|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 6, 2024 20:28:20 GMT -6
It took a little bit less time to calm Forrest down this time. A few rocks, some chin scratches, and he was back to relaxed, his tail no longer in danger of taking her out which she was grateful for because she really did not think that getting hit with a crystal tail like that was going to be good for her.
She wasn't quite sure how long she expected this to take. It was basically like building up a tolerance for something, all things considered so probably roughly the same amount of time. She expected that she could probably get it done in a day. Provided that she didn't have a heart attack herself. The dark was definitely not comfortable for Runa either.
She placed her hand on the side of Forrest. She switched the light off.
Forrest was gripped with panic. It wasn't as all consuming as previously and he managed not to jump forward and shake off the comforting hand of Runa. Still, his head swung from side to side (as did his tail) as he tried to find the light. The light fingers on his side were helping but not quite enough to bring him back all the way.
Runa switched the light back on and fed Forrest a treat, glad that he had not run away this time.
Runa: 17.7 Forrest: 8.0 // 11.0 Accept Darkness - 3 Mines -28
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 6:20:05 GMT -6
Runa scratched under Forrest's chin as she waited for him to settle down the rest of the way. It took a few minutes but he eventually relaxed enough that she felt ready to start training. She didn't want to push him too hard and ruin any progress that they had made. She scratched him one last time and then gave him a quick pat on the head.
Forrest managed to control his immediate reaction to flee but panic still rose in him. He whipped his head back and forth, desperately trying to see while his tail swung back and forth.
Runa could feel Forrest's breathing rate pick up and she knew that he was panicking. She stroked his side and wished she could offer him more support. This would have been easier if she was able to talk to him, she thought. Hopefully her presence alone would be enough. He wasn't as panicked as last time, he wasn't out of control the way he had been before but he was still quite obviously uncomfortable. She wanted him to stay relaxed in the dark entirely.
She kept the light off for a few more moments but once it became clear he wasn't going to settle, she turned the light back on.
Runa: 17.8 Forrest: 8.2 // 11.2 Accept Darkness - 4 Mines - 29
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 6:25:48 GMT -6
Forrest settled faster this time than he had previously, his breathing returning to its normal pattern and his muscles relaxing under her hand. She kept an eye on him for indications that she was pushing too hard and that he needed a longer break but didn't pick up on anything. Good, she nodded to herself, that was quite promising. She scratched under his chin again.
After a moment, she snapped the light off again, keeping her hand scratching under Forrest's chin. At first he didn't react, potentially because his eyes had been closed as she scratched him, but she could feel when he realized the lights were off and started to panic. He tensed and pulled his head away from her. She felt through the darkness to find his chest and could feel his heart pounding under her fingers and his breathing picking up.
She moved her hand along him until she was at his side. His breath was coming in ragged spurts, but as she stroked him she could feel him starting to settle down. He wasn't perfectly relaxed but definitely better than before. She turned the flashlight back on and offered him a rock to eat which he took gratefully. She patted him a few more times on the side.
Runa: 17.9 Forrest: 8.4 // 11.4 Accept Darkness - 5 Mines - 30
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 6:33:45 GMT -6
Forrest was calm almost immediately after the lights turned back on, most likely because he had already been calming down before she had turned the flashlight back on. She patted him a few more times, moving to his side so that she wasn't in danger of getting hit by his head when he started panicking again. She was lucky he hadn't hit her last time when he pulled his head up.
When she snapped the light off this time, Forrest tensed up, his breathing picking up but, Runa did not feel the breeze that normally generated when he started to whip his tail back and forth which she thought meant he probably wasn't doing anymore. The breathing definitely indicated stress but stress was certainly better than outright fear that was inducing a fight or flight reaction (with fight seemingly the preferred reaction).
She stroked him and slowly his breathing slowed. It took awhile but eventually he was breathing normally and he no longer felt tense as though he was going to run or attack at any minute. She turned the light back on and looked him over. Still not completely comfortable but it wasn't going to take her much time to get him all the way back to settled down.
Runa: 18.0 Forrest: 8.6 // 11.6 Accept Darkness - 6 Mines - 31
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 6:44:58 GMT -6
Once she was sure Forrest was calm, Runa turned the lights out. Forrest still started to panic with an increased respiratory rate and the tenseness that she could feel in his body. However, as she stroked him she could feel him settling. She continued to so until his breathing returned entirely to normal and he had relaxed almost entirely. She put the flashlight between her thighs and found a rock that she held out in the general direction of his head. After a moment, it was gone from her hands, presumably being eaten by Forrest.
She left the light off awhile longer, wanting to be sure that he was relaxed with the light off. She kept her hand where it was, aware that he was probably relying on it to keep him calm. She didn't think he was quite ready to face the darkness without her comfort although obviously he would have to do so eventually. She was going to test that once she was certain he could stay calm while her hand was on him.
Content that he was fully relaxed with the lights off, Runa turned the flaslight back on, feeding him yet another rock once she could see and stroking him when he pressed his head against her.
