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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 13, 2021 18:33:49 GMT -6
He leapt up and grabbed it out of the air before she could even try and get another ball in there. Maybe it was just because Fiera was starting to get tired, but the longer she threw balls for, the more it seemed that Victor was able to predict her moves and get out of the way himself before she was even able to toss the ball. It seemed like every single dodgeball she threw now, no matter the color, texture, or size he was able to dodge with at least a foot of space to spare. In fact, despite thinking she wasn’t going to have to exert much energy today, Fiera found herself sweating and panting anyway. Huh. Well, at least she had been wearing exercise clothing to start with. Finally, her arms were shaking and her fingers trembling too much for her to even be able to aim well anymore. “Okay Victor, I think… we’re just about done.” She said, panting and putting her hands on her knees. She heard a familiar clicking of nails approach her. Aw, was he coming to see if she was okay? ...No. Victor walked right past her and over to the door, sitting down and looking at her pointedly. She sighed. “Alright then. Guess we’re going home then!” She said, going to join him.
Fiera 10 Victor 38.0/40.0 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 17:34:33 GMT -6
Fiera was freshly gussied up- hair washed, skin moisturized, clothes pressed and fluffed. Victor was well rested too, though he resisted Fiera’s intense attempts to brush him like last time. They both needed the time to rest, though. They had recently come back from a mining venture that had left the pair of them closer as friends and teammates, but also completely exhausted and filthy. Now that they were rested and recuperated, they had the energy to try something else- namely, another go at the training gym. Last time, Fiera had helped her arcane rakai sarane work on his dexterity, but she knew he could do even better. Sure he was good at fancy footwork, but she knew that he could still push the envelope if she worked him a little harder. Victor was never particularly enthusiastic for any of the adventures Fiera dragged him on, but he was no slouch either. If Fiera asked him to do something, he’d do it- and do it well. On some level, Fiera knew he was glad to have an owner that pushed him so hard, driving him to reach his full potential. But for that to happen, they had to get to the training gym. Fiera 1 Victor 48.1/50.1 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 17:37:14 GMT -6
Thankfully, they were pretty close already, with Victor leading the way for once. Fiera wondered if he knew the path from last time, bringing them there based on what he assumed Fiera was doing. If that was the case though, he gave no indicator, even as they turned the corner leading to the training gym. The building looked the same as last time- a tall, slate grey, repurposed warehouse. The light glinted dully off of the glazed windows, and even now Fiera could hear the distant sounds of shrill whistles and shouts as pet owners trained their creatures for the upcoming tournament. That was admittedly Fiera’s main reason for pushing Victor so hard right now. If he was going to stand a chance of winning in the so called “non-unique” free for all that was in just a couple of weeks, then he would need to get a lot stronger than he was right now. And frankly, Fiera would be a failure of a trainer if she didn’t get him there. How could she watch him fight- and lose- if she couldn’t say that she did absolutely everything possible to make sure he won, or at least had a fighting chance? The guilt would be immeasurable.
Fiera 2 Victor 48.2/50.2 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 17:37:54 GMT -6
She breathed in the clammy air as they entered the training gym. The air conditioning here was always on full blast with how much the inhabitants tended to break a sweat. That would certainly be the case with Victor in a little while. She aimed to make him more dextrous today- though instead of focusing on his ability to dodge and make sharp turns like last time, this time she wanted to focus on his raw speed. It might be a bit more boring for both of them, sure, but it would have immeasurable benefit on the battlefield. Whoever hit first, won first, in a general sense. And with the strategy Fiera had in mind, Victor would certainly need to rely on his speed and wits to survive. The humanish held her rakai sarane’s leash close as she approached the front desk. A different receptionist was on duty this time, which meant that Fiera had another chance to try and make a good first impression. “Well, hello there.” She said, leaning over the counter and flicking her long furred, black tail from side to side. “I’m Fiera Ferella, and this is Victor. We’d like to train his dexterity today.” She said casually.
Fiera 3 Victor 48.3/50.3 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 17:38:19 GMT -6
“Alright then.” The receptionist said, quirking an eyebrow. “Do you have a membership card with us…?” He continued. Oh right. She forgot about that. “Uh, yes! Sorry. I have it in here somewhere…” She said, blushing as she dropped her backpack and dug through it. Where was her wallet? She remembered to bring it, right? Victor just sighed and looked off in another direction. Finally she managed to fish her membership card out, fumbling it awkwardly before finally handing it to the receptionist with a grin she meant to come off as confident, but most likely came off as “serial killer”. The man took it gingerly, checked the name, and immediately handed it back. “Lovely. Thank you for your patronage, Miss Ferella. Feel free to use any room available.” Fiera couldn’t get out of there fast enough, tossing everything back into her backpack with no regards for which pocket it was going in and snatching up Victor’s leash again. “Excellent! Perfect! Thank you! I’ll get out of your hair now!” She said, punctuated with a high pitched giggle, and skittered out of there as quickly as possible. After she was out of eyesight, she growled as loudly as she dared and stomped through the halls instead.
