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Sub Dio
Feb 10, 2020 22:18:58 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 10, 2020 22:18:58 GMT -6
Exactly as expected. The threat of the whistle was enough to spook the golden avian out of misbehaving. That was good; he didn't like using it against her. Xentus praised the giant golden owl with a treat and some encouraging words, happy with her progress thus far. She was a quick learner, thought he expected as much. He was told that these creatures could easily attune to their keepers, especially if they were young. Though, Mashiik wasn't exactly a young Alurook.
Xentus had a small smile on his muzzle as he watched the bird watching him. She was attentive, very much so. But it seemed the lull of the meats scattered about the training plot was starting to get to her. It wasn't too long before she was starting to wander her attention to an errant little snack.
"Mashiik! No.", he commanded the bird sternly. It was enough to have the bird's head snap back to meet his eyes to give him an apologetic stare.
"Good."
No - 7
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 20:52:34 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 20:52:34 GMT -6
Alright now, time for something different. Xentus felt fairly satisfied with the basic obedience training for now, and set his sights to the fun part. Mount training. Sure, he had his wiurns, but there was a strange allure to riding atop a giant golden owl that wouldn't be satisfied from those reptiles. Any of his large creatures should be trained as a mount really. Who doesn't like variety?
The leopard spend some time cleaning up the meaty mess, then turned his attention to his pack. A length of braided rope to turn into a makeshift brindle. Back to the owl, the mammalian man called the avian over and was greeted by a beak softly nibbling at his gloved hand. With the other, he draped a length of rope over the Alurook's beak, much to her disgust. She reeled back with a confused 'roo?'.
"Shh, it's ok, Mashiik. Good, good. It's ok", he cooed, beckoning for the creature to lower its head again. This may take some time..
Tack Up - 1
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 21:40:05 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 21:40:05 GMT -6
The giant golden owl took some interest in the rifling of the mammalian man through his belongings. Mostly due to food interest. With the little morsels swept off the plot, there was nothing tasty to distract herself with. How disappointing.. Her curious pale yellow eyes watched him intently, waiting for her calling. Which wasn't too long of a wait.
She pranced up to him, nuzzling against his gloved hand for her treat. But there was none. Instead, she got a filthy rope draped over her beak! Her head recoiled back, trying to make sense of this. But, he beckoned her back.. Tentatively, the owl's beak returned to its owner's palm. She was wary of that rope. The leopard seemed to notice this, however, and held the rope away for a moment so she could examine it better. And slowly this time, the rope was brought closer until it touched her beak. Mashiik wasn't sure what his aim was, but it certainly was weird.
Tack Up - 2
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 21:49:22 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 21:49:22 GMT -6
"Very good, Mashiik. See, not so bad, yes?", Xentus cooed gently as he introduced this weird rope concept to his pet bird. The Alurook were quite intelligent creatures, perceptive and curious. Wiurns were easy, in comparison, to get to have things touching them or on them without much fuss aside from meat getting shoved into their jaws. He rubbed her beak with the rope, assuring her it wasn't going to come to life and coil around her neck. The owl seemed to be much less fussy with this approach.
Now, to gently wrap it over her beak and... No, not happening. She was much less happy about that, recoiling again from this strange action. "No, no, Mashiik, it's ok", he spoke gently in his best attempts to reassure her. In response, the owl fluffed up and shook her feathers as if trying to rid herself of the discomfort. And warily, her head lowered back down to the mammalian man, large round eyes carefully trying to assess what was going on.. Or perhaps pleading for a treat.
Tack Up - 3
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 22:09:03 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 22:09:03 GMT -6
Oh, those eyes. Xentus looked at the large, wide eyes staring at him. It was hard to tell when would be a good point to reward her for her patience, but the time seemed to be much sooner than he had hoped. He hadn't made much progress, but if it persuaded her to behave.. Ah, what was the harm? With a sigh, he gave in to her wishes and fetched a morsel from his pack. This time, in the form of a tube of round little treat-balls. These were probably made for vulticus or rakai, but they were meat based so it shouldn't hurt to give a couple to an Alurook. Carefully, he offered the orb to the owl, rope at the ready. Her beak was immediately drawn to the idea of a snack, and nipped at the round object. It was difficult for her to get a hold on it.. And Xentus used this to his advantage, taking the opportunity to drape the rope over the pecking beak.