Runa: 18.1 Forrest: 8.8 // 11.8 Accept Darkness - 7 Mines - 32
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 6:51:40 GMT -6
Runa moved to the Lamadidron's side again before she turned off the light. This time, the panic phase only lasted a few breaths before Forrest started to settle down and breath normally. Then, she removed her hand from his side.
Almost immediately, she could feel the air disturbances that indicated that the Lamadidron was swinging his tail in distress. She could also feel light vibrations indicating that he was probably moving although she couldn't be sure how he was doing so. She left the lights off. He would have to be able to calm himself down. She didn't want to train him to only be comfortable in the darkness when she was close enough to touch hm.
After a moment, the air disturbances stopped and she turned the light back on. Immediately, Forrest ran to her (ran being a generous description for the pace he approached her at) and she offered him a treat, rubbing his cheek. She was glad that he found her a source of comfort. She hated frightening him but it was better that he was scared in an environment that she could control with her in the area rather than caught off guard in the mines if her flashlight went out.
Runa: 18.2 Forrest: 9.0 // 12.0 Accept Darkness - 8 Mines - 33
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 7:01:06 GMT -6
Forrest was calm shortly after the lights came back on so Runa was able to continue with the training immediately. This time, when she turned the light off, Forrest did not panic at all with her hand on him. When she removed the hand, she felt the air disturbances start but only for a few moments. Forrest must have continued to move because she could feel the vibrations of his footfalls against her own feet but either he stopped moving or she could no longer feel the footfalls.
She left the lights off, stuffing down her own discomfort. Being unable to see or hear was...disconcerting to say the least. She did rely on her sense of touch often when she was working with her animals but she had never had to do so as much as she was right now. She knew it was critical to keep her calm though - if she started to panic it would undo all of the work she'd done so far with Forrest.
After a few more moments, Runa turned the lights back on. To her surprise, Forrest was actually laying down and did not appear panicked at all anymore. She smiled and went over to him and handed him a rock reward.
Runa: 18.3 Forrest: 9.2 // 12.2 Accept Darkness - 9 Mines - 34
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 7:07:38 GMT -6
Runa sat next to Forrest who did not appear interested in moving. She would know if he jumped to his feet when she turned the lights off. This was going to be the biggest test for him as far as training him to be okay in the darkness since she was not going to start out touching him. She gave him one last pat and then let her hand fall into her lap.
She turned the flashlight off and the cave was plunged into darkness. She did not feel vibrations indicating that Forrest had gotten up, nor did she feel any air disturbances. She smiled in the darkness. After a few moments, she felt the nudge of a nuzzle against her shoulder and her grin widened because she was pretty sure it was Forrest looking for food. She handed him a rock to eat and her suspicion was confirmed when he took it from her hand.
They sat in the dark for a few more minutes, Runa comforted by the calmness of the large beast. He seemed to have gotten used to the darkness. She turned the light back on and patted the now visible Lamadidron, feeding him another rock to show that she was pleased with him.
Runa: 18.4 Forrest: 9.4 // 12.4 Accept Darkness - 10 Mines - 35
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 7:18:13 GMT -6
There were other things that Runa would like to work on before the competition but Runa believed in not working her animals too hard and she felt like he deserved a break from training. And her hands weren't sore anymore which meant that she should probably return to mining, looking for the gems and stones that had enticed her into the mines in the first place.
She picked up the shovel and started to dig again, noting with amusement that Forrest was also pawing at the ground as though he was try8ing to dig as well. That was something that she was planning to teach him how to do - those large claws would come in handy for it, certainly. She scooped up another pile of dirt, nothing that there were quite a few stones and clumps of dirt that might contain stones or ores.
She set down the shovel, picking up the mallet and started to hammer at different stones and dirt clumps, keeping an eye out for the glint and glimmer of gems or stones otherwise. She was planning to trade any items of value she found in for more mining tools so that she could mine more effectively. The shovel and mallet were great but not quite enough.
Runa: 18.6 Forrest: 9.6 // 12.6 Mines - 36
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 7:24:32 GMT -6
Runa wondered, not for the first time, if it was possible to overfeed a Lamadidron. As she worked through the pile of larger stones and reduced them to smaller stones and verified that there were no gems in them, she would toss a few pebbles to Forrest who caught them in the air and swallowed them down. He certainly was enjoying the feast.
He had given up on his digging, choosing instead to lay down near her while she worked on the rocks and broke them up. One would think that she starved the big creature based on the way he was begging for more rocks. She could teach him not to do that, she supposed, but it was kind of cute.
She wished she had gotten to see Forrest as a baby. She was willing to bet that he was plain adorable. Plus it would have been a lot easier to transport him around - she was pretty sure Lamadidrons were not very large when they were babies. She cracked open another large rock and looked inside. Forrest had his head lying on the top of the large flat stone she was using to break open stones at this point and she rolled her eyes.