Fiera 4 Victor 47.4/50.4 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 17:38:57 GMT -6
Why couldn’t she ever make a good impression with the receptionists? Honestly, everyone who worked here probably thought she was insane by this point. She bit her lip as she glanced through the rooms. Whatever. At least she was in the building now, and could focus on what she came here for. If she was going for raw speed, she’d probably want to look for a room with a treadmill or perhaps a running track. In fact… she stopped near a door with a glass window in the upper half, and saw the distinct lines of a track behind it. That would do! Just as she had that thought though, a spotted blur zipped past the window, and she saw a mosca skid to a stop on the other side of the track. Perhaps not, then. To her delight though, the next room clearly had a line of treadmills in near the far wall. And as she opened the door to the room, she saw that no one else was in there. Perfect! “Okay Victor, ready?” She said, casting a glance over her shoulder at the rakai sarane. He poked his head in right away, glancing around the room while sniffing loudly.
Fiera 5 Victor 49.0/51.0 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 17:39:26 GMT -6
The treadmills were extra long too, perfect for a large creature with four legs (instead of two) to run on it and not worry about slipping off the back. Fiera immediately approached the closest one, leading her pet along behind her. The controls looked easy enough, and they were set up such that Fiera could control them by hitting switches from the front. The floor behind the treadmill was also heavily padded in case of tripping accidents, which Fiera greatly appreciated… though hopefully they wouldn’t need it. There was also a “horn” under the controls that was perfect for Fiera to tie a leash to, which she did right away. “Okay Victor, let’s get this done.” She said, rubbing her hands together. She crouched down in front of the treadmill and set it to its lowest setting. “Victor- come!” She said, as the treadmill started moving. The rakai followed the command and began walking forward. At this speed, it was just a leisurely stroll. To help him get the hang of this and understand what he was doing however, Fiera held up a meaty treat (frequently used with canines) in front of him. Victor’s ears perked up at the sight of it.
Fiera 6 Victor 49.1/51.1 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 17:39:55 GMT -6
He trotted just a little bit faster with the offer of a treat and sped up enough to snatch it out of Fiera’s hand before slowing down. “Oh, good job, Victor!” She said, before untying Victor now that she knew he wasn’t going to just hop off the treadmill. The last thing she wanted was for him to trip and get choked by his own collar while the treadmill rug burned his fur off. He hardly seemed to notice as she unclasped the leash from his collar. The next step then was to turn the treadmill up a notch. It wasn’t too hard for Fiera to hit the button a couple times, though Victor noticed the change in speed right away, switching from a brisk walk to a canter. “That’s it, you’re doing a good job!” Fiera chirped again before offering him another treat. Just like before, Victor tried speeding up to grab it from her, though it took him a minute to adjust his speed and rhythm to avoid overshooting the treadmill and biting Fiera’s fingers off. Fiera knew he wouldn’t intentionally hurt her by now, but that didn’t mean that accidents didn’t happen. She’d like to keep all of her fingers though, thanks.
Fiera 7 Victor 49.2/51.2 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 17:40:25 GMT -6
Once he felt ready though, he dashed forward and grabbed the treat from the humanish’s fingers, sliding back some on the treadmill as he swallowed it. “Good job, Victor!” She praised as he returned to form, bringing himself back to the center of the treadmill. Now it was time to crank things up a notch and actually get him running at a speed he’d need to use in battle. Once again, Fiera crept her hand up the treadmill and hit the button to increase the speed. Victor almost stumbled as the treadmill kicked up, going from a canter to a trot to a gallop to a full sprint. Fiera held up two treats this time, just trying to keep him dashing and keep him motivated. She didn’t need him to get too tired and give up. “That’s it, Victor! Come and get it!” She said. Even though he was already at full speed, he wanted that food- and Fiera was sure that he wanted to improve himself as well. He let out a determined snarl as he pushed himself further, stretching his neck out toward the treats. His feet flew above the treadmill as he tried harder and hard and finally grabbed the food from Fiera’s hand.
Fiera 8 Victor 49.3/51.3 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 19:00:08 GMT -6
He finally stepped to the side after that, panting as he set the treats down to eat them in a more leisurely fashion. Fiera didn't object- she was training dexterity, not stamina, and he was thus allowed to do this in short sprints. Once he finished eating however, Fiera cranked the treadmill up another notch. He definitely noticed the belt increasing in speed, but she was still determined to coax him onto it. She cooed and called and eventually moved on to begging, but Victor wouldn't hop on. She sighed. And pulled out another treat. "Come on, Victor." She said, hoping desperately that he would agree. To her relief though, he did. He heaved a sigh, bunched up a bit... and leapt onto the treadmill, his feet flailing wildly. For a moment, Fiera thought he would fall- but he regained his balance and kept going, running faster than he ever had before. "Oh, that's it! You're doing so good! Come here!" She said, and he surged forward even more, snapping wildly. Fiera cringed, hoping those wouldn't catch her hand, but she knew his bites would be even more wild if she didn't hold steady. She took a deep breath, and he did too... and he finally grabbed it out of her hand.