Tack Up - 4
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 22:14:09 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 22:14:09 GMT -6
What a slippery little snack. Her beak couldn't find purchase on the shape. The leopard was holding it firmly, as if to tease her inability to snatch it from him. Which only made her try all the harder. Not too hard as to accidentally chomp on the leather-gloved hand, but he would definitely be feeling the grazes and pokes from her beak. Mashiik hardly noticed the rope draped before her nose. It was quite the minor feeling, really. Well, in comparison to the annoyance of having to fight the hand for a little snack. But with her ignoring the rope, she was given praise, and the treat was relinquished into her waiting mouth.
"Good, Mashiik, very good", the praise came as she swallowed the small treat in a quick motion. With nothing to keep the rope in place, it easily slumped off her beak and back into the hands of the leopard, who readied it for another attempt.
Tack Up - 5
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 22:30:10 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 22:30:10 GMT -6
Unfortunately, he had forgotten to buy a proper brindle for the bird. So, this rope would have to do until he found the time to visit that shop again. In his previous visit, he had gotten so many things too. It was a shame he'd somehow forgotten a headpiece for his owl. Not that it was an entirely pressing issue. There was simply a certain appeal to having the proper equipment. Xentus beckoned for the bird to lower her head for him again as she swallowed the little treat. Time to try that again. Simply draping the rope over her beak was the first step. The next was to have it wrap around. A greedy mouth came back down to fish for another little snack from the mammalian, hoping for something a little more substantial this time. But again, all she got was a rope over the beak. With a fidget, she knocked it off in displeasure at the coiled twine.
Tack Up - 6
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 22:37:00 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 22:37:00 GMT -6
Xentus frowned lightly at the owl, shaking his head and telling her 'no'. He could understand her discomfort though. Patience was a virtue, and one he had plenty of. The leopard was willing to repeat this step as many times as it took. Lure her head down, drape the rope over, and temper her discomfort at the feel of things weighing down her beak. The leopard kept the treats few and far between, ensuring that they would last longer than her will. It definitely took much longer than getting her to do any of the basic obedience tricks - those were the result of her patience and trust with him. She cared for the offensive inorganic snake much less.
For the moment, he decided on taking a break on this endeavor. The golden owl seemed like it could appreciate a rest. Xentus took a seat on a gnarled root and tried to fashion the rope into something a little more suitable for the place of a brindle.
Tack Up - 7
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 22:46:54 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 22:46:54 GMT -6
A knot here and another on the other side and... Well, he supposed it could pass off as a rather rudimentary brindle. There was an opening where the bird's beak could go through, and enough length to wrap around her head to keep it in place. Then another length on the side for control. Good enough for now! He presented the new and improved rope to the golden Alurook, calling her over to check out his creation. A curious beak mouthed at the oddly twisted contraption. Mashiik was a bit more familiar with this rope concept at this point, and was a little less fidgety about it. Not that she liked it. The thing simply wasn't as much of a disturbance anymore. Xentus fit the hole around her beak carefully and lassoed one side of the rope behind her head. Mashiik flinched slightly, but stayed put. A gentle warble sounded from her throat in an attempt to communicate her displeasure.
Tack Up - 8
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 22:53:03 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 22:53:03 GMT -6
"Very good Mashiik!", words of praise poured from Xentus in a calming tone as he rubbed the owl's beak. This was a little better. And he supposed she had gotten a bit more used to this rope thing by now. Still, it didn't hurt to praise the steps towards the end goal. A smile curled up the sides of the leopard's lips, one part pleased with the Alurook, one part pleased with his handiwork. The bird seemed to accept the makeshift brindle for the most part. It rested a bit oddly on her feathers and was a little crooked though. Something to adjust later. Xentus unwrapped the length of rope from around the bird's head, giving her praise once again. Then, he wrapped the device over her head again. A slight shake of feathers was the owl's response to the action, but it wasn't enough to knock the thing off. With some gentle shushing and beak rubs, he tied off the end of the rope to complete the headdress.
