11 GMT -6
"Excellent hoop, Harding! Great job!" She said, really playing up how happy she was for his benefit. She even threw him extra fish, just to hammer home the point that he was doing exactly what he needed to be doing. He was more than happy to eat the fish and soon he was circling the perimeter again, waiting for his next assignment. Fiera was happy to grant his wish, and lifted the hoop out over the water again, this time about a foot above the surface. There was no half-assing it this time- Harding definitely had to properly jump to get it to work. "Harding, hoop!" She called, and once again he disappeared under the water. Fiera now knew he did this to get a "running start" at it. Sure enough, within a few moments he burst from the surface of the water, sailing right through and back down on the other side, sending up a spray of water.
Fiera 9
Harding 15.4/17.4
Through Hoop 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 11:47:48 GMT -6
Fiera cheered and threw him more treats. He had gotten it down pat. Now all they had to do was practice. Fiera kept up the pace, raising the hoop a few more inches at a time with each repeat, until he was leaping several feet into the air to go through the hoop. They made a few mistakes, of course- every so often he would miss the hoop or run into it, knocking the pole out of Fiera's hands. The more they tried it though, the less often this happened. Soon he was sailing through the air with ease, and Fiera was once again struck with how graceful he was- or could be, once he had some practice. She fed him one last fish for his effort, but for the most part she considered this trick done. There was no more ground left to cover- he could indeed jump through a hoop.
Fiera 10
Harding 16.0/18.0
Through Hoop 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 15:55:09 GMT -6
The next trick was a lot easier by comparison. She wanted Harding to "go". That is... to start moving from a static position, in any given direction, on command. Normally she'd teach this to mounts, but Harding wasn't really ready for that yet. In the meantime, she just wanted him to know to start moving when she asked him to. Ideally in the agility contest this would mean he would start going through the routine she set up. For now though, she'd just settle for "Harding starts moving". With that settled, Fiera got out what she'd need for this trick. She needed to get him to move, so what better motivational tool was there for that then with a treat? She pulled a fish from the cooler and then dug around in her bag. She needed a piece of string, a rope... ah, that would do. She pulled a thin rope from the bag.
Fiera 1
Harding 16.1/18.1
Go 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 16:07:25 GMT -6
Without hesistation, she tied the rope around the fish, slipping it around the gill slits for security and tried to not think about how gross that was. Then, she waited until Harding drifted his way towards the other side of the netted training pen and tossed it into the water. "Harding, go!" She called out. He immediately turned to her once he heard the splash in the water, and with a flurry of clicks he realized what it was and rushed towards it. The moment he did so, Fiera began hauling back the rope, desperately trying to get it back to her side of the pen before he could reach and eat it. He was a great deal faster than her, so she had to hope the head start she had would cover the distance. It was a tight race, but Fiera managed to yank the fish out of the water at the last moment.
Fiera 2
Harding 16.2/18.2
Go 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 16:42:38 GMT -6
Harding's teeth clacked shut behind it as Fiera yanked it out of the water, and he squeaked irritably. "I know, sorry- I mean, good job Harding! Good go!" She said, tossing the fish back in the water. Harding accepted the treat, still a little miffed, but not enough to remain uncooperative. Fiera got another fish ready, dropping it in the water. "Harding, go!" She shouted and started sprinting alongside the pool. Harding was surprised but immediately began swimming after it towards the fish. She wanted to try this from multiple angles- after all, she was trying to teach him "go", to move in general, not "come". After she realized he was catching up, Fiera quickly yanked the fish up and out of the water, watching as her pet overshot towards the far side of the pool. That was good- it meant that he was willing to keep moving without a treat directly in front of him.
Fiera 3
Harding 16.3/18.3
Go 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 17:23:42 GMT -6
"Good go, Harding!" She said, tossing it to where he had stopped. He ate it, but slowly, as if still a little confused. She was going to try and get him to go without the use of a treat now- and hopefully to encourage any progress he'd make. She stood behind him this time, and pointed towards the far side of the pen. "Harding- go!" She shouted, and pointed towards the far side of the pen. He simply "looked" at her for a moment, as if waiting for her to show him where the treat was. Instead, she kept pointing. "Go! Go!" She shouted, hoping that something was getting through. Finally, he hesitantly swam a few feet foward before pausing and turning around again. "...Good enough! Good go, Harding!" Fiera said, tossing him another fish. When he was done eating, she tried the command again- hopefully he'd be a bit more enthusiastic this time.
