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Sub Dio
Feb 27, 2021 20:10:46 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 27, 2021 20:10:46 GMT -6
Only further practice would improve the wiurn's flighted prowess. But even as a new flier, seeing the maned beast in the air was a certain thrill! [Excellent, Alerios!], the leopard praised through their mental link. He pushed for the wiurn to stay flighted for a short spurt, then decided that was sufficient; gently leading the wiurn back to the ground. The landing was still rather rough, ending with a tumble. Xentus chuckled at the sight. That would definitely take some work to master. But the point of the exercise was to get in the air, they could worry about landing later!
"Ready to go again, Alé?", the man called to the beast once it seemed to be steady on its feet. It gave him a certain look, now filled with determination. "Take flight!" The leopard took off into the air, with wiurn following soon after. A dash, a leap, and a burst of wingbeats to fly in the sky.
Fly - 10
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 12:24:41 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 12:24:41 GMT -6
> Some time later...
Their time spent in the gym was tedious, but relatively short. Alerios was looking more limber, faster, and agile, even if only by a little bit. They were slated to return there soon enough though. In the meantime, there was more training to be done! The sleeping wiurn was prodded back into the world of the waking, opening its eyes groggily. "Wake up, Alé", the leopard told it, prodding some more. The man got a frosty exhale blown in his face as the beast uncoiled itself and rose to its feet with a grumble. And immediately got a tennis ball to the face. Alerios flinched and grumbled more, staring hard at its keeper. { ! ! ! }, the mental utterance was something between word and feeling. But it only caused a smile to rise on the leopard's muzzle. [Alé must be prepared at all times for something to strike! Few opponents grant the mercy of warnings!]
Danger Sense - 1
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 12:37:30 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 12:37:30 GMT -6
And with that merciful warning, the leopard threw another tennis ball at the wiurn. It bounced off its headplate and caused yet another flinch. The creature was distraught, eyes pleading for the keeper to explain what was going on and what it had done to deserve this violence. [Move, Alé! Dodge away! Watch me, and see where I might aim], the man instructed, tossing another tennis ball threateningly up and down. The wyvern wasn't entirely on board with this idea, still groggy and confused. And in turn, got pelted with another ball to the face. [The opponents we may face will not be as forgiving as a tennis ball, Alé. Focus!], the words were barked into his mind, slowly helping it understand what was going on. The next ball came hurling towards its face - and the wiurn ducked! Its face was spared, but its furred back was still hit.
Danger Sense - 2
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 12:50:18 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 12:50:18 GMT -6
[That won't do, Alé], the leopard told it with a disappointed tone, [Do not get struck, your face is not the only target an opponent might have]. The advice was sound and not entirely lost on the wiurn. It watched the man, waiting for the next ball to be tossed. Xentus stalked a few paces to the left, eyes locked on his target. An air of tension was building between the two as one waited for the chance to strike. And after a few more steps, the tennis ball was launched, sailing through the air to strike at the wiurn's wing. Despite their training for nimbleness, the wiurn had yet to put it into proper practice.. It moved its wing but just too late - and was struck by the ball. "No good!", the man called with disappointment in his voice, "Focus, Alerios!" The reptile snorted and shook its mane, trying to shake off its grogginess.
Danger Sense - 3
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 13:03:50 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 13:03:50 GMT -6
This wasn't exactly what it was expecting to wake up to.. But it was trying its best! Xentus could feel the growing determination of the beast. Good. He winded up for another toss and let the ball fly toward the creature's wing again. Alerios saw what to expect now and lifted its upper body from the ground with a firm push, narrowly dodging the bright yellow menace. "Yes! Excellent, Alé!", the praise came with a swath of excitement. But there was little time for the wiurn to celebrate - another ball came immediately hurling at it! And thunked against the creature's headplate. Alerios flinched from the impact, grumbling from the cheap shot. [There is rarely such a thing as a fair fight], the man warned. There was something sinister about those words.. But the wiurn was granted little time to contemplate them as yet another tennis ball came flying toward it.
