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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 10, 2012 16:45:35 GMT -5
Blackcloud tilted her head for a moment before looking down at her front feet. She lifted up one of them and looked at it, as if to examine the three claws she had on it. Then she looked at the scratching post again. Slowly she brought her claws over and lightly dug them into the post and pulled downward, dragging them lightly across the surface. It was slow, and it was hesitant, but it was no less done.
Dragon watched with a small frown. Blackcloud definitely wasn't as bold as Vera, and she didn't seem to like the idea of using her claws for anything either. That was going to have to change.
Blackcloud looked hesitantly at Dragon. Then she noticed the small frown on her alpha's face and her ears and tail drooped a little. Dragon sighed faintly, but then smiled a little. "Hey, it's okay, Blackcloud..." she said soothingly now. "It is a good first try. You just need to be a little quicker with it, that's all."
(Word Count: 170) (Level 5 4/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 10, 2012 17:10:25 GMT -5
Blackcloud tilted her head slightly, ears still a little droopy, but a little more straight than earlier. Dragon just continued to smile at her.
"Your opponents unfortunately won't be moving that slow," she continued to explain. "Keep scraping at the speed you did with the first try, and you won't be able to hit them no matter how many times you try. Speed is key with attacks. Without speed, your just flailing out there. With scrape, you want to have a light scratch, but you also want a quick swipe to go with it too."
Blackcloud nodded now, erecting her ears a little more so that they weren't as droopy now. That made sense, not to be slow with attacking.
"Now, I would like you to scrape the scratching post again, this time much quicker and with more effort put into it, okay?" Dragon said now.
Blackcloud nodded again before taking the same paw she had used before and scraping her claws against the post again, much quicker than she had earlier.
(Word Count: 172) (Level 6) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 10, 2012 17:41:42 GMT -5
Dragon nodded with approval, grinning this time. "That was much better, Blackcloud," she said now. "Much, much better than that first attempt. Make sure to keep all your scrape attempts similar to that, okay?"
Blackcloud nodded. Dragon nodded back before continuing. "Now that that's out of the way, let's try scraping the scratching post with your other paw, your left, and weaker, paw, if I have to assume," she said.
Blackcloud titled her head. Why would she need to know how to attack something with too paws? Did she need to scrape her attacker with both simultaneously? Her alpha never made mention of that if it was required. Dragon sighed for a moment. More explanations...more memories coming back to her.
"You probably want to know why I want you to scrape with your left front foot, huh?" she said. "Well, let's think for a moment. Let us pretend that you and someone else is in the heat of battle, and your opponent injured your right, stronger leg so you couldn't use it. What would you do if you wanted to attack your enemy with your claws?"
(Word Count: 187) (Level 6 1/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 11, 2012 15:47:13 GMT -5
Blackcloud tilted her head. She hadn't thought about that. It did make sense though, even though she was clueless as to how they were going to make her left paw any stronger than it already was.
"That's why we need to work on building up it's strength," Dragon continued. "It would give you two feet to fight with, not just one where if it gets injured, you're basically screwed if you want to attack with your claws."
Blackcloud nodded, fully understanding what her alpha was telling her now. It did sort of embarrass her that she could miss such an obvious reason to the question. The beta probably didn't ask that question.
"Don't worry too much about it, Blackcloud," Dragon said now with a smile. "Vera was just as clueless when I started training her how to use her claws in battle. You aren't alone there."
Blackcloud's ears pricked up at hearing this. Dragon continued, "However, now we must continue training. Could you please scrape the scratching post with your left front paw?"
(Word Count: 173) (Level 6 2/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 11, 2012 18:50:26 GMT -5
Blackcloud nodded before turning back to look at the scratching post. Almost instinctively, she held up her right paw to scrape, but then she remember what her alpha instructed her to do and, almost hesitantly, switched paws. The only time she has ever used her left was for walking, trotting, running, and everything else of that nature. Everything else was done with her right paw. It was a very weird sensation, using her left paw for anything other than moving.
She slowly lifted up her left paw, trying to ready it. Then she scraped it across the scratching post, but it was slow and not as strong as the hit she made with her strong right paw. In fact, it seemed to struggle with the swipe, as if it was too weak to even be used to bat at anything with.
She quickly put her paw back down on the ground and then began flexing her left foreleg. The swipe wasn't painful, but it did take a lot of strength to do it.
(Word Count: 173) (Level 6 3/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 11, 2012 19:25:38 GMT -5
It was a pitiful effort, and it was one that Blackcloud was certainly not proud of at all. Her ears and tail drooped, as if certain she had displeased her alpha with the result. She whimpered, wanting to run away and hide, but she stood her ground and waited for what her alpha had to say.