Fiera 9 Victor 49.4/41.4 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 15, 2021 19:29:06 GMT -6
"Yeah, good job!" Fiera said, thrilled. The second he grabbed the treat however, he stepped off of the treadmill to take another break. Fiera allowed it- but encouraged him to get back on right after. They kept going like that, a few strides on, a few off. After nearly two hours, Victor saw massive improvement in his top speed- more than Fiera was expecting, admittedly. Still, it was faster than rakai sarane were known to run, based on the reading Fiera was getting off of the treadmill. Victor had met her goal- and had easily blown past it, reaching new highs. Fiera smiled... and turned the treadmill off. "You did a great job, Victor." She said, ruffling the fur on his head. In a moment, all of the tension in Victor's shoulders unwound. It looked like he had as many expectations for himself as Fiera did, and now he was allowed to step down, both literally and metaphorically. Without further ado, he hopped off of the treadmill and came around the side, waiting politely for Fiera to repack and pick up her bag again before swinging it onto her back. She clipped the leash to Victor's collar and just like that, they were off- a little faster than before.
Fiera 10 Victor 50.0/52.0 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 10:41:04 GMT -6
Fiera had spent quite some time by now getting Victor pumped up for the upcoming free for all tournament. They had done two sessions at the gym already, training up Victor’s dexterity. He was quite quick and nimble by now, probably to the absolute limit, but Fiera knew he could still improve in other ways. Additionally, she had spent the last week training as many tricks and fighting moves possible. He had a large repetoire of attacks now, but Fiera still had a few more she felt he needed to know before she would be comfortable putting him out on the battle field. What could she say? She was protective of her big blue puppy. With that in mind, they were now back out on the town, on their way to the training gym. Fiera had thought about what else to teach him a lot since he had finished up learning dexterity. Eventually she had settled on his stamina. Victor was strong, that was for sure, and plenty fast now too. But eventually he WAS going to get hit whether he liked it or not, and she wanted to be sure that he wouldn’t go down in just one hit. Fiera 1 Victor 61.1/63.1 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:09:24 GMT -6
Helping Victor to improve his stamina would let him fight better for longer, even if he took a hit or two. Thankfully, there were plenty of ways to teach it. They just had to get into the gym first. Luckily, they were walking right up on it. It was easy to see the gym before you even got there- the massive warehouse towered above a lot of the other buildings in this district. Most the buildings in this area were low and flat as industrial districts usually were, with the training gym standing tall amongst them. Fiera was pretty glad for it though- it meant a lot less people were milling around that Fiera had to yank potentially dangerous creatures away from. Granted, the gym required your pet to be well trained in obedience before you brought them in, but accidents could always happen and a lot of the creatures Fiera trained could be… volatile. Victor wasn’t like that, thank goodness, but that was only because he was so loyal to her now. When she first adopted him, he was pretty much a wild animal. It took Fiera a long time and a LOT of work to get him this used to her.
Fiera 2 Victor 61.2/63.2 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:09:52 GMT -6
He barely even sniffed at all the new smells that popped up when they entered the training gym now, instead sticking close to Fiera. They had various training tools and protein packs lining the entryway of the gym, enticing people to buy something before they came in. The humanish ignored all of it though- it was mostly flashy packaging, in her opinion. A real trainer could easily do without. Instead, she walked right up to the front desk, flashing a dazzling smile. “Hello there! Fiera Ferella with Victor the arcane rakai sarane. Looking to check in. Stamina training. Here’s my membership card.” She explained, leaning over the desk a little too far. The receptionist took it politely and glanced at it for a moment before handing it back. “...Thanks.” They said, before getting out a binder. They scribbled something in it briefly before handing it back to Fiera and gesturing to a line on it with their pen. “Just sign there please?” They said. Fiera took the pen and drew her signature, full of elegant loops and swoops. She happily pushed the binder back at the receptionist, and they snapped it closed. “Cool, thanks. You can head on back. Have a good workout.” They said, apparently a little bored.
Fiera 3 Victor 61.3/63.3 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:10:20 GMT -6
Fiera shrugged- it was no skin off of her back if they didn’t like their job much. At least they were in now. She gave a couple of quick tugs on Victor’s leash to let him know they were going, and he yawned and stood up, following Fiera dutifully. She trekked through the hall with her rakai sarane following behind, looking for a room that matched their needs. There were plenty of racing tracks, but none that really had anything that screamed “stamina”. They mostly encouraged pets to run fast and not to run for a long time. The gym was a lot busier today too, she noticed. Not that she could really blame them- the tournament was coming up fast, and people were really starting to realize that they needed to get training if they were going to be in tip top shape for it. That made Fiera more smug than anything else, though. She had gotten the drop on them to be sure, having gotten started on her training weeks ago. Her and Victor were likely far more ready than they were, and would probably be at the front of the pack when the tournament began.
Fiera 4 Victor 61.4/63.4 4
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