|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:10:43 GMT -6
Just as Fiera was thinking that, she walked by a familiar room and glanced in it, her ears flicking up with interest. Ah, that was right. The treadmill room. She had used this to train Victor’s dexterity last time. She had had her rakai sarane sprint on the treadmills, building up his speed over time. Each time he had finished a burst however, he was panting and wheezing. Heck, he was doing that even after running at his normal speeds. Well, no more! Fiera decided that that would be the focus of their training today. The longer he could hold on and keep running for, the better. With any luck, she’d be able to get him to maintain a good speed for at least a couple of minutes. Most fights in the pit didn’t last much longer than that, so he should be fine by that point. Still, getting him to do it to start with was important. After all, having a lot of speed and dexterity in the fighting pit was good, but it didn’t really count if you could only do it once. Your opponent would be on you the second you let your guard down, whether you meant to or not.
Fiera 5 Victor 62.0/64.0 5
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:11:10 GMT -6
Still, Fiera could train that out of him. Swishing her tail once, Fiera grabbed the door knob and pulled. The door swung open smoothly, and Fiera poked her head in to take a look around. It looked like they were alone, so she stepped on in. Sure enough nobody here. “Sweet, looks like we’ve got the place to ourselves, Victor!” She said, closing the door behind them as Victor followed in afterwards. The treadmills were perfectly designed for creatures to run on, long and low to the ground for larger four legged creatures to walk on. There was a spot for an extendable lead to be tied to the treadmill, and the controls were on the outside of the machine instead of toward the inside- for the owners of the pets to operate while their creatures were walking or running. Fiera was familiar with the setup by now, and when she led Victor over to it he stepped on without protest, apparently remembering it as well. Then, she tied his leash to the little “horn” meant for it. It was an extendable leash, so she didn’t have to worry about it choking him should he fall off. It was more so he’d THINK he couldn’t run off while wearing it.
Fiera 6 Victor 62.1/64.1 6
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:11:39 GMT -6
She had plenty of treats too, in a packet stuffed in her back pocket. She usually gave this type to her houluh, but Victor seemed to like them well enough too. With everything set up, Fiera saw no reason not to start. “Ready, Victor?” She asked rhetorically before flipping the switch on the treadmill. She started him up easily enough, on one of the lowest settings. He started moving at a good amble, and Fiera cranked it up until he was just barely trotting, not very fast at all. And then… she left it like that. Every couple of minutes though, she’d give him a treat. He happily ate them at first. After all, it was free food for what was, honestly, not a lot of work at all. After about ten minutes though, she could see his energy start to flag. He was really working for it now. When it was time to give him a treat again though, she gave him a couple instead of just one. “You’re doing great, Victor!” She said sweetly, trying to keep him going for as long as possible. He accepted the treats but whined slightly, clearly getting tired. With Fiera’s encouragement though, he kept on trotting.
Fiera 7 Victor 62.2/64.2 7
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:12:00 GMT -6
After nearly twenty minutes of trotting though, Victor was just about done. She had offered him nearly five treats, but he kept trying to step off the treadmill. Eventually she relented and let him, unclipping his leash so he could hop off. The rakai sarane stood there and panted before flopping onto the ground between treadmills. Fiera sank down to join him, sitting on the side of one. She set the treats in front of his snout and he ate them lazily, licking them up like an anteater. She ruffled the fur on his head. “You did a good job, Victor!” She said, and he thumped his tail against the ground happily. He had done a good job, actually- that wasn’t a terrible speed he had been keeping up. Of course, he’d need to go even faster next time, but they could work up to that. Once Victor got his energy back however, she walked him back up onto the treadmill again. “Ready to go, Victor?” She said. It was a mostly rhetorical question though- Victor never showed a great amount of enthusiasm for anything. He was obeying her though, so he must have been somewhat satisfied with his break.
Fiera 8 Victor 62.3/64.3 8
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:12:20 GMT -6
The humanish hooked him back up again and cranked the speed up again, this time a few notches past what she did last time until he was finally running. Their last go round had just been a test drive. Hopefully Victor would be feeling a bit more hale and hearty this time and would be able to keep it up for nearly the same amount of time as last time… or at least as long as a normal pit match lasted. Just like last time, she fed him at regular increments with steadily increasing numbers of treats to keep encouraging him to go for longer and longer times. The first time she did this, he was only able to keep running for nearly five minutes before he had to stop, practically stumbling off of the treadmill. Fiera didn’t yell at him, and instead just sat there and patted him on the head quietly as he caught his breath. The nice thing about Victor however was that he never gave up easily. She didn’t need to lead him onto the treadmill the next time. Instead, he just hopped right up on his own, as if to say “Okay, let’s get this over with.”