Tack Up - 9
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Sub Dio
Feb 16, 2020 22:59:36 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 22:59:36 GMT -6
The fit wasn't very snug, but it held its place. The homemade brindle was on the Alurook with only a bit of fussing from the owl. Xentus continued to praise his bird for its good behavior, which seemed to help quite a bit in getting her to settle in with the uncomfortable accessory. Now, it was time for one last treat. The mammalian turned away to fetch a cube of meat from his pack, keeping a careful ear turned towards the owl in case she might try to escape her bonds. He listened to shuffling of feathers and displeased chirrups, but as he turned back with treat in hand, he was relieved to find that the brindle was where he put it.
"Good Mashiik, very good yes", Xentus praised cheerily as he offered the snack to the bird. It was taken without restraint, disappearing into the bird's gullet with a simple head-toss. The leopard took pride in his owl and in his work with her so far.
Tack Up - 10
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Sub Dio
Feb 18, 2020 23:15:44 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 18, 2020 23:15:44 GMT -6
It was finally time for the last thing on the list to train Mashiik today. Getting her used to the weight of a rider on her back. Now, the leopard wasn't quite sure how the owl may react. Sure, she was fond of him at this point, but there was always the possibility of her unintentionally hurting him by tossing him off her back. And this is why he brought Papilio along. Well. Part of the reason why. The other reason was to get the alurook to fly with him, which was something he may still consider tackling this afternoon.
After strapping the jetpack over his shoulders, the leopard activated the device and gently flew up into the air next to his bird. She seemed curious, but wary. "It's ok, Mashiik", he cooed to her as he began stroking her fluffy back. Then carefully, he lowered himself onto her, pressing with nearly no weight onto her back.
Carry Rider - 1
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Sub Dio
Feb 18, 2020 23:24:22 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 18, 2020 23:24:22 GMT -6
Oh no. No no, she didn't like this. The owl's head was turned nearly completely backwards as she watched the leopard doing whatever strange thing he was doing now. He had sprouted some weird sort of ethereal pair of wings from his back, the device propelling him making on odd whirring hum. Mashiik liked him well enough, but that machine and the touching. No!
A rolling chirrup sounded from the owl's throat as she stepped away from her master. It was far too perturbing, whatever the goal or aim there. Her body righted itself beneath her head, which was locked onto the blue furred leopard.
"Come, Mashiik. Nothing is wrong, silly bird."
His voice was soothing. And despite her distrust of the machine, the owl did listen to her owner's command, returning to the spot she had just left. Once more he tried to lower himself onto her back, the thrusters on the jetpack ruffling her feathers unpleasantly.
Carry Rider - 2
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Sub Dio
Feb 18, 2020 23:32:58 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 18, 2020 23:32:58 GMT -6
Xentus did his best to calm the Alurook, but he could tell that Papilio was frightening her in some regard. The device emitted very little heat or noise, but it did push a good amount of air from its glowing thrusters. Even at a simple hover or low flight speed, the wind created by the machine could be fairly strong- at least strong enough to invert an umbrella. But without his handy jetpack, mounting the bird would be a slightly more difficult task. He'd have to teach her to bow down low enough or get her used to him pulling on her feathers as he scaled her height. Which eventually he would do, but he kind of wanted to skip that part for now.
"Ok, Mashiik. Ready?", he asked the bird and reduced the thrust from his wings, lowering himself onto her back again. He could feel her shudder at the feeling of the air blowing onto her back. And again, she moved away out of discomfort.
Carry Rider - 3
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Sub Dio
Feb 18, 2020 23:43:57 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Feb 18, 2020 23:43:57 GMT -6
"Mashiik, stay", he demanded of the bird as it moved away from the source of discomfort. A dejected chirrup was heard in response, though the alurook didn't move another inch further. Her head was lowered as she stared sullenly at him and his accursed machine. Xentus then flew his way back to her side and tried this process again. Perhaps he didn't need to worry about pulling on those glorious golden feathers? He wanted to be as gentle as possible with his bird though. After some internal conflict, he figured it would be worth a try.
He grabbed some feathers around her shoulders, careful not to hurt her. The owl's striking gaze watched him carefully all the while. She didn't seem to be in any discomfort yet, thankfully. Another hand went to grab another handful of feathers, and he made the machine on his back lower its thrust through a parallel feature of his trod brain link.
Carry Rider - 4
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