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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:26:29 GMT -6
Avander wasn’t eager to start their work for the day a minute sooner than he had to, for all that he was well aware of what they were here to do today. But that suited Aster fine too, since he was preoccupied with setting up the fishing pole at the moment, and having to manage Avander while he did it would have been more hassle than it was worth anyway. They bickered a good deal, but they also understood one another, and they were in the habit of making things easier on the other party in their own ways.
But with all the ruckus that was sure to happen today, Aster doubted he would catch anything. Despite living under the water, it was completely possible to scare fish away, and considering what he had in mind to work with Avander on today, he suspected that was where things were heading.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:26:57 GMT -6
Once he was done with the fishing poles though, Avander’s time of relaxation was over. “Alright, we both know what we’re here for today,” Aster said, dusting off his hands and turning to the Wiurn. Avander rose to his feet with a slight grumble, and began to make his way over to where Aster was.
Aster led him down the bank a little further, where there were a few old crates that had been washed up and left to rot. Some of them were still pretty sturdy, and possibly still filled with their original contents, while others were weakened by long periods of weathering and no longer had anything inside. Avander gave all of these a look over, mildly curious but not overly so. {What am I doing with these?} he asked.
“Smashing ‘em,” Aster replied. “But not with the moves I’ve taught you before." The point was to learn something new.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:27:40 GMT -6
Leaning against a box, Aster continued. "This time I want you to slam your whole weight into them as hard as you can.”
{My whole weight?} Avander examined some of the flimsier boxes. {I could just break these if I struck them with my tail, couldn’t I?}
“Probably, but not the heavier ones. And that isn’t the point,” Aster said. “Sometimes you’ll run into a big foe that’s tougher to take down. You’re a lot heavier now, so it’ll save you time and effort if you can use that weight to help crush them.” Let gravity do the work, and all that - though Aster left this part out of the explanation, since that was the kind of conceptual information that wouldn’t be of any use to Avander. “Give it a try. If you’re good at it, we could have a real short session.”
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:27:53 GMT -6
That, if nothing else, motivated Avander to study the boxes with renewed interest. Aster let him; they were in no particular rush, after all.
While Avander prepared himself, Aster eyed the fishing pole. They were still close enough, at least by his own estimate, that he could keep an eye on it. But so far there was no sign of anything going on on that front, so he returned his attention to Avander in due time.
By that point, the Wiurn was ready. Aster could sense it from the change in his body language, as well as the more focused look in his eyes. “Slam,” Aster said.
Avander charged at the box. He barreled through it, which… destroyed the box, sure, but wasn’t really what Aster was looking for. “Not quite,” Aster said, as Avander shook off the shower of splinters. Thinking for a moment, Aster said, “Do you remember ‘pounce’?”
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:28:05 GMT -6
{Sure,} Avander replied.
“It’s like that, except instead of landing lightly, you want to land as heavily as you can. Forget your predator’s pride and all of that nonsense. You’re a big guy, and you want your target flattened. Got it?”
{I’ll try,} Avander replied. He sounded a bit dubious, but Aster had given him more specific guidance this time, so Aster was hopeful this time that Avander would be able to do it. It might take a bit of practice to get the motions right, and if this didn’t work, Aster would try a different track. But if a Laredo with no telepathic connection to him could learn this, he was confident that Avander could too.
“Slam,” Aster said. This time Avander took a leaping start at the box he had chosen as his target, and came crashing down - but still with his claws outstretched. Old habits died hard.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:28:25 GMT -6
Still, the box was crushed beneath what was technically his weight, so it was a little better. “Lead with your shoulder,” Aster said. “Or with your side, if that’s more comfortable. Think of your body like a bludgeon.”
{I think I’d feel better if I watched you do it once,} Avander said, the picture of innocence. Aster didn’t buy the innocent act for a minute, but he thought there might be merit to the suggestion anyway. And if Aster looked a bit stupid, well, Avander got a kick out of something like that. It would serve as a nice pick-me-up for the Wiurn in the face of a move he wasn’t quite getting, even if it was at Aster’s expense.
Never let it be said that he was too proud to make a fool of himself, Aster thought, and took a breath to steady himself.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:28:44 GMT -6
Then he ran at a box and shoulder-checked it. It was one of the flimsier crates, and rather than trying to stay on his feet, he pinned the remnants of it beneath him, falling with it as it caved in. “Like this,” Aster said, groaning a little as he rose from the resultant rubble.
{Oh, like that,} Avander said, not even bothering to hide the amusement in his voice. {Okay, I think I’ve got it.}
But whatever the jokes and Aster’s own discomfort, Avander did make a better showing on their next attempt. “Slam,” Aster said, and this time Avander managed it: a real bona fide full body slam into the target, which shattered underneath his bulk.
It had never been a question of whether Avander could break boxes, of course. It was just the way he did it. But now he had the movement down. “Just like that,” Aster said.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:29:07 GMT -6
Now that they had that down, he said, “Try one of the sturdier ones now… Like this one.” Aster indicated a different box, then gave Avander the command. Avander slammed into that one too, and it splintered beneath him.
