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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 8:25:07 GMT -6
After a few more moments, Runa pushed Forrest's head off of her gently and got to her feet, dusting herself off. She grabbed the tools and the flashlight, thinking again that it would be extremely convenient if she could use Forrest to carry items. But she wasn't ready to do anymore training at that time and she didn't think that Forrest was necessarily recovered from his experience either.
She aimed the flashlight beam at the tunnels in front of them and then glanced back at Forrest. She was pretty sure he could fit through the one on the right so that was the direction she headed. She held a rock out behind her to entice Forrest to follow her. Even though they were surrounded by rocks, it seemed the ones she had brought from home were a particular favorite of the large animal.
As they walked, Runa kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Forrest hadn't gotten distracted or stopped following behind her. She was happy to see that he didn't seem interested in stopping although she had to make sure she didn't walk too fast and put too much distance between herself and the Lamadidron. She was going to have to work on him to get him to be faster.
Runa: 19.2
Forrest: 11.0 // 14.0 Mines - 43
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 8:53:38 GMT -6
They walked for awhile until they came to an area that didn't seem overly disturbed and had plenty of room for the two of them to work. Well. For Runa to work and for Forrest to dig up more rocks that he was going to eat before she had the opportunity to inspect him. She found a place to tuck the light behind and set down the mallet. She inspected the area around her, trying to decide what area she wanted to start in. She wished she was more well versed in mining and the best way to find gems and other valuable rocks.
Maybe it would be something she learned with time though. Surely practice made for perfect. She frowned for a bit at that because, in her experience, practice did not always make perfect. Usually she had to work very, very hard at something to learn anything new.
Forrest laid down near the tools, clearly content to watch her work rather than to actually do any digging himself. That was fine. She was probably going to take a break in an hour or so for lunch and possibly to try and take a nap. If she could, anyway. Sleep was not easy for Runa.
Runa:19.3
Forrest: 11.2 // 14.2
Mines - 44
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 9:07:08 GMT -6
For awhile, she focused on the task at hand, glancing over at Forrest to make sure that he had not wandered off. He wasn't quite sleeping although he was certainly relaxed with his head on his crossed front feet. There was a pretty good chance he would fall asleep if he stayed like that she thought to herself ruefully wishing she could fall asleep that easily. Even tired as she was, the fear of her nightmares kept her awake.
While she was watching, Forrest lifted his head, perhaps wondering why she was staring at him so intently. She found herself enjoying spending time with the Lamadidron quite a bit. She hadn't expected that to be the case - she had been a bit nervous when se started working with him, worried that the creature would be be too stubborn to work with. Of course, they hadn't done any training that required a lot of compliance on his part so much.
Of course, she had a plan for training that was going to require a little more compliance. Specifically, she was planning on taking him to the gym. A wry smile crossed her lips. Forrest was stubborn and she had a feeling that working with him was going to test her patience at times.
Runa: 19.4
Forrest: 11.4 // 14.4
Mines - 45
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 13:55:24 GMT -6
The day had worn on and Runa was starting to feel the fatigue of the day settling into her muscles. She looked at Forrest who had fallen asleep. She wasn't sure what time it was - without the sun it was hard to tell what time it was. She had settled down to Forrest at one point to eat her lunch. He had fallen asleep at some point but she had woken him up to feed him his lunch which he had eaten with relish.
She was weighing her options as far as whether to stay in the mines or head back to the kennels. She glanced at Forrest who yawned at her. Yes. Definitely time to head back home. She got to her feet and brushed herself off. Forrest got up as well, following her as she headed back toward the exit.
This further confirmed her decision to head home for the evening. If even Forrest was ready to head home, that was a pretty good indication that they had spent too long down in the mines. She went to grab the tools that she had brought to the mines and headed down the tunnels that had brought them to the cavern they were in.
Runa: 19.5
Forrest: 11.6 // 14.6
Mines - 46
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 14:20:03 GMT -6
As they walked, Runa contemplated the way forward for herself and Forrest in preparing him for the contest that she had seen announced by the Competition Hall for the month. He was developing rather well, in her opinion. Considering that she hadn't been working with him for very long, it was promising that he was developing so well and that he had learned so much.
There was still work to do though. From her understanding, the gym could be used to help develop resistance and that was something she felt Forrest could benefit from. While not the strongest and certainly not the most agile, Forrest was practically made of stone. It stood to reason that he could probably withstand attacks and reduce the damage that he took from any attacks that were launched at him.
Of course, defense was only half the battle. He would need to be able to mount a strong offense as well. That wasn't the focus of the competition though. She frowned as she thought about the parameters of the competition. But again, Forrest was basically a rock. Surely a creature made of rock was tough enough to beat out most of the other competition. Although it was possible they would come up against other Lamadidrons in the competition.
Runa: 19.6
Forrest: 11.8 // 14.8
Mines - 47
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 14:39:43 GMT -6
The had finally reached the end of the tunnel. It had been hard to tell because at some point the sun had set and the light was no longer pouring into the entrance of the tunnel. She gave Forrest a pat as they climbed out of the tunnel into the the dying sunlight. As they climbed out, she noticed that Forrest had dislodged a few stones and she noticed that he flinched. She frowned for a moment, staring down into the tunnel and then looked back at Forrest.