Fiera 9 Victor 62.4/64.4 9
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 19, 2021 19:12:40 GMT -6
Fiera was more than happy to oblige. Stamina training took a lot longer than speed training, and she hardly wanted to check her watch right now to cringe at it. Like before, she cranked up the speed and let him run, watching and listening as his nails clacked against the rubber trail rhythmically. He huffed loudly as the treadmill flew under his feet, trying to keep pace with it as he went. Fiera encouraged him every step of the way, even though he was going a bit too fast to take treats easily. Still, he grabbed them when he could and kept going for as long as possible. The second time she tried it, he lasted ten minutes. The third, fifteen. Eventually though, he numbers started creeping up against, and Fiera figured it was due to just plain exhaustion. It was getting pretty late in the day after all, and he had been going for a long time- even the most durable creatures would be feeling pretty worn out by now. The humanish began to pack up their equipment, letting Victor flop on the ground for a while as she did so. She was leaving with a sense of satisfaction however- she knew that Victor now had more stamina than he walked in with.
Fiera 10 Victor 63.0/65.0 10
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:01:24 GMT -6
One more round of work at the training gym. They could do that. Victor was getting pretty close to the end of his tournament preparation, but there was still a lot left for them to do. He knew a lot of moves and had a lot of abilities down, but there were still several more than Fiera wanted to teach him. He had pretty much maxed out his dexterity and had worked on his stamina some, but there was still more for him to learn. And after that, she was sure she would still have at least a little bit of time to train him at the gym some more. But they were definitely over the hump now, and this gym session would probably be their second to last. As if cheering them on, the bright spring sun hung in the sky overhead in the mid-morning, practically following them on the pair’s way through the now-familiar streets of the industrial part of town. Fiera barely glanced up when she spotted the massive bulk of the training gym up ahead. Sure it was an easy landmark to spot, but by this point Fiera had the path to it down via muscle memory. Fiera 1 Victor 73.1/75.1 1
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:01:44 GMT -6
She was pretty sure that Victor could make his way there with his eyes closed, so long as he kept his nose open. He only barely scented the air as they walked, so familiar with the sights, sounds, and smells in this part of town by now. There was very little it had to offer him by now that was new- though he knew that Fiera had some fresh new method of slow torture to put him through when he got there. Sure his abilities were always improved afterward, but it was never pleasant getting through it. Still, at least by now he knew that these training sessions always ended and so he didn’t put up a fuss as Fiera stepped through the front doors of the gym, leading her arcane rakai sarane in after her. Shelves of brightly colored supplements and training aides lined the path to the front desk, but the pair hardly glanced at them. Fiera had never needed them to get through training, and she wasn’t about to start now. Instead, the humanish made her way straight to the front desk, with Victor peering up at the receptionist by her side. The humanish didn’t recognize them- how many receptionists did this place have?
Fiera 2 Victor 73.2/75.2 2
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:02:01 GMT -6
“Hello there!” Fiera said, opening up her hot pink wallet and getting out her gym membership card now before she could forget later. “I’m here for a training session with my rakai sarane here. Names are Fiera Ferella-” She winked. “And Victor.” She slid the card over the desk toward the receptionist, letting the small mousey humanish take a look at it. “Let’s see, Fiera… yes, that matches. Thank you!” She said, passing the card back. “Just give me one moment here…” The receptionist flipped open a large logbook, scanning down the pages until she came to the most recent one. “Here we are. Sign here please.” She said, getting out a pen to point at the appropriate line before handing it to Fiera. Ms.Ferella signed her signature with her usual flourishes and handed the book back. “Perfect. Have a nice session!” The receptionist said, offering her a dazzling smile. “Can do!” Fiera said, waving back and sashaying away from the front desk with Victor click-clacking along behind her. For once, a receptionist that wasn’t rude! And Fiera didn’t mess up the interaction with her! Times really were a changing- and now she felt even more encouraged to get started.
Fiera 3 Victor 73.3/75.3 3
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:02:20 GMT -6
Fiera scanned the rooms as she walked by them, looking for a good place to train Victor stamina. Last time they had gone for a treadmill and worked on how long he could run for, which worked out perfectly well. But she didn’t want to use the exact same method twice. First and foremost because that would be boring, and Fiera abhorred boredom. But also because she wanted Victor to be flexing some different muscles this time around, so to speak. He had already improved as much as he could on the treadmill- what else could he do? As a result, Fiera found herself continually skipping rooms and moving on to the next ones, glancing in each one and immediately writing it off as useless. Eventually she ended up leaving the “land dwelling” section of the gym entirely, finding herself inside a larger room strewn with huge pools, smelling of salt and fresh water. “...Oh.” She said to herself awkwardly, looking around. A couple of them were in use already, occupied by creatures such as pliathor and majikiuma. Victor perked up at the sight of them- he had never seen such creatures before! Fiera kept a close grip on his leash, however- neither of those were species she wanted him messing with.
