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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 4:20:19 GMT -6
The experience from earlier was still fresh, fueling the mosca with fear that empowered her need to escape. Mira's only focus was on escape.. Must escape. Escape and run. This was exhausting. .. No matter, she had to escape. The wiurn was scary. It was coming. It would eat her. She was scared..
Xentus steeled himself and pleaded mentally for the mosca to free herself. Every second that passed was fleeting and precious. In a life or death situation, losing some fur was a much better alternative to taking a mortal wound. He knew this, and he needed the mosca to be capable. He believed in this small, frail creature. She could do this, and they would be done with this awful exercise. Nazura flinched in response to the shrill cry, but resumed his march forward as best he could. His head was spinning from the noise. It made him want to turn tail and run as much as the mosca did. But he pressed through it for his master. His imposing bulk moved forward another step.
It was too much! With a violent shake, the feline tore away from the man's grasp, leaving nothing but a tuft of fur for him to hold.
... And yet it was perfectly enough.
Mira: Loosen Feathers/Fur - 5 Nazura: Accept Noise - 10
> Exeunt Nazura, dismissed from this point onward (10)
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 4:34:39 GMT -6
The mosca stumbled to her feet with her newfound freedom, backing away from her aggressor with a hiss and spit. The wiurn didn't come close enough to have her outright run away, it seemed. Or maybe she was trying to stand her ground? In either case, this signaled that the hardest part was now over..
Time to deescalate and calm down. Xentus called out for the wiurn to stop and then moved blocked Mira's view from the flaming beast. He had to redirect her attention and resorted to praise to do so. He was proud of her for enduring this stressful test. He cooed in a charming voice, doing his best to hide away his own distress. It took a moment, but Mira soon became responsive to the sound. Her large yellow eyes looked upon the man with confusion, undecided on whether or not to trust him.
To him, they were such cute, large eyes.. Still very fresh with fear, but he thought just maybe, he could pet her to help her calm down..
Deceptive Lure - 1
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 4:45:17 GMT -6
And how wrong he would be.
A snarl and quick flash of teeth were the only warning signs the mosca gave, and he could hardly process them as such before finding that his hand was now under assault. Mira got her revenge, taking her frustration out on the leather that protected the man's hand. She dug her claws in and kicked furiously in an attempt to eviscerate the glove. Xentus was startled, but found this to be useful.. Perhaps he could train her to use this strategy.
--
After taking the time to return Nazura to Aeternum and have Mira calmed down properly, the feline duo were once again in the dirt plot. Xentus brought a feather toy with him as well. He had an idea. The toy was dragged in the dirt before the young cat until he saw the signal - head and body down with large, dilated pupils. For a feline, a hunter's focused poise. For an observer? A cute, helpless cat. "Lure, Mira, lure", the man spoke, hoping to associate this stance with the word.
Deceptive Lure - 2
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 5:03:56 GMT -6
Another tactic he wanted Mira to be able to utilize was the ability to lull adversaries into a false sense of security.. Then strike when their guard was down. He'd only need to pull from the natural behavior of playful felines. This was a much better form of training compared to the stressful events earlier. It was behind them now, the lessons learned and kept for later. Now was time for a new (and more enjoyable) lesson. Disguising combative training as simply playtime was a form of deception by itself. Not that it made any difference to the mosca. Mira was too focused on getting that feather!
She made her attack, lunging forward with a daring set of pointed teeth. The leopard wasn't letting her win so easily though. He pulled the toy away, letting the feline bite nothing but air. A smile crept onto his muzzle, and praise escaped his lips.
"Good lure, Mira. Very good lure!"
Deceptive Lure - 3
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 5:50:39 GMT -6
The man couldn't help but to laugh a bit. This was probably the first time he got to see Mira enjoying herself. Upon adoption, she was a standoffish, fully grown mosca that wanted nothing to do with him. Then, after the work of that miraculous potion, he brought her to the mines.. Their journey together there was nothing but tense and uncomfortable for the mosca. And earlier today, the lessons she had to endure were stressful. For once, she could finally unleash her playful youthful self. This was preferable. After all she's been through, he really disliked the idea of throwing her into the ring against foes.. But if he didn't, would all the hardships Mira endured be for nothing? It had to matter for something..