Danger Sense - 4
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 13:47:44 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 13:47:44 GMT -6
The ball whizzed by as the wiurn jolted back, narrowly avoiding getting struck. It was awake and alert now - the same trick wasn't going to work twice! "Good, Alé, good", the man praised with a grin. It was looking like their gym training was paying off! But this was barely putting the beast to the test. The leopard had something else up his sleeve once this ball-throwing test grew too easy for the beast. After taking a moment to collect the tennis balls strewn about, the exercise started up again. "Ready?", the leopard called as he stalked around the wiurn. The creature stayed put, craning its neck to eye the man as he slowly circled. Then, the ball was loosed toward the wiurn's rear - and dodged with a quick side-step. "Good!" The praise came with a thrown ball, though the wiurn was no longer surprised. It was catching on and dodged accordingly, letting out a triumphant snort.
Danger Sense - 5
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 14:09:02 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 14:09:02 GMT -6
Xentus beamed proudly at the furred reptile, happy with its progress. The exercise was a simple one, but being able to avoid an oncoming attack would be a valuable talent in the ring. He was feeling good about moving on to the next step. There was more than what meets the eyes when it came to oncoming danger after all. It was time for the hood. "Alright, Alé, let us make things a little more difficult now", the man deviously told the beast as he strapped on the blinder. He could feel its quiet confusion. A chuckle escaped the man as he stepped away and bounced another ball in his hand. [Listen instead, now that you cannot see] He winded up and threw the ball over the creature's head in hopes of giving it some context. The wiurn tried to track the whizzing sound and ducked reflexively as the ball soared overhead.
Danger Sense - 6
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 14:20:57 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 14:20:57 GMT -6
But it was far too late. If the man had aimed true, the creature would've been struck. [Too slow!], Xentus barked through their telepathic link. Another tennis ball was thrown, still off-target. He aimed over the creature's body - "Focus!", the leopard warned. Alerios snorted and reeled back from the incoming ball - moments too late. That would be the last test shot he'd allow the wiurn. The leopard did his best to repress his feeling of anticipation for the wiurn to dodge so not to give it a false signal. A deep breath in steadied himself, and on exhale, a ball was thrown. He aimed for the headplate to give the wiurn the best chances of ducking. The creature must've gotten accustomed to the sound of a ball coming for the face by now, right? But the leopard struck his target, making the wiurn reel back in a flinch. More time and practice was needed.
Danger Sense - 7
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 15:43:32 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 15:43:32 GMT -6
No warnings, no sight. The wyvern had to rely on other senses. Alerios recovered from the impact and tried to focus on what it had available. It could hear the whistle as the ball flew by.. It could vaguely feel the air move its fur. One of the more telling signs, however, was the leopard's shuffling feet and light grunt before he threw. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Now the main challenge was to put these subtle clues together and dodge before it got pelted again.. The man stalked around again to find a target, settling on its right wing this time. He took in a sharp inhale as he winded up his throw, then sent the tennis ball flying toward its target. The wiurn perked up and began to move out of the way, lifting its wing. But the ball continued on to strike its torso instead, thudding off the creature's thick belly scales.
Danger Sense - 8
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 17:11:19 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 17:11:19 GMT -6
[Close! You're getting better, Alé], the leopard praised warmly. The wiurn was catching on, reacting to more than just seeing the ball coming. It seemed a little demoralized to get struck when it was concentrating so hard, but the praise lifted its spirits. With a deep breath, the creature refocused and readied itself for the next oncoming strike. Xentus steadily circled around the beast, finding a new spot to target. The back of that fluffy mane looked good - he could throw the ball much harder without having to worry about actually hurting the beast (though he was sure there was little he could do with his own strength to harm a wiurn regardless). The leopard steadied his aim and let the ball fly toward its target. Alerios heard it - the shuffle of feet. And it was coming from behind! It was harder to hear where the ball was heading exactly, but the wiurn gave its best effort, ducking down and out of the way.
