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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 10:02:51 GMT -6
Through all of this, Aubrey had by some miracle managed to mostly keep them in the front yard of the mansion, close enough to the entrance that they could still make it out if things went too badly awry. The ground was sand, and there were a few tide pools here and there, but they had been in the comforting shade of a few nearby trees, sheltered from the worst of the sun. And once the pups had calmed down enough to focus on what Aubrey was trying to teach them, passing the time here wasn't unenjoyable at all.
But he had decided to give them a break, and let them explore a bit to work off some of their energy. The tricks he had taught them were the sit still type, conducive to exercising their minds but not their bodies. He wondered what he ought to teach them to help them exercise... Maybe teach them how to play fetch? But he had no suitable toys here, and there weren't really any sticks to be had. The trees on the property this month were palms, and thus not the kind that produced the kinds of sticks or branches you would want to use for a game of fetch.
When he didn't ask anything more of them or bring out any interesting treats, the pups seemed to realize that the lessons were over, and began to reconvene, probably to figure out what it was they wanted to do now that they were free to.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 10:08:48 GMT -6
They were still on their leashes, though Aubrey had briefly let go of them to teach the pups to sit and lay down. Now he picked them back up, at a more leisurely pace than he would have just hours ago, when it was still pandemonium at his small house with all the pups wreaking havoc. Truly, the power to stop the pups at will was a heady thing to experience. He couldn't really have called his lot well behaved after just this much training, but it was definitely better than nothing, and even the modicum of control it afforded him was enough to bring relief.
The pups didn't seem to be bothered by the leash anymore, having had them on long enough to forget them at least temporarily. Except Loki, of course. Loki was always aware of Aubrey, and if Aubrey had his hand on the leash, then Loki was aware of that too.
"What am I going to do with you? You really don't trust me, huh?" Aubrey wondered if that was something you could research - how to win over the trust of a stray pup. Spending time with them, working on training with them, he knew all of these things helped, and that time was essential to the process. But he wondered whether there was something specific that he ought to be doing, to speed the process along or to help it take better. He felt like there probably was, but he hadn't the first inkling what it was.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 10:13:31 GMT -6
Loki might have been keeping an eye on Aubrey, but Lyra certainly wasn't. The one who was the most comfortable around people was also the one that paid them the least mind. It made sense, but it was also funny to see, in its own way. She had already wholeheartedly committed herself to the task of finding something else to be interested in.
Her enterprising air was infectious, and she had soon swayed Joker to her cause. Eventually even the wary Loki joined in. With the three of them together like this, they really did look like a little pack, though Aubrey didn't know if they thought of each other that way. They weren't quite so young when they had all met each other that they would mistake the other two as littermates, he thought; all three were past the age of weaning already, and starting to verge into the legginess of an adolescent rather than a round and unsteady puppy. But they seemed to like each other well enough as playmates, recognizing some similarity, some compatibility. Aubrey was glad for it, especially for Loki, who really would have had very little comfort otherwise. And if it weren't for Lyra, role modeling what it was like to interact with Aubrey without any fuss, Aubrey imagined the other two wouldn't tolerate him nearly as well.
At least they were moving all together now though, and not trying to tug him in three directions at once, as they had been doing before.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 15:42:25 GMT -6
And true to form, they were finding trouble pretty much immediately.
This time it was in the form of a pocketpet. Aubrey didn't see exactly what it was, but it looked like a small bird - and all three pups immediately went haring after it, and their combined force served to pull Aubrey ahead quite a ways before they stopped. And they only stopped because they had by that point managed to corner it against a large rock, and the three of them were crowding around it, no doubt with bad intent.
"Don't eat that!" said Aubrey.
He didn't know for a fact if they were going to try and chew it, but it seemed pretty likely, all things considered. The pups were all still mouthy, Aubrey not having had time to train them out of that just yet. Of course not; he had only started training them today, basically. But the shock of him raising his voice once more was enough to get them to stop - and as he got close he could see that Joker had in fact had his mouth open. The look was almost comical on him, frozen with his jaws open; the pocketpet took the opportunity to escape, much to the shock and consternation of all three pups. They tried to give chase, but this time Aubrey was ready, hauling hard on their leashes to keep them in place as they began barking in earnest in the wake of their quarry who had managed to get away.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 15:50:16 GMT -6
There were so many things he needed to teach these pups... How not to pull on their leashes, how to be quiet, and... Well, most relevantly at the moment, not to go around eating strange things. He didn't know if this was something he ought to be rewarding them for, though the point was a little moot in this instance because the window for it had actually passed. If he gave Joker a reward now, there was no guarantee he'd associate it with the correct action.
But Aubrey kept a more careful eye on the pups now as he let them explore. And when it rained, it poured; it didn't take them long at all to find something else icky to try and eat. It was Lyra who came up with the next one, a dead crab that was rotting in the sun. He had just enough time to see her about to go for it, and barely managed to say, "Lyra! Don't eat that!" in the nick of time.
She froze, ears cocked. That Aubrey was alarmed, and that he was saying something to her, she could most likely figure out. But this wasn't 'no', exactly, and she didn't know what he wanted yet. He used a treat to direct her attention away from the crab, then said, "Good girl," and gave it to her.
