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Post by Xentus on Jul 11, 2020 17:03:39 GMT -6
A dingy blue-green mineral was his prize. It didn't look like anything too very interesting, and he couldn't quite tell what it was with his limited knowledge on rocks. But it was a prettier color than drab grey or brown rocks. Perhaps it still held value. It, along with the supposed apatite, were pocketed after getting quick dusting.
Despite the man's intrusion, the gem dragon continued to dig through the earth diligently. It likely felt more at home surrounded by the ground's embrace if he had to guess. With how sparingly he came to visit the mines, Gid must've felt awfully homesick. Its enclosure at the kennel didn't quite allow for it to burrow as it did now. A mental note was made to get some kind of deep sandbox for the creature. That'd would make it feel more comfortable, he hoped.
Now then, about this mosca.. It wasn't a creature of the earth one bit. Quite the opposite, considering its four wings. Such a creature would long for nothing but the skies. How cruel of him to bring it to the literal opposite of its comfort zone. Xentus was a little ashamed that he hadn't thought to consider what a frightening prospect this venture was going to be for the young feline..
13
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Post by Xentus on Jul 11, 2020 17:13:49 GMT -6
It was finished with its treat and already looking at the leopard for another morsel to be offered to it. Those large yellow eyes pleading for more to eat.. It only compounded the guilt he was feeling. A heavy sigh was loosed from the mammalian man, then he stood up and lured the creature towards the mouth of the cave. Mira followed after him out of interest in food, but as soon as he stepped near the entry of the dark, looming cavern, the mosca stopped. The lead was taut yet again.
This was as to be expected.. He didn't think the feline would appreciate going into the scary, dark tunnel. But, this would serve as a trust building exercise. Yes, there was still little trust to be had here, but the mosca was showing signs of warming up to him it seemed. It wasn't flinching and keeping its distance as he drew near now. Even if food was the only reason for this, it was progress. Now, get lure the cat inch by into the cave. He sat against the rocky wall, thinking on how to handle this..
"Gid, come now", the leopard called for the gem dragon gently. And after a moment passed, he soon had a dirty sapphire creature by his side.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 11, 2020 17:25:51 GMT -6
The hope here was that the mosca would learn by example. It was rather indifferent to the similarly sized gem dragon, so his hopes weren't that high, but there was always the chance that Mira would find it easier to follow suit if there was a fellow creature that led the way.
Xentus rewarded the gem dragon with a small pebble snack-gem, accompanied with praise. Gid snapped the rock quickly, shattering it in its mouth. The marble wasn't much, but it seemed to be tasty enough for the creature. The biology (or... geology?) of these curious beings was something Xentus could never stop marveling at.
"Stay near, Gid", he asked of the dragon. It tilted its head at him in return, but seemed to get the hint that there would be no further gem snacks coming from the leopard at the moment. It wandered about the cave mouth, searching for a new digging spot. Confident that the gem dragon would stay close by, the leopard turned his attention back to the mosca. Mira was still as far away from the scary cavern as it could be with the leash, but its will was tested by the sight and scent of a fresh meaty treat.
15 -- Mira: Accept Darkness - 2
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Post by Nadia on Jul 11, 2020 17:47:45 GMT -6
A distant rumbling can be heard along the tunnels. Is there something down there...?
[Nothing happens.]
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Post by Xentus on Jul 12, 2020 10:16:00 GMT -6
From the perspective of the small, young feline, the entry to the cave was large, dark, and looming.. What lay within the ominous depths of the cavern was unimaginable. The mosca's large yellow eyes were widened in fear, staring into the abyss. Its nose wrinkled and pointed its face towards the scent of the treat, but its eyes remained locked on darkness. This was the exact opposite of its intended natural habitat. It craved wide open space, with endless sky above and rolling grasses as far as the eye could see. Space to run. Space to fly. But this? This was terror.
Xentus clicked his tongue in encouragement, trying to coax the frightened mosca towards him. The poor thing's fur was standing on end. As if to spite him, a deep, distant rumble rolled out of the cavern, like an exhaling breath of the mountains. The leash lashed and tugged as the young cat tried its best to run for dear life.
"Shh, shh, it's ok, Mira", the leopard worriedly did his best to comfort the creature, but his words were lost to the animal. There was nothing to do except give it some distance from the cavern and try again. Xentus took a quick look at Gid, who was digging again, figuring it would be ok to leave him there for the moment. He stood and walked the Mosca away.
16 -- Mira: Accept Darkness - 3
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Post by Xentus on Jul 12, 2020 10:34:34 GMT -6
Mira's entire body had raised fur as it bounded away from the cavern, using every inch of slack that the leopard granted it. Its tail was puffy, wings flayed out. Everything done in its best effort to make itself seem bigger and more frightening than whatever the cave had to offer. It was almost funny to see the small feline puff up so much, but the guilt in the back of Xentus' mind grew ever more. He tried to reason this apparent cruelty out with himself. By getting a mosca comfortable with the darkness and confines of a cave, it would show that he had some decent ability to train creatures. And this was a form of enrichment for that young, pliable mind. It would be easier to get a young mosca to accept the dark and cramped instead of a fully grown one. Seemed like good reason enough.