Was noise a thing that bothered hearing animals? Was it like darkness for animals that could see? She thought about the competition that she had seen. There had been a rather large crowd there and it had been quite loud. An animal that shied away from such loud noises was not going to do well in such an arena. And even more challenging, she had no idea how she was going to train him not to be afraid of loud noises because she didn't know what made noise.
She bit her lip. A problem to consider for tomorrow then. She patted Forrest, pulled out a rock to bribe Forrest with, and headed back to the kennel for the night.
Runa: 19.7
Forrest: 12.0 // 15.0
Mines - 48
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 15:06:36 GMT -6
A cool breeze stirred the grass as Runa, tools slung over her shoulder, and Forrest made their way back to the mines. Forrest kept trying to snag the pouch of rocks at her hip and she tapped him each time, shaking her head and receiving an annoyed look in response. She stifled a grin. Fall was coming to Pethia and the briskness in the wind was a reminder of such. Not for the first time, Runa considered how frustrating it was that Forrest was so slow. It took them so long to go anywhere. She wasn't actually sure if he was slow because of ability or if he was choosing to be that slow.
She glanced at him. It really could go either way. She knew that Lamadidrons were stubborn but they were also slow. Maybe she would teach him how to run next time she took him to the training park. That would be amusing. She could bring Goewihg and try to use her to convince him to run. Maybe she could even bribe him to run with her.
They were coming up on the entrance of the cave finally. Runa turned and waited at the entrance, at some point she had gotten a little ahead of Forrest.
Runa: 19.8
Forrest: 12.2 // 15.2
Mines - 49
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 15:27:37 GMT -6
Runa leaned against the mouth of the cave, watching Forrest lumbering toward her with his usual, deliberate pace. The weak sunlight caught his rocky exterior as he moved, and despite her impatience, she couldn't help but admire his calm, steady nature. His eyes met hers and she raised an eyebrow at him, waiting. He paused a few paces away, considering whether he wanted to come any closer.
Come on, then she signed, her fingers moving fluidly in the air. Forrest snorted, as if unimpressed, but closed the gap between them at his own leisurely speed.
Runa stifled another grin. She couldn’t exactly rush a Lamadidron. They moved at their own pace. Still, the idea of him running made her chuckle. He’d probably manage three awkward bounds before deciding it wasn’t worth the effort.
She adjusted the pouch of rocks at her hip, the one Forrest had been eyeing all morning, and gave him a final tap on the side as they entered the cave. The entrance sloped slightly and they walked in with ease, Runa clicking her flashlight on as the dim light of the morning did not fully illuminate even the entrance tunnel and she did not want to risk tripping.
Runa: 19.9
Forrest: 12.4 // 15.4
Mines - 50
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 8, 2024 15:34:48 GMT -6
The still air of the cave greeted them, a contrast to the crisp breeze outside. Runa could sense Forrest’s presence behind her, his heavy, deliberate footfalls sending vibrations that she could feel against her feet. The footfalls were lighter than those of the Thundergug who stalked in her kennels, irritated by the bars of the cage she kept him in to prevent him from rampaging through her kennel. Most of her other creature were terrified of such a one.
She flicked her flashlight around the entrance, casting its beam over the jagged walls, noting the grooves from years of mining. The deeper they ventured, the more the more the light had to fight against the darkness. Runa couldn’t hear the faint creaks or distant drips of water that might warn others of danger, but she could still sense it if danger was imminent - perhaps a gift from the cruel gods who had stolen her hearing and voice.
Forrest nudged her side again. Runa tapped his nose when he went for the pouch of rocks. Not yet she signed with a smirk.
The made their way through the tunnels, making slow progress toward Runa's goal - the cavern in which she had done much of her mining the previous day.
Runa: 20.0
Forrest: 12.6 // 15.6
Mines - 51
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 5:31:17 GMT -6
They had finally arrived at the cavern, recognizable by the holes that Runa had dug into the floor previously. She was careful to skirt her way around the holes in the ground, sending the beam everywhere as she checked for additional holes that may have been dug after she had left the day before. It would have been shocking if anyone had been there after her last night since she had left so late and she had arrived so early this morning but it was best to approach with caution.
Runa set down the flashlight and her tools. Forrest looked at her impatiently and Runa blew out a breath. She pulled a rock out of her pouch of rocks and tossed it to him and he ate it happily. He had been pretty patient and it was good that she had gotten all the way to the mines without any issues from the Lamadidron. She scratched him under his chin and then picked up the shovel with a sigh. She held it in one hand and appraised the other hand, noting that some callouses were forming on her palms.
Well at least she wasn't going to get any blisters over the callouses most likely.