She ate it, but there was a look in her eye, like she wanted to figure something out, and she approached the dead crab again.
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Post by Jack on Aug 30, 2020 16:40:07 GMT -6
 That's a cute little wind chime you've found. |
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 17:43:09 GMT -6
Aubrey was apprehensive, but he was curious too, despite himself. He had seen a little of Lyra testing things out when he was teaching her other things. At first he had thought she was doing it to push his boundaries - this being back when she was mostly misbehaving to see what he would say 'no' to - but now he thought it might have just been her trying to figure out the rules in these new things he was trying to teach her. The idea that she might actively be trying to work towards an understanding with him was nice, if it was true. And so he decided to wait and see what she would do.
Lyra was very deliberate about approaching the dead crab. She sniffed it a little, then looked back up to gauge Aubrey's reaction. There wasn't much of one, though he was watching her a little nervously. And then she bent her head to it again, her tongue sticking out.
"Lyra, don't eat that," Aubrey said.
She stopped and looked back at him. "Good girl," Aubrey said.
He could almost see the little wheels turning in her head at that.
She pawed the dead crab next, then nosed at it, and he let her do it. Only when she opened her jaws to try and... pick it up, have a taste, Aubrey wasn't sure which, did he repeat it again. "Lyra, don't eat that."
She left it alone, and he praised her, after which point her interest in the crab waned.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 17:48:21 GMT -6
The other two pups must have been watching though, since as soon as she left the dead crab behind, Loki came up to sniff at it. Aubrey watched him carefully, not sure as to what his intent was. Loki might not have actually understood the 'game' that Lyra seemed to be playing, since it took him a lot longer before he tried to mouth at it. But eventually he did, having exhausted all other avenues of things to do with it, up to and including flipping it over. Joker had come up to keep him company, but stayed off to one side for now.
When Loki did try to pick it up, however, Aubrey said, "Loki, don't eat that!"
He made his voice firm, just because he wasn't sure if Loki would pay attention otherwise. He was different from Lyra, after all. Loki started, looking up, so Aubrey redirected his attention with a treat, then fed it to him after. "Good boy."
At this point Lyra trotted back to the lot of them, and with an air of great confidence, as if showing something off, she very deliberately opened her mouth and went for the dead crab. "Lyra, don't eat that," Aubrey said, though he was laughing a little as he said it. She knew what she was doing, he was sure. She left the crab alone, her tail wagging. "Good girl."
Then she turned to the other two as if to say, See? That's how it's done, as pretty as you please.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 17:56:02 GMT -6
That got their attention, and at once Loki began experimenting with the crab too. He nosed at it again, as if to confirm that that wasn't it; and now Aubrey saw Loki watching him for a reaction, just as Lyra had before.
Then Loki bent to pick it up, jaws open, and Aubrey said, "Loki, don't eat that."
Loki stopped, still watching him. "Good boy, Loki." Aubrey fed him a very small treat. While he ate, Joker decided it was his turn, and did the same thing as the other two. "Joker, don't eat that," Aubrey said. But maybe Joker had a mischievous streak, or he hadn't quite picked up the command from observing the other two; he didn't stop, and Aubrey had to repeat himself, more sharply, before Joker came up short.
Sighing in relief, Aubrey said, "Good boy, Joker." Maybe it had been too early to decide that Joker was the relatively calm one between bold, adventurous Lyra and the ever wary Loki. It was true that he had mostly been blending into the background thus far, but it was really too early to say what his genuine personality was like.
At that point, all the pups lost interest in the crab, and Aubrey let them roam around a bit more. They ran this way and that, chasing birds and nosing around at the edge of tide pools, but none of them caused any real trouble for a while. That gave Aubrey room for a bit of a breather too.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 18:29:24 GMT -6
But dead things were in plentiful supply on the beach, and it didn't take them that long to find one that was in worse shape than the crab, even.
"Joker, don't eat that!" Aubrey called out, barely managing to do it in time to stop Joker from taking a bite out of a real nasty dead fish. Joker stopped in his tracks; in fact, all three pups did, most likely because Aubrey's voice had been so loud. But Joker hadn't eaten it after all, thank goodness.
"Good boy, Joker," Aubrey said, and fed him a small treat.
Loki, perhaps sensing an opportunity, approached the dead fish to try and pick it up. "Loki, don't eat that," Aubrey said, a little more tiredly. What he really wanted to say was something more along the lines of 'don't you dare', but it wasn't as if they actually understood Common, and he was working hard to get them to understand just this one command.
At least Loki did as Aubrey asked, even if Aubrey was pretty sure at this point that Loki was scamming him for treats.
Mercifully, Lyra, who seemed to understand the idea already, didn't decide to give it a go.
But all this eating business reminded Aubrey that they had to eat too, and he did have a packed meal ready to go... Maybe now was the time to indulge, and to take a little break.
