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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:06:09 GMT -6
The constant attention it necessitated did not bother her, and her sensors were capable of tracking a wide variety of creature related parameters, one of which was the level of heat given off through the skin of a creature.
The creature began his run slowly, but it didn’t take him long at all to pick up his pace this time. Of course, he did not go very fast, considering the nature of the training they were working on at the moment, but Rabbit could sense something of impatience in him all the same. He was pushing his limits now, and unsurprisingly, he found them more quickly; he had already been working for over an hour, even if he had had a break and was somewhat recovered from it. His breathing grew heavy much more quickly this time around, but there was a fierce look in his eyes as he pushed past it.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:07:00 GMT -6
“Remember to alternate your laps,” she said, after he went three circuits without slowing to a walk. Only then did he do so, though even this necessity seemed to irk him a little, for when he resumed the jogging pace, she noticed that his pace had quickened from the last time.
She considered saying something, but it was their first real session of more intensive training at the gym in some time. There was something to be said for letting him work off the edge of his excitement, perhaps. Besides that, she did not wish to micromanage him if there was no pressing need to, knowing as she did how much he valued his own intelligence and independence; an excess of instruction might foster resentment, and in turn, an unwillingness to listen when it really mattered. Thus, she left him to his own devices for the moment, seeing no pressing need for intervention.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:07:13 GMT -6
It did not take him long to tire out, proceeding the way that he had done. Rabbit was unsurprised when she had to call him back merely a half hour into this second round of laps.
“It was a good effort,” she said. If she had any suggestions about his pacing, they could wait until the next time they were here. “It will not be quick work, but through cumulative sessions, I am sure you will experience steady improvement.”
The creature was too exhausted to make much of a response, and was focused, as far as Rabbit could ascertain, on the task of having another drink. But it was no issue if he did not particularly absorb what she was saying at the moment, as they were not instructions or warnings of real import. And if he did not need the encouragement, then so be it, though she would certainly offer it until he bid her to stop.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:07:29 GMT -6
However, it was time for this session to come to an end. They had spent a respectable time at the facility, and the creature was not in any fit state to continue. Which wasn’t to say that he was so exhausted as to no longer be ambulatory, but to push him further than this was to invite the possibility of real strain, which Rabbit preferred to avoid, especially after having cautioned him against just such an issue so often herself.
She insisted that he rest for a spell before beginning their walk home, and the pace was slow as they made their way back, but the true measure of the strenuousness of his exercise did not tell until she came to find him the next day. He was in a foul mood, ears pinned back and nose wrinkled slightly in an expression of distaste, which only intensified when he saw her arrival.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:08:09 GMT -6
“Unfortunately, it will be more of the same today,” said Rabbit. “But the soreness will abate with time.”
The creature accentuated the roll of his eyes by tossing his head also, and added a low grumble for good measure. These were things he already knew, for the soreness was at its worst when he was still regaining his muscle tone. But evidently it brought him no pleasure to be living through the same process again, even if it was towards a greater measure of strength this time around.
Still, he did not resist when she led him to the gym. The two of them sent a longer time stretching out his limbs to alleviate some of the stiffness that had settled into them. The creature grimaced widely over the process until Rabbit pointed out how sorry it made his appearance, at which point he changed his tack and opted for stoicism instead.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:08:29 GMT -6
At length, however, there was no longer any point to further delay, and Rabbit stepped back and indicated the track. “Please begin your warm up laps,” she said. “In the meantime, I will set up the means with which to play music for you.”
She had not forgotten her proposal the previous day, and seeing as the creature had not refused it, she had brought along a portable music player of sorts. It had taken some searching to find one, and then some more work to repair it, as the model Aster owned had been old and not used in some time. It had, in fact, come with the house itself, as part of the junk and debris that had gone undisposed of when Aster had first acquired the place.
The sound, when it emerged, was inclined to be somewhat tinny, but the thing was operational, and soon there was music blaring throughout the space.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:08:43 GMT -6
It was just as well that they were alone here today, or else there might have been protests from other parties who did not care for the music that she had chosen--- or, more accurately, the music that had been available to them.
The creature’s head went up as the first few notes began to play, and Rabbit could see him staring at her for a few moments. But as the music played on, he returned to focus on what he had been doing before. Rabbit took this as a good sign, that the music itself was relatively unobtrusive, or at least inoffensive enough for him to ignore. Whether it would help alleviate his boredom in a meaningful way remained to be seen, but at least he was not immediately demanding that it be turned off.
After the warm up laps, the creature went directly into the proper rotation of laps for the work portion of their training.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:08:54 GMT -6
Compared to the previous day, however, even with all their work to limber him up as much as they could, he could not keep a certain level of stiffness from affecting his movements. But Rabbit did not rush him, or even comment on the matter; the only difference it made was that she would have to watch him more carefully for any sign of strain. She anticipated that he would not like being told to hold back this soon after they began their serious work, as it would seem like one step forward and another step back, but she believed he would listen based on the conversations they had already had on the matter. And perhaps his soreness would be such that he would not even be particularly inclined to quarrel with the limits she had set, though if that were the case, then he would have to be quite sore indeed, knowing his general nature.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:09:19 GMT -6
In this manner, they passed the better part of an hour. Rabbit did not let him go on as long as he had the first round from the previous day, and called him in early to take a drinking break. “We will resume after this,” she said, presenting the bucket of enriched water to him, “but please slow your pace. The point of the exercise is to sustain yourself over longer periods of time.”