Runa: 20.1
Forrest: 12.8 // 15.8
Mines - 52
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 5:44:16 GMT -6
The first few shovels were fairly easy as Runa settled into the routine of shoveling dirt. Forrest was next to her, his claws scraping against the ground rather ineffectively. She eyed his long claws with some dubiousness - it didn't seem possible that something designed to be in the dirt like this wasn't able to dig effectively. Forrest must have felt her staring and locked eyes with her and then scraped at the ground some more.
She paused in her shoveling so she could sign we'll work on it to him. Forrest was somewhat stubborn, training him could be pretty hit or miss. This was typical of the species though from what she understood. She actually was finding him enjoyable to work with though. Perhaps she would get an additional Lamadidron later on or, she considered, perhaps she could breed Forrest to another Lamadidron and get babies.
She had seen pictures. Lamdidron babies were actually very, very cute. She regretted not having seen Forrest as a baby. Maybe getting babies that were made out of the genetic material of Forrest and another Lamadidron would be fun. Or, she considered, perhaps she could get one of the rarer breeds if she went and bought one from the stores.
Runa: 20.2
Forrest: 13.0 // 16.0
Mines - 53
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 5:52:36 GMT -6
She was feeling a little lazy today. She was leaning against her shovel contemplating the walls of the mines distastefully. To have spent this much time somewhere and to not have had any results was kind of disappointing. Maybe she was just in a bad spot? She was certain it was Forrest that was scaring off any potential creatures that lived in the mines from approaching although Forrest was not particularly violent or aggressive. Nor was he particularly noticeable, she noted with a jolt. He somewhat blended into the background.
Maybe it was the moss growing on his rocky protrusions? Although...there didn't seem to be much moss growing otherwise on the walls of the mines or any of the rocks. Was it his dark coloration then that made him kind of hard to notice against the walls of the cave.
Or perhaps it was just kind of dark in the cave. Forrest had noticed that she was done shoveling and approached her, pushing his head against her chest gently. She patted his head and fed him a rock out of the pouch that she carried full of rocks. He kept his head there, eyes closed as she scratched under his chin as well.
Runa: 20.3
Forrest: 13.2 // 16.2
Mines - 54
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 6:24:54 GMT -6
Runa felt restless. Digging was boring. At least in the mansion there were things to see and look at. Maybe she should take Forrest to the mansion. She considered that for a moment. Well. She didn't think that Forrest would enjoy the mansion as much. He was back to scraping at the dirt in the mines, dislodging rocks as he did so. Some of which he snapped up and ate before she could really good a look at them.
Don't eat any gems she signed at him and got a stare in return that she suspected was annoyance. She smiled at him broadly and returned to her own shoveling. It was more effective than Forrest's scraping at the dirt although she imagined she was also putting in a great deal more effort. She felt like shoveling was perhaps getting easier for her with each day as she built up the muscles that she needed for such a task.
It was a little boring, she realized. Maybe that was the problem she had with the mines. Other than digging and talking to Forrest who could not respond there just wasn't that much to do. Maybe she should explore a little? But then...how would she find the gems she was looking for?
Runa: 20.4
Forrest: 13.4 // 16.4
Mines - 55
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 10:05:54 GMT -6
Runa blew out a breath. She was bored. There was really no other way to describe it. She looked over at Forrest. Maybe some exploration would be fun? Dangerous, yes, but probably more fun than digging in the dirt all day.
Wanna explore? she signed at Forrest who tilted his head. She wondered how much her animals picked up on her sign language. Obviously, the pets of speaking people picked up on certain words - she had been able to tell from the reactions of the hounds her old master had owned but was it the same for sign language? And for that matter - could Forrest even see well enough in the darkness of the cave to be able to identify sign language?
Regardless, she grabbed her tools and the flashlight and gave the pouch of rocks a shake. Forrest extended his head toward the pouch, his eyes fixed on the pouch that contained the rocks. Runa smiled and started walking, the flashlight bouncing around as she did so. In her path, the Lamadidron followed, eyes fixed on the pouch that contained his favorite rock treats.
The walls of the cave, Runa noted, were somewhat damp. Was there a river somewhere in the mines?
Runa: 20.5
Forrest: 13.6 // 16.6
Mines - 56
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Post by Runa Deadear on Sept 9, 2024 10:20:45 GMT -6
Runa tripped over a small rock and caught herself before she could fall. She grimaced at the ground and beamed the light around before she took any more steps. Behind her, Forrest butted her in the back and she turned her head to look at him. He was not apologetic at all about running into her (although she suspected that he had not actually run into her since she was still standing). She patted him on the neck and then started walking again. There was a moisture in the air that seemed...odd considering that she was deep underground.
The darkness of the mines was even more oppressive as the two of them traveled deeper into the mine. Despite the darkness, Forrest's tail gem almost seemed to...glow? Perhaps glow was the wrong word but she could see it more easily than she would have expected considering the darkness of the mines. When she had first brought Forrest home it had been as a curiosity but she was glad she had decided to do so.
Their increasingly deep bond aside, she found the Lamadidron a welcome change from the hot tempered creatures that she primarily owned otherwise. Stubborn, yes, but not nearly as temperamental.
Runa: 20.6
Forrest: 13.8 // 16.8
Mines - 57
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