They destroyed a couple more boxes before Aster called a break, and went back to check on his fishing pole. Alas, still no bites. Aster sighed and looked out over the surface of the water. He couldn’t see any fish moving around, though he also didn’t know whether it was because there weren’t any, or if he just couldn’t see them himself.
But then again, considering what they had just been doing, he wouldn’t have been surprised if they had scared all the fish away.
If that was the case, he supposed there was no sense in worrying about it. They may as well get more training done, just as soon as Avander had had some rest.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:29:56 GMT -6
Once the break was over, they went right back to practicing, until they were out of boxes. By that point, Avander was also pretty worn out from all that moving around, so it was a good place to stop.
While Avander had a little rest under the tree, Aster went down to the bank to see if he could at least find some shellfish to take home. He came up with a couple of them, but it wasn’t a very good haul. Sighing over the contents of his bucket, he called for Avander to start the journey home.
Maybe they would have better luck the next day… Though he sort of doubted it, since their training regimen would be more of the same.
The next day, they returned. Aster took his time setting up his fishing pole as he had done before, but once again, he didn’t expect to reel anything in.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:30:21 GMT -6
Today they picked out a different stretch of river, where there were more trees and rocks along the banks. Some of those trees were pretty sturdy. Aster thought they could stand up to all the destructive force that Avander could bring to bear against them… probably. Well, hopefully anyway; it would be a bit sad if Avander felled one or two.
“You know the drill,” Aster said. “It's all the same as yesterday, but today we’re practicing on sturdier targets.”
{You sure I won’t crack a rib on these things?} Avander said, eyeing one of the trees that Aster had picked out.
Patting the trunk, Aster said, “You’re a big guy. You can take it. Come on. Slam.”
Huffing, Avander shook himself off, then got down to business, slamming himself into the tree. Aster needn’t have worried; it hardly even shook under the force of Avander’s attack.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:30:32 GMT -6
Of course, it was possible that Avander was pulling his blows, so Aster asked him to do it again. After the first few tries, it was clear that Avander was putting his all into it, just like Aster had asked him to. But still, the trees held firm. Those trunks and root systems were no joke, Aster supposed.
The bark was no joke either. After a couple more repetitions, Avander asked for a reprieve. {My hide stings like hell,} Avander complained, nosing gingerly at his side.
“Okay, let’s stop it there for the day then,” Aster said, already moving back to the fishing pole. Avander looked up at him, as if surprised that it had been that easy. Aster gave a shrug. “Eventually your skin will toughen up… Or at least that’s what I’m hoping, anyway. But it’s not going to happen if we make you run at this til you’re bloody. If it hurts, we’ll stop.”
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:30:42 GMT -6
{You’re being nice,} said Avander, narrowing his eyes. {What did you do with the real Aster?}
“Ha ha.” Aster rolled his eyes. “I can take it back, if you want.”
{No, no, this is good.} Avander wandered away from the trees and settled at Aster’s side. Aster sat down in the grass, leaning against Avander’s bulk, and settled in for a lazy afternoon of fishing.
Eventually, this fishing trip wrapped up too, but they were back the next day for more of the same… And the next, and the one after that. Every time, Aster asked Avander to slam into the trees, and slowly his hide did become tougher and more resilient. It was a gradual process, with Aster monitoring his condition carefully, and applying some ointments to help with both the healing and the toughening. Avander complained about the smell, but allowed himself to be slathered in it because it helped alleviate the sensation.
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Post by Noa on Nov 9, 2020 0:30:54 GMT -6
Once Avander’s skin had toughened somewhat, they moved on to using rocks as targets instead, to further the process. Avander liked this least of all, for there was nothing satisfying about slamming himself into a rock. {You may as well just blast me with sand,} he complained. But nevertheless Aster pestered him into it, and after many sessions of this, they finally reached a point where Aster could call himself satisfied.
“That’ll do it, I think,” Aster said, slapping a hand over Avander’s newly toughened hide. “It sucked, but maybe this’ll save you from the claws of a monster your own size someday.”
{If you say so,} Avander said. He seemed unconvinced, but not displeased, since Aster’s words meant the ordeal would be at an end.
As for the body slam, there could hardly be any question. They had practiced it so often by this point that Avander could probably do it in his sleep.
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Post by Silver on Dec 8, 2020 1:49:25 GMT -6
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Post by Noa on Mar 3, 2021 19:50:24 GMT -6
Aster generally considered himself a pretty good trainer, and he generally considered Avander to be the best proof he had of it. But there was simple training, and then there was the more complicated stuff. As time went on, he began to be very glad for the telepathic connection afforded him by the ribbon. There were some things that he felt that he would have struggled to convey to Avander, much less teach to him, without its aid.
And even then, there were things that Aster struggled to figure out how to teach, even with the aid of the ribbon.
Theoretically Avander ought to have some small mastery of wind in his repertoire now. If it were a conventional power of creating storms, even that might have been easier… As it was, Aster himself had some trouble figuring out what an affinity for ‘controlling ether’ was supposed to look like.
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