Danger Sense - 9
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Sub Dio
Mar 6, 2021 17:32:44 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Mar 6, 2021 17:32:44 GMT -6
And cleared itself from the path of the ball. "Yes! Excellent, Alé!", Xentus cheered proudly. The wiurn perked up excitedly - it succeeded! An elated hiss escaped the creature, then it turned into a grumble as a tennis ball bounced off its hooded head. [Do not let your guard down], the leopard mischievously warned. {Not fair..}, Alerios grumbled in return. The man reiterated his stance on there being no such a thing as a fair fight, then threw another ball at the reptile mid-thought. Doing as its keeper advised, the wiurn remained alert to the incoming yellow menace and skirted the attack. Xentus could feel a rising smugness. "Good, good", he praised, acknowledging the quickly learned lesson. The last tennis ball was tossed up and down as the man contemplated his final attack. He paced slowly.. Then launched the ball to strike! His aim was true, whirling straight for the chest. Feeling the incoming attack, the wyvern tucked its wings and lifted itself out of the way - much to the leopard's delight.
Danger Sense - 10
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Post by Xentus on Mar 8, 2021 2:18:17 GMT -6
That went far better than expected. Though he supposed an animal's intuition was a lot stronger than his own - even if he were more animalistic in nature himself. The leopard gave the creature a short applause, then walked over to remove the hood. "Good job, Alerios", he cooed gently as he stroked that fluffy blue mane, "This one is very proud, you learn so well!" Their shared link buzzed with pride and happiness. The wiurn hissed and nudged its head plate into its keeper's cheek affectionately. To earn such praise was a high reward! The two relished in the other's company for few minutes. There was still more work to be done, but what would a little break hurt? The leopard found himself perched atop a gnarled tree root and the wiurn coiled itself at his feet, contemplating taking a nap. [This one is curious; what do you dream of, Alé?]
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Post by Xentus on Mar 8, 2021 2:31:00 GMT -6
The winged reptile tilted its head at the man as it contemplated this question. Xentus could hear the buzzing words of unrefined thought - murmurs of flight, winter, snow, and starry nights melded together. It took a moment, but the beast finally responded properly, {Dream of cold and snow}. Simple, but it matched the wiurn quite well. A smile lifted the man's lip as he reached to stroke the creature's mane. [That sounds like a wonderful thing to dream of, Alé], he told it gently. He remembered how happy the beast seemed to just frolic in piles of fresh powder. To be immersed in its element had to be an amazing feeling. And thinking of feeling.. He hardly realized when it happened, but being able to feel another's feelings was rather strange, wasn't it? For some creatures, sharing emotions was normal - like with the ling-ling or the lola. But to have this link with a wiurn was an interesting experience.
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Post by Xentus on Mar 8, 2021 2:39:32 GMT -6
Now, he knew of means to artificially create this kind of emotional bond - there were magic ribbons for this very purpose. But.. How did this happen between he and the winged beast? Was their bond this strong after all? The man mused on this concept for the moment, leaving the wiurn to its own thoughts (and potential nap). His bond with Astraea or Basantai was a special sort - one which linked their hearts. But not their minds or emotions. But perhaps with time, he could accomplish this with them too.. He liked this idea. Such closeness was difficult to find anywhere other than in the company of beasts. Content with exploring this train of thought, he broke free from the confines of his mind and began exploring his pack instead. Some food and drink and then they'd return to their training, assuming he wouldn't need to spend a few minutes waking the wyvern..
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Post by Xentus on Mar 8, 2021 2:49:05 GMT -6
[Try not to fall too deeply into sleep, Alé], the leopard tried to warn the creature. It huffed an exasperated exhale as if to dismiss the warning, not even giving a mental response. Xentus only sighed. Well, Alerios did earn himself a break. They'd been training for this tournament for quite some time, and the remaining lessons were growing short. Of the more viable things to try to teach the wiurn, there were only three. To become more threatening. To use those wings to attack. And to bellow a great roar (or trumpet). And perhaps continue some agility training at the gym, should they have time to. And that was all they'd need to be 'battle ready', he'd decided. There was a lot he learned from his first bout in the pit with Mira. Speed prevailed, and flight was a valuable strategy to remain out of reach. For a frail mosca, thiese tactics were great.
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