Fiera 4 Victor 73.4/75.4 4
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:02:39 GMT -6
Perhaps there were more land species rooms beyond this one? Fiera kept walking, powering her way through and trying to not make eye contact. As she neared the far end of the room though, she noticed something to her left. It was a pool, not too different from the others. Circular, filled with water. But unlike the others, it wasn’t too wide- only about twenty feet- and it looked quite shallow too. Fiera tugged Victor in its direction, wanting to at least check it out. Someone had left some training weights next to it too- perhaps they had been strength training an aquatic pet and forgot to put them away? Fiera checked a printed tile near the edge of the pool. It was only about two feet deep. You know… that might work. Stamina was about being able to move for a long time, but it was also about being able to withstand difficult conditions and push through them. And what was a more difficult condition for a four footed pet than a pool of water?
Fiera 5 Victor 74.0/76.0 5
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:02:56 GMT -6
Specifically, she was hoping that he could strengthen his muscles to work a bit harder than usual for longer by swimming, as resistance based training as opposed to weight- based training. Of course, she COULD weigh him down a little- she glanced back at those weights- but the strain it put on his joints would be counteracted by the water holding him up. “Okay Victor, get in!” She said, gesturing to the pool. He sat down and gave her a withering glare. Fiera sighed and sent a very distinct series of images through the telepathic connection afforded to them through their ribbon of telepathy. Victor needed to get in the water. And walk around the edge in a circle. Victor whined. She sent the image harder. Finally he huffed loudly and put a foot in. Thankfully it wasn’t cold Fiera noted, sticking a finger in. In fact, it was near bath temperature- perfect for a water hating wolf. After a painstaking length of time, he finally got all four feet in, trying to hold himself so as little of him got wet as possible. The water was tall enough to reach his chest however, and his tail sizzled slightly as the flames on it were (temporarily) put out as it sunk into the water.
Fiera 6 Victor 74.1/76.1 6
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:03:16 GMT -6
He was a soggy doggie. Hopefully however, Fiera could distract him from his physical comfort with a different form of physical discomfort, getting him working on his stamina some more. With that in mind, she dropped her backpack and pulled out his treats for the day- a cooler full of nice cold chunks of meat. They were Victor’s utter favorite, and he clearly got a little happier when she pulled them out, even if he hated himself for doing so. “Okay Victor, come here!” She said, holding the treat down near the perimeter of the pool. The pool was just deep enough that he couldn’t walk right, so instead he had to half jump, half swim, half walk all the way over to her, exercising muscles that he didn’t usually use. “That’s it Victor, come on!” She said, backing away from him along the perimeter of the pool, ensuring that he couldn’t get close enough to actually steal it from her hand. Instead, she slowly led him around the edge of the pool, ensuring that he was working himself at full force the whole time. “That’s it, you can do it!” Fiera said, encouraging him to follow her the whole time.
Fiera 7 Victor 74.2/76.2 7
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:03:32 GMT -6
When they got back to their starting point (as marked by her backpack), Fiera finally let him have the treat, practically shoving it in his mouth as a reward. The rakai sarane crunched it down quickly, especially as Fiera was getting out another one before he was even done. She wanted his movement to be continual, after all- she wanted him to have as little downtime as possible, instead working on making sure his movement was steady and continual. “Okay Victor, let’s go again.” She said, holding the treat in the same position as before. The rakai sarane was a little bit winded, but he wasn’t down and out yet. Just like before, the humanish traced the perimeter of the pool, leading him further and further despite his body no doubt wanting to give up. He started growling quietly as they went, clearly pushing himself to go further and further, but unable to keep up the same place. By the time they got back to their original position again, he was panting. He ate the treat, but propped his front two feet up on the edge of the pool for a moment to rest. Fiera decided to let him sit for a bit.
Fiera 8 Victor 74.3/76.3 8
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on May 23, 2021 12:03:47 GMT -6
After all, she wanted him to improve his stamina, not outright hurt himself. They could work on getting him to swim for longer. She sat politely for a few minutes until he had stopped panting and finally seemed ready to go again. Like before, she offered him another piece of meat as a reward, but tried to go at a slightly faster pace this time, leading him around the edge of the pool. Now that he had had time to rest, Victor seemed more invigorated and eager to go, able to keep up with ease and even making a few test snaps at the meat every now and then. By the time they finished a single loop, he wasn’t even panting… so Fiera decided to push him just a little bit further, and started a second loop without hesitation. They finished that as well, and it was only by the third loop that Victor seemed to be tiring a bit, which led Fiera to finally give him the treat and letting him take a little bit of a break. Next time though, she’d turn up the heat… and put those weights on his back. She smiled at Victor. “I’m sure you can handle it.”
Fiera 9 Victor 74.4/76.4 9
|
|