Fiera 4
Harding 16.4/18.4
Go 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 17:40:58 GMT -6
"Harding, go!" She called, again pointing towards the far side of the pen. This time he moved more quickly and confidently, but still stopped when he reached the other end of the pen. Fiera was happy to toss him more treats, and she repeated it with him a few times for good measure. Once she was sure he had a good idea of what he needed to do, she gave him a break outside of the training pen as well, releasing him into the lake. From there she walked alongside him down the shore, and when she shouted "Go!" He'd rush on ahead of her, stopping whenever he lost "sight" of her and waiting for her to catch up. It had taken her a while to get him to understand the concept, but it looked like he had the idea of "Go" down pat. His next trick however, would require a lot less mobility.
Fiera 5
Harding 17.0/19.0
Go 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 21:01:33 GMT -6
After a few minutes, Fiera had Harding herded back into the holding pen. The next trick was quite easy- all she needed him to do was hold something in his mouth. Easy peasy, in theory. But what seemed simple to her- a creature with thumbs and a natural predilection for holding onto things- might seem quite strange to a neptica, who barely had limbs to speak of. Besides, it wasn't just holding something he needed to do, it was holding something and then keeping it there until she told him to release. A big difference. Regardless, it was best to get started right away. Fiera opened her bag and pulled out a yellow and purple rubber ball. It was about the size of a baseball- perfect for Harding to hold in his mouth. The humanish tucked it under one arm and made her way towards the water before patting the surface a few times. Fiera 6 Harding 17.1/19.1 Hold 1 |
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 21:08:00 GMT -6
The sound of her tapping the water attracted Harding, who rose from the depths like a goofy faced ghost. She knew his demeanor was more subdued than his facial expression implied however- he was probably wondering what she wanted. Fiera gently held a hand under his jaw, keeping his face in place and letting him balance on it. Then, she held up a fish- the perfect treat for him. A few brief echolocative clicks let him know what it was, and he instantly opened his mouth to eat it... only for Fiera to shove the rubber ball in there. "Hold, Harding!" She said, pushing his jaw up so he couldn't just spit it out again. Harding wiggled his head back and forth, thrashing his tail angrily. She couldn't imagine it tasted great but it wasn't like he had anything else he could hold it with. He would just have to deal with it.
Fiera 7
Harding 17.2/19.2
Hold 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 21:19:44 GMT -6
Still, she didn't want him getting so upset he wouldn't cooperate anymore, so after a few moments of the ball sitting in his mouth, she reached in and snatched it out again. Almost immediately, before he could close his mouth even, she replaced it with the fish she had been taunting him with but a few moments earlier. "Good hold, Harding." She said, and let him take a small break to finish eating. Slow and steady won the race. She stretched for a moment before tapping the water again, trying to get his attention back. He swam back and forth for a moment, "pacing" as if deciding whether or not that was worth it. Eventually he returned, and Fiera pressed the ball against his face. "Harding, hold." She said, hoping he would take it on his own this time. He was being fussy about it though- holding his mouth a bit open, but not enough to get the ball in.
Fiera 8
Harding 17.3/19.3
Hold 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Nov 12, 2023 21:27:10 GMT -6
"Harding, hold." Fiera said again, pushing the ball a little bit harder. Finally Harding acquiesced, leaning forward to take it and holding it gently between his front teeth. Fiera held up a finger. "Hold... hooooold... okay, good boy!" She said, and Harding instantly dropped the ball at her change of tone. Apparently he didn't like doing it for any longer than necessary. Fiera could sympathize, but frankly she was just glad he did it. She was happy to give him plenty of pats on the melon and fish for his trouble, and within a few minutes his mood had been brought up again. He seemed to get the general idea- now she just had to give him more tests to get it down pat. "Okay Harding- hold!" She said, this time holding the rubber ball in an open hand. If she was doing this right, he wouldn't need to be forced to take it.
Fiera 9
Harding 17.4/19.4
Hold 4
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