Xentus steeled himself in his effort with reassured vigor. First though, he would need to let the feline calm down some. He sat in front of it and blocked its direct view of the cavern. What it didn't see couldn't hurt it. All the while, Gid was happily digging at the entry, oblivious to the fact that its master was the one that wandered away.
17 -- Mira: Accept Darkness - 4
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Post by Xentus on Jul 12, 2020 22:58:57 GMT -6
It took some time before the mosca finally calmed down. Xentus did his best to calm the creature in its state of terror, offering treats and calming words, but neither seemed to ease Mira. She ignored his presence entirely, staring into his chest as if to look through it. He refrained from offering a reassuring touch considering how the cat seemed to care little for him at all. The fear of darkness helped none with this. The mosca eventually tired itself of its flight response and seemed to return to its normal state of mind. It took an interest in the small cluster of offered treats, snatching one away before the leopard could prevent it from having a small meal.
"Let us try the cave again, yes?", the leopard asked with a hopeful smile, "Overcome this fear, Mira."
With the promise of food as his lure, Xentus guided the Mosca back to the entry of the cavern. It was still cautious of the scary looming darkness, but its desire for treats seemed to kick in a bit more strongly, especially after getting rather worn out of its flight response. The mammalian took a seat by the gem dragon, peering into its shallow burrow while he had the chance.
18 -- Mira: Accept Darkness - 5
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Post by Xentus on Jul 12, 2020 23:18:36 GMT -6
Gid was busy burying something it seemed, for the leopard's eyes came to meet the gem dragon's face. He stared at it suspiciously, trying to recant his knowledge on these creatures. They didn't have any need to cover up their ventures into the earth.. Unless they were stashing a snack for later in a memorable place. Xentus thought to immediately fish out whatever treasure was down there, but instead opted to retrieve it later. He felt certain that it hadn't been eaten, at least. He left the dragon to its own devices. All attention returned to the scared mosca.
"Mira, it's okay, Mira", the leopard cooed, trying his best to coax the feline closer. He held a treat out towards it in his hand, rolling the meaty marble around his palm. The motion garnered the attention of the mosca, its nose wrinkling at the delicious scent the treat-pearl was giving off. Those large, yellow eyes flicked up first to meet Xentus', then into the darkness of the cavern, then finally to the treat. It was still very wary of the mammalian and the looming unknown.. Yet so very eager to have another tasty morsel between its teeth. It's body moved against its will.
19 -- Mira: Accept Darkness - 6
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Post by Xentus on Jul 12, 2020 23:36:28 GMT -6
And much to the leopard's relief, the mosca moved towards the offered treat. It's steps were uncertain and shy, tapping the ground as if to ensure it was solid enough to withstand its weight pressing upon it. Xentus's extended arm slowly retracted to lure the young feline even closer to himself. Feeling the growing slack on the lead was rather nice after fighting the tension for the past few minutes. The mosca took its time with stepping closer to the dark cave entry, as if to carefully assess the danger with every movement. With the leopard's patience, this was no problem. His eyes were focused on her every step, even though his ears were tuned to the scratchings of the gem dragon. Once the cat was right in front of him, he let it have the reward.
"Ah very good, Mira, that's it", he praised gently as the treat was snatched off his fingertips, "There is nothing to fear here, see?" The mosca, though still quite scared, didn't back away or spook. Sure, they were just barely inside the mouth of cavern, but progress was progress, and Xentus would take it as a victory. There was plenty of light illuminating the ground and rock wall, but the all encompassing darkness was a simply stone throw away. The leopard scooted a few feet back and prepared to repeat the process.
20 -- Mira: Accept Darkness - 7
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Post by Nadia on Jul 13, 2020 16:01:51 GMT -6
The darkness looms close to you. What is to be discovered inside?
[Nothing happens.]
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Post by Xentus on Jul 15, 2020 15:45:28 GMT -6
For a while, the mosca dared not to step any closer. Not only did it have to overcome its fear of the dark, but also it's distaste for cramped, enclosed space.. The mouth of the cavern was quite wide still, as it opened to what could be likened to the size of a spacious bedroom. Instead of home comforts and furnishing, the rocky room featured large boulders, cracks, and a few creeping vines. Not the most welcoming place for a creature of the wide open sky. Gid, on the other hand, was more than happy in his natural environment, busily digging in another spot now.