The creature paid her little mind at first, but when he had finished with his drink and caught his breath somewhat, his expression took on a pensive cast again. Rabbit followed his gaze, and saw that he was looking at the cart--- the one they had tried once much earlier, with little success, then left alone.
“That is not what I meant,” said Rabbit. Certainly, it would necessitate that he slowed if he meant to hitch himself to it, but the slack created by decreasing his speed would be more than taken up by the strain of trying to pull such a heavy weight.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:09:39 GMT -6
He rolled his eyes at her for the second time that day, then walked up to the cart and began hauling off the bags of sand that weighed it down.
“Ah,” said Rabbit. “I had assumed that you intended to pull the full contingents of weights. My apologies.” She moved to assist him in his adjustment of the weight on the cart until they reached a level with which he was satisfied, and only then did he move himself to the front of the cart. Rabbit began the process of hitching him up to it, which she had done once before, but which was made more difficult by the fact that he did not wear a proper harness. It was possible to attach it to the straps of the armor he customarily wore, but as it had not been made with such a purpose in mind, doing so took time and effort to manage.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:10:00 GMT -6
Eventually, she did manage to rig something that would hold when the creature threw his weight against it. Stepping back, she gave him the signal that he could begin moving. At once, the creature did throw his weight into the endeavor, his claws digging into the ground. But he had put too much effort into it; with over half the weights removed, the cart was easier to pull than he had anticipated, and the creature quickly found himself stumbling forward, skidding to a stop only to have the cart shove him forward again with its momentum.
It was just as well that only Rabbit was here to see this. A humanoid would likely have found amusement in his plight, which he would not have appreciated at all.
“Perhaps you may try walking with it,” said Rabbit, “along the track.” She did not comment on the scene that she had just witnessed, and the creature in turn did his best to pretend that it had not occurred.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:10:22 GMT -6
He went to the track, and walked, the cart pulling along behind him at a steady pace. This time around, the creature did not even attempt to jog. The cart was lighter than it had been, it was true, but the weight was still substantial. Moreover, being hitched to the cart necessarily meant some restraint applied toward his general range of motion. It would have been cumbersome to run with the cart still attached, especially as he was not experienced with pulling this type of vehicle.
In fact, it was likely only because of its nature as a training aid that he had deigned to allow himself to be subjected to this at all. Rabbit did not think that a creature of such pride would otherwise submit to the task of pulling a cart, as so many common beasts of burden did. Tat-lung, whose genetics formed a part of the creature’s chimeral makeup, were famously unwilling to accept riders, and Rabbit supposed this creature was much the same.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:10:46 GMT -6
He would have even less incentive, then, to accept being relegated to the role of transporting goods.
Due to the challenge that he had imposed for himself, Rabbit kept this second round to only half an hour before she called an end to it. On this occasion, the creature took his drink while Rabbit took over the task of unhitching him from the cart. “Do you prefer to train with this?” she said. She did not think he would have a taste for it, but he had volunteered for it himself, and he was the one doing the work, after all. There was no single road to the goal that they had in mind, and if this was his preference, then he ought to work in a way that made it the most interesting--- or the least uncomfortable--- for himself.
The creature did not give a definite assent, but inclined his head. Perhaps he didn’t know what he preferred just yet.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:11:09 GMT -6
She was sure he would make his preferences known when he had formed them, however, and perhaps he would be in the mood for one thing or another when they returned the next day.
Rabbit returned the cart to where it had been before, and placed all the sandbags that they had taken off it earlier for good measure. She was not certain as to the precise protocol with regards to those sandbags and the cart, so it seemed best to simply return it to the state that they had found it in.
When the both of them had wrapped up their respective tasks, Rabbit led them home.
The creature was still a little sore the next day, but not so badly as he had been. And perhaps Rabbit’s remark about his appearance had stuck with him, for there was none of the grimacing and groaning that had accompanied their last journey this time around.
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Post by Noa on Feb 23, 2020 21:11:32 GMT -6
This wasn’t to say that he bore it with perfect stoicism, but to do so would have been quite uncharacteristic of him.
They began as they always did, with some simple stretching to loosen up his limbs. Like the previous session, Rabbit made sure to take particular care with this portion of their preparation today. He was less sore, yes, but the stiffness was still there, and they were still in the beginning stages of this endeavor to bolster his endurance. It was always better to be more careful rather than less with these things.
These ministrations were borne by the creature with relative good graces, though here some of his wincing returned. When she let him go, he seemed relieved, though possibly only that the ordeal was over.
“Please take a few laps around the track to begin,” said Rabbit. “Once those are complete, you may choose whether or not to make use of the cart.”
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