He had to coax the pups away from the pools and into the shade of the trees again.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 18:34:19 GMT -6
Once they were all gathered there, he put out three dishes, and meted out kibble onto it. He made sure each pup was eating at their own plate before serving himself. Fortunately they didn't seem too much disposed to fighting over food with one another, so long as he did give them separate portions. Loki was inclined to bolt down his food as if someone might steal it, but so long as he didn't hassle the others for theirs - or they his - all was peaceful.
Only once they were all eating did Aubrey finally relax and settle back with a few sandwiches and a little container of grapes for himself. And for a time, it was peaceful, just sitting back and enjoying his lunch and looking at the scenery.
But then Joker finished his meal, and decided to see if he couldn't sneak some of Aubrey's. Loki had already finished, and Lyra... probably wouldn't have let him have an in, so he decided to try for Aubrey, who probably seemed like an easier target.
Fortunately Aubrey caught him at it. "Joker, don't eat that," Aubrey warned, when he saw Joker going for his sandwiches.
Joker stopped, though with more obvious reluctance this time. Aubrey sighed and said, "Good boy, Joker," and fed him a treat.
That got Joker's attention, but not the way Aubrey had hoped. Joker immediately went for the grapes this time. "Joker, don't eat that," Aubrey repeated. Again Joker stopped, but Aubrey merely praised him this time, no treat involved.
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Post by Jack on Aug 30, 2020 18:35:58 GMT -6
Is that... can you hear squawking? As you move, the sound of wings in flight becomes increasingly audible and-- ack! A flock of seabirds descends upon you and your companion, rustling and wheeling. They must've arrived to pick up the scraps now the tide's out! They leave after a few moments of chaos, but may not have left a good impression on your pet... or your clothing. Oops.
[Any pet less than 5 loyalty bolts and cannot return. Any pet with 5 loyalty or more will remain, though they are shaken. Pets taught [Accept Noise] are not affected by this event.]
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 18:39:44 GMT -6
Aubrey didn't want to encourage him to act up just to get fed, after all. But seeing that there was no treat, Joker went for the sandwiches a third time, and this time, Aubrey had to say, "Joker, don't eat that!" very sharply. And then, when he tried once more, Aubrey had to get up and chase him off.
That started a chain reaction, where Loki came up to do the same thing until Aubrey got fed up and chased him off too; by which point it had become a game, and two pups came at once to challenge Aubrey in what must have been the strangest variant in king-of-the-hill he'd ever played. "Don't eat that!" he would shout, this way and that, calling to whichever pup was trying to sneak a bite while his back was turned. And to their credit, they did stop, which was good, because Aubrey was belatedly remembering that grapes were bad for dogs. He snatched up that container when he had a spare moment, then threw himself back into the efforts of keeping the pups away from his sandwiches.
... At least they got a lot of practice with the command. He sure wished it wasn't happening in quite this fashion though.
Eventually they grew tired of the game, and left his poor sandwiches alone. Aubrey finished eating as fast as he could. Never a dull moment with this lot... And seldom even a moment to breathe. The grapes, he put a firm lid on, then put away.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 18:47:21 GMT -6
From there, he let them explore again, and they found a surprisingly rich assortment of... things Aubrey sure wouldn't want them to eat. And though he wasn't entirely confident at first, he found that he could call out, "Don't eat that!" and have them stop, and leave it alone. Sometimes they went back to it, just to see if he was sure he didn't want them to have a nibble, but if he was firm about it, they let it go. There were other things to investigate, after all.
If Aubrey thought his trials were over there though, he was wrong. Next thing he knew, a huge flock of birds were descending upon them, squawking fit to deafen someone. "Ack!" Aubrey said, throwing up an arm to shield himself. The pups set up barking at first, but as the birds drew closer, their courage deserted them, even with the three of them all together. It was all Aubrey could do to keep a hold on their leashes.
He didn't know how long they were like that, but eventually the birds did leave. And once they did, Aubrey could finally take stock of the situation, and figure out what was going on, and what he needed to do.
His attention went immediately to the pups. They had all fallen silent, and now that he laid eyes on them, he could see that they were all unsettled by what had happened. Even Lyra's tail was low, though not quite tucked between her legs.
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Post by Briar on Aug 30, 2020 18:55:56 GMT -6
"Hey, it's okay. Easy, easy," Aubrey said. He brought out more treats, this time as a distraction. Aster had taught him a little of this, over the years. He hadn't worked on desensitizing the pups yet, the way Aster did with some of his battle creatures; he hadn't really thought about it, hadn't thought he would need to. Basic obedience seemed like such a hurdle as it was. But now, as things were, he thought it might be worth doing at some point. The pups would be more comfortable too, once they recognized these weren't things to get stressed about, right?
... That would happen later though. For now, he had to calm them back down. He held the treat in front of Lyra's nose, not because he thought she needed comforting the most, but because he thought she would be the easiest to snap out of it. And she did, slowly letting herself be coaxed into sniffing at the treat rather than looking around for birds or standing there frozen and on edge. As she relaxed, he spoke soothingly, to her and to the other two, and when she had relaxed more fully, he let her have the treat.
And then he worked on the other two, the same way. After taking a moment to shake herself off, Lyra helped in her own way, trying to engage them and distract them however she could. She would butt her muzzle into Loki's shoulder, or bounce toward Joker as if she wanted to play.
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