The mosca readied herself for another bout with the pesky feather, laying her body flat against the ground with those cute, wide eyes.. Those cute wide eyes, filled with the intense desire to kill. "Lure!"
Deceptive Lure - 4
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Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 5:59:35 GMT -6
The associative training continued on. Many a pounce and swat and grab and kick were delivered, all for the purpose of having her learn that one simple stance as 'lure'. It was shaping out to be a lot more fun than the leopard thought it would be. The youthful Mosca was full of energy, and expending it in a positive manner was heartwarming to witness. Who didn't like playing with little kitty cats? Mira seemed to also understand this whole 'lure' business. He started saying the command before exposing the toy, incentivizing the behavior he wanted.
"Mira, Lure!", he called to the feline, readying the feather to zip by once he saw her settling into that cute huntress pose. Mira's feet tucked in under her body which lay flat against the ground, eyes wide and expectant. Xentus grinned at her, praising her eagerness and rewarded her with the toy to assault.
Deceptive Lure - 5
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Sub Dio
Aug 5, 2020 19:14:33 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 19:14:33 GMT -6
The mosca lurched forward as the feather zipped by, grabbing it with her claws before plunging her teeth into her helpless prey. Words of praise fell into her ears, exciting her all the more. What could be better than getting to play and getting rewarded for it? Bits of feather were flung into the air as parts were ripped off. The tattered toy had served its purpose. It was cheap and easily replaced should he need another anyway. The leopard shook the feather free from the mosca's grasp, then waved it around for a round two.
Mira was prepared, readying herself into a harmless looking position. In reality, her body was primed, like a coiled spring under pressure. Once triggered, all of that energy would get released onto her target! For the fun of it, the man faked as if he were going to swing the toy once.. Twice. And on the third shake, it passed by the awaiting feline.
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Sub Dio
Aug 5, 2020 22:13:39 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 22:13:39 GMT -6
And she attacked, right on target! There was no surpassing the labs fastest feline. Xentus chuckled, wiggling the feather and enticing the mosca to bite and kick. Playtime was a great form of enrichment, and a nice way to unwind. He still had some things in mind to train Mira, but he'd have to wait for the effects of that strange potion to revert. The small cat wasn't quite able to fly, even with those four wings. She was akin to a fledgling, on the verge of flight but not quite yet able to. Mastery of the air would be necessary for combat, the leopard thought. Mira's breed wasn't a brute or brawler, they were built to take advantage of pure speed and agility. Further lessons would need to wait for a little while, but he already had in mind what they would entail. The only hope now was that everything would go according to plan..
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Sub Dio
Aug 5, 2020 22:20:52 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 22:20:52 GMT -6
Xentus figured he'd spend the rest of his time here with the mosca playing and honing her hunting skills. There wasn't anything particular he figured he could do for now. The mammalian watched on as the small feline batted around the remains of the feather, laughing at her antics. He was feeling better about sending her into the pit. She learned quick, and the bond they forged was fairly solid. There was a sense of price and accomplishment, even before knowing whether or not if all this work would prove fruitful. He still did want to see the end result of course, but he felt that he would be fine no matter what the next few weeks had in store. For all he knew, there might not even be an opportunity to validate his time spent training her.
Part of him didn't want to see Mira hurt. But another part of him wanted to see what she could do.
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Sub Dio
Aug 5, 2020 22:32:19 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Aug 5, 2020 22:32:19 GMT -6
It wasn't much longer before the feather toy was nothing but a quill on a string. Mira made short work of ripping it to shreds, still gnawing on the central vein that remained. Xentus watched on with soft blue eyes, wondering how she might fare. Ah it didn't matter right now. He wanted to stay with her like this for just a moment longer. Oblivious to whatever might come in the future. Focused solely on the now. He sighed.