Xentus extended his arm, offering a new marble-sized treat to the young cat. The sound of his tongue clicking reverberated down towards the unknown depths behind him, almost sounding as if it were mocking his attempts to coax the mosca into such an unnatural place. Mira's ears flattened backward at the odd noise, a cautious paw stepping back. Oh, what a skittish creature. The leopard sighed softly. He knew he was exposing the mosca to a lot right now.. And it again made him feel a bit sorry for the poor thing. But it must be done.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 15, 2020 15:57:02 GMT -6
That young, pliable mind was much more able to accept such a radical environmental change. Or at least, that was the hope the mammalian man held on to. Beings of youth were able to withstand exposure to new and different things without too much question. Innately, there may be repulsion (as with the case he was handling here). But with continued conditioning, young ones were typically easier to convince that something wasn't as bad as it seemed. Realistically, the mosca here was making much smoother progress than an adult one would. He'd likely need to spend hours getting a fully grown specimen near the mouth of the cave rather than the long minutes he was spending now.
"It is ok, Mira. Look Gid is just fine, yes?", the leopard cooed gently, eyes glancing over at the oblivious gem dragon for a moment, "Shh, all is safe here." The spotted feline bobbed its head, looking between the treat offered to it, the looming darkness, and the rocky enclosure that threatened to collapse at any moment. The biggest threat at the moment was whatever might lay in the black beyond.. But, a treat didn't hurt to have right now. After assessing that nothing was an immediate threat, Mira shyly stepped closer.
22 -- Mira: Accept Darkness - 9 Mira: Accept Enclosed Spaces - 2
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Post by Xentus on Jul 15, 2020 16:09:14 GMT -6
Coaxing and patience were Xentus's primary tool here, and they seemed to be working quite well. It was working in his favor overall anyway, since the time it took to get the mosca accusomed to the cavern was also getting it more comfortable with his presence as well. He caught a few glances of the creature's large, yellow eyes looking up into his own for assurance. Or so it seemed. Perhaps he was still a threat to the cat as well, and the treats he provided were the only thing keeping it from blatantly rejecting his company. Food was always a good means towards another's heart though. Gid was a good show of this. The gem dragon was fed scrap gems for accompanying him in the mines, and it was enough to keep the creature nearby. Perhaps the same would happen with the mosca.
As Mira approached his extended hand, Xentus slowly withdrew it again, pressuring for the feline to continue coming. Maybe he would try a gentle touch now.. Perhaps tactile reassurance would aid him considering that the feline wasn't freaking out over anything at the moment. The slack of the lead grew with every shy, careful step the mosca took.
23 -- Mira: Accept Darkness - 10 Mira: Accept Enclosed Spaces - 3
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Post by Xentus on Jul 15, 2020 16:18:57 GMT -6
And once it was right by his lap, he allowed the small spotted cat its reward. The treat was carefully taken, large yellow eyes still flicking between the leopard and the cavern around them. Its pupils were dilated, soaking in whatever fading light lingered at the mouth of the cave. It seemed that perhaps clouds settled over the sky, for it was much darker now than it should've been..
"That's it, Mira, you learn quickly", the leopard praised gently, trying to wrangle in his wandering thoughts. He kept his voice low to prevent the reverberation from scaring the creature too much this time. It seemed to work well enough, as the mosca's ears were now pointed forward toward him.
"Come along, Gid. Stay close near here, yes?", the leopard called carefully for the gem dragon as he began to scoot deeper into the cavern. Mira followed with the occasional tug of the lead, much to his surprise. The cavern was fairly dark now, with only the dim light from the outside providing a vague semblance of illumination. It seemed the limiting factor in progress would be the spaciousness of the surroundings. Xentus scooted back until the rocky walls began to close in enough that Mira stopped following.
24 -- Mira: Accept Enclosed Spaces - 4
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Post by Xentus on Jul 15, 2020 16:33:59 GMT -6
The cavern shrunk down to about the size of a cramped bathroom. Mira wasn't so keen on such limited space, ears flicking about to assess every last echoing noise. Her eyes weren't very well suited for the darkness, but her nose was locked in on the scent of the treats the leopard provided.. Plus, the mammalian's scent was getting to be familiar at this point. There was enough favor for the mosca to continue following along the lead to this point, after all. It padded carefully forward until its paws brought it to the source of the scent. Careful sniffs brought its mouth close enough that Xentus could feel whiskers tickling his palm. A rough tongue licked his hand to find the meaty marble he offered, and soon enough, he could hear the dainty chewings from a well deserved treat.
The leopard strained his eyes to see the rough outline of the mosca, then glanced around for his gem dragon. The living sapphire creature emitted a dull sparkle even in this dim light. Gid trotted close by, nose to the ground trying to assess a new digging spot. 'This is turning out well enough', he thought to himself, musing on what to do next. Perhaps.. He'd just sit here with his pets in the dark for a little while.
25 -- Mira: Accept Enclosed Spaces - 5
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