Runa: 18.6 Forrest: 9.8 // 12.8 Mines - 37
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 7:35:05 GMT -6
You are not starving she signed at Forrest, setting her mallet down to do so. She thought, wistfully, about the ribbon of telepathy that she used with Goewihg and how nice it would be to have another one for Forrest. She was definitely aiming to have one for everyone as soon as she could although the cost was very, very steep.
She cracked open the last stone and fed Forrest the remnants of it. She walked over to the flashlight where she kept her tools while she was working with a different one and picked back up the shovel, heading over to a new part of the cave to start digging. Forrest followed her, clearly hoping that wherever she was going, more stones would be available for him to snack on.
As she started digging, Forrest started digging next to her, every now and then dislodging a stone that he ate. Well, hopefully none of them were minerals that he wasn't supposed to be eating. He didn't eat all of them so she was pretty sure that meant that he was able to determine which ones were good for him to eat and which ones were not. She wiped the sweat from her eyes. This was hard work.
Runa: 18.7 Forrest: 10.0 // 13.0 Mines - 38
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 7:50:10 GMT -6
The pile of dislodged stones and dirt grew larger next to Runa as Forrest's hole in the ground grew deeper. She was starting to lose hope of finding anything in this area. They were still sort of close to the entrance into the caverns and there were indications that possibly, others had been digging here already which would probably limit what she would find.
Well, she would go through what she had already found before she moved on, she decided. She picked up several promising rocks and moved them over to the stone that she used for her crushing. She eyed Forrest ruefully. She needed to train him to carry the stuff that she dug up from the mines. She had seen saddlebags at the store she'd purchased a few other items from and she felt it would be super helpful to have an animal capable of moving heavy loads.
She had moved everything that seemed promising and she stopped to take a breather again and wipe the sweat from her forehead. This was honestly exhausting work. She definitely needed to train Forrest to be more helpful in the mines so that she didn't have to work as hard. She was definitely starting to feel the strain.
Runa: 18.8 Forrest: 10.2 // 13.2 Mines: 39
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 7:55:21 GMT -6
She started to crack open the stones and at the first stone, Forrest appeared, clearly begging for more rocks. She was going to have to work out with him if this kept up so that she could work off any extra weight that he accumulated from his steady diet of every rock shard that she discarded.
Of course. It was possible that they just needed a lot of stones to maintain their size. She wasn't really clear on how much food each Lamadidron needed to maintain a proper weight. Honestly, that would be valuable information but the labs that created them had opted to put out information about the noises they made instead. Runa was a little biased but that information seemed less important than a rough estimate of how many pounds of rocks an adult Lamadidron needed to eat.
That was a consistent concern she had - that her menagerie wasn't eating enough but she also didn't want to overfeed them. And it could be difficult to find appropriate food for Belladonna in particular considering she ate blood and energy and really, the only one who was capable of offering such a thing was Runa herself. She had supplemented her diet but it didn't seem to fulfill her as much.
Runa: 18.9 Forrest: 10.4 // 13.4 Mines: 40
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 8:05:55 GMT -6
She worked her way through the pile steadily, noting that the skin on her hand seemed to have grown accustomed to her holding the tools for longer periods of time. Of course, that didn't really stop her from becoming fatigued otherwise. She paused to rub the soreness out of her biceps, setting down the mallet. Forrest bumped his head against her shoulder when she stopped and when she looked at him, made the closest thing to puppy eyes that a lizard rock could possibly make. She snorted at it.
I think I need a break she signed to him which he did not appear to understand (not that she expected him to, of course). She walked over to the flashlight and set the mallet down next to the shovel, sitting down next to the wall and stretching her legs out in front of her. She flexed her fingers, noting that they seemed a little stiff from gripping the mallet.
Forrest walked over to her, laying down next to her and placing his head in her lap for her to scratch. She obliged, scratching the top of his head lightly as she considered whether she wanted to keep working or if it was perhaps time to head home for awhile.
Runa: 19.0 Forrest: 10.6 // 13.6 Mines: 41
|
|
|
Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 8:15:09 GMT -6
Speaking of home, Runa thought about how she had recently acquired a house in town. She hadn't really moved in, preferring to sleep at the kennel since most of her pets were too large to comfortably stay in the small house that she had bought and there wasn't nearly enough yard for her to let them roam.
Plus, she wasn't certain that all of them got along yet so she didn't really want to risk any fights breaking out and causing a ruckus. Definitely could be an issue for Gallant and any of the other large creatures especially considering how jealous Gallant could be of her spending time with critters that weren't him. And a fight between the Gallor and another equally large (or even slightly smaller) animal could be very, very destructive.
Runa absently patted Forrest's head. She didn't think it was in the best interest of the Lamadidron to try and bring him into the small house either. Especially considering how he seemed far more comfortable in the caves than he ever would feel in a small house on a tiny plot of land in the city. But that didn't mean she couldn't move a few of them over to the house.
Runa: 19.1 Forrest: 10.8 // 13.8 42
|
|