But it couldn't stay like this forever. The mammalian grunted as he stood from the seat on the ground, dusting himself off. They'd resume here some other time. He called for Mira to follow after him as he gathered up his things. Another day would await them. When Mira was bigger and stronger. Literally. It was hard to imagine her going from a fully grown mosca, to a youngling, and enduring an intense growth spurt back. That would be something to see.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 6, 2020 2:03:52 GMT -6
A few days later, the feline duo made their return. Mira stalked after Xentus in a much larger, sleeker form. No longer was she the small, cute kitty he came to know her as. She was quite the impressive animal, bearing two sets of fully flighted wings. The strange potion did its job and did it well. Even though he'd adopted her in such a state, it felt like this was the first time he could fully appreciate and marvel at her beauty. He let her off the leash upon reaching the training plot and put down some things he carried with him. The biggest and most cumbersome of which was the training dummy he brought along. Mira was going to be a combative companion, perhaps his first. She needed something to test her power against and he was not volunteering himself. Among his other affects were Papilio and various tools in his backpack. Everything got set down while he thought up a lesson plan for the day.
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Sub Dio
Aug 6, 2020 17:19:11 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Aug 6, 2020 17:19:11 GMT -6
After mulling on it, the leopard figured it would be best to strengthen the mosca's flight muscles. Those four, powerful wings could be used as a fairly deadly weapon to toss around foes with the power of wind. Being a creature of speed and sky, it only made sense to him. Mira didn't need to show her might through teeth and claws.
The mammalian donned his own wings, and then positioned himself beside the mosca. Before them was the training dummy, standing innocently in the center of the dirt ring. He wasn't sure how well the mosca might learn by mimicry, but it was worth a try. "Alright, Mira, wing", he commanded, starting slowly and emphasizing the word 'wing'. He then carefully grasped one of the mosca's four wings, manually flapping it. Then, he motioned Papilio in a similar flapping motion. It was an odd start, but he wasn't sure how else to go about it..
Wing Buff - 1
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Sub Dio
Aug 6, 2020 17:42:56 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Aug 6, 2020 17:42:56 GMT -6
Mira stared at the man quizzically, shuffling her wing back into place. She was understandably confused, but interested in whatever game they were playing here. Her eyes danced between him and his mechanical wings. Noticing this, Xentus decided to add a bit more of a hint to the mix. The robotic wings he wore powered on, blowing a slight breeze from the thrusters. He pointed the exhaust at the mosca, letting her feel the air flow, then flapped. His wings didn't really flap all too well, but they were mobile enough to allow him to steer in flight. It was enough to give Mira an idea of what he wanted.
The feline was still confused, but the gears were turning in her head. Again, the man reached and pulled on a single one of her wings, fluttering it manually as he stretched the joints. "Wing", he asked of her, saying the word slowly but with intent.
Wing Buff - 2
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Sub Dio
Aug 6, 2020 19:13:40 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Aug 6, 2020 19:13:40 GMT -6
This was going to be a slow process, but the leopard was willing to spend the time needed. Mira wasn't so quick to neatly re-fold her wing this time, leaving it in the leopard's grasp as he continued to manually flap it. He repeated the command as he flapped his own wings, demonstrating what he wanted of the mosca. She watched carefully, starting to put the pieces together. The single wing now moved on its own, repeating them motion that Xentus was forcing. He let go and smiled.
"Yes, good start Mira. Good wing", he praised, offering her a treat from the pouch strapped to his side. The mosca seemed appreciative, yet still uncertain of what exactly this exercise was going to accomplish. A treat was a treat though! It was encouraging in any case. Xentus rounded to the other side of the feline and began this strange wing-pulling and flapping thing.
Wing Buff - 3
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Sub Dio
Aug 6, 2020 20:11:47 GMT -6
Post by Xentus on Aug 6, 2020 20:11:47 GMT -6
It was second nature for the mosca's wings to move in tandem. They were at their most powerful when coordinated, but each limb could move independently for fine tuned movements while in flight. The leopard was aiming for all four wings to move at once to provide a powerful gust. He only needed to push that hint along. Thankfully, Mira seemed to recognize this. After finishing off her treat, she motioned the front pair of wings together, mimicking the motion the man was forcing.
"Good Mira! Wing. Now then..", he praised, then started the process again with her hind wings (which were folded neatly under the first pair), "All together now. Wing." The leopard's command was starting to pick up a little power, the word now being said in a firm tone. At the moment, this only registered as the man's strange way of asking her to flap her wings. There was nothing special about this..
Wing Buff - 4
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