Dragon looked at Blackcloud before sighing, but she didn't sigh at the marks she made. She sighed at the behavior. Now it became clear to her. Blackcloud seemed afraid of making mistakes. Whatever happened somewhere in a previous life or something, obviously carried over to her current life. It still needed changing though. A Fiero afraid to make mistakes was bound to fail.
"For the weak paw, it is a good first try," Dragon said now, trying to sooth Blackcloud, and see about making her a little more confident. "It just needs some work done on it, that's all. Vera had the same problem too, before we worked on it more and more. It'll get better, trust me. It just takes time and practice."
(Word Count: 180) (Level 6 4/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 11, 2012 19:40:37 GMT -5
Blackcloud nodded, but her ears still drooped in shame. She wanted to be strong and please her alpha. She didn't want to do anything wrong during the training.
"Anyway, mistakes happen," Dragon said, continuing what she was saying. "They are unavoidable, inevitable even in the most skilled of individuals, and in many cases, necessary for learning to make yourself better. Not only that, but they just make you seem more real and less lazy. Perfect people are lazy bums who don't do anything in life." She grinned faintly. "You're not a lazy bum, are you?"
Blackcloud shook her head, almost insulted by the question, and Dragon laughed. "Good, because that just means you're more real to me and therefore much more loveable," she said, still grinning. "Now then, how about you give the scratching post another scrape with your left paw. Try to push yourself to be a little faster with it this time, since it's not just the strength, but also the speed, that really matters in a battle."
(Word Count: 170) (Level 7) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 13, 2012 7:44:02 GMT -5
Blackcloud nodded, still looking a little discouraged. She faced the scratching post again and raised her left foreleg again. The she quickly scraped it across the post, trying to put more effort into the speed as much as the strength. It only really succeeded in giving better speed though. Blackcloud gritted her teeth under her lips in frustration at this. She wanted better speed and better strength, not one or the other.
"Much better with the speed, Blackcloud," Dragon said, smiling and then handing the white and black Fiero another shred of meat. "And don't worry too much about not getting it correct on the first few tries. There will be more opportunities for you to strengthen your weaker paw."
Blackcloud nodded again as she flexed her left foreleg. Then she watched, puzzled, as her alpha began walking away from the scratching post, and her. She tilted her head and followed her alpha. Were they done already?
(Word Count: 157) (Level 7 1/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 13, 2012 8:29:47 GMT -5
Blackcloud, out of curiosity, followed her alpha, wondering where exactly she was going. It was the wrong direction to be leaving back for the den, but it was also the wrong direction to be going back to the tree, which was what she was going to assume that they did when they were done with a training lesson.
Dragon continued walking away from the scratching post until she was a few yards away from it, the perfect distance to run up and attack something. This was where she stopped and turned around to face the scratching post, and where Blackcloud came up to meet her, still with a puzzled expression.
Dragon gazed at the scratching post for a bit longer before looking up at Blackcloud. "You know how I had that test to see if you could nibble on my command?" she asked. Blackcloud nodded, still confused. "Well, this is the test to see if you can scrape on command. All you have to do is run up to the scratching post and give it a scrape as you pass by, when I give the command, okay?"
(Word Count: 187) (Level 7 2/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 13, 2012 19:03:43 GMT -5
Blackcloud looked at her alpha before looking over to the scratching post. So...all that was really needed was for her to run up and scrape the post as she passed by? Sounded simple enough.
The white and black Fiero looked back at her alpha and nodded. Then she readied herself for what was to come. She wanted to do spectacular with this, and she didn't want failure to happen. "Just clear your mind, Blackcloud..." Dragon said. "Don't worry too much about failing or doing well. Just do your best, okay?"
Blackcloud nodded again, now concentrating on the scratching post.
"Scrape!"
And Blackcloud took off, claws tearing up the ground and grass as she sprinted toward the scratching post. She made the attempt to clear her mind, and to only focus on the goal, which was to scrape the post on the go. As she neared the scratching post, she began to move to one side instinctively, to use her right paw.
Blackcloud made a small leap and then, with her right paw, scraped it across the post as she passed.
(Word Count: 181) (Level 7 3/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 13, 2012 19:36:01 GMT -5
As Blackcloud passed, she circled around to run back to Dragon. The running soon slowed to a trot, which then slowed to a walk as she came closer to her alpha. Now she stood in front of her, expecting the results of her performance.
Dragon grinned faintly. "How did you come to be so expectant of praise all of a sudden?" she asked now. "You did good, but now you have to do the second part." Blackcloud tilted her head. Second part? What did the second part involve?
"You forgot already the significance of strengthening up your weaker left paw?" Dragon asked now, tilting her head as well, but still grinning. "You've got to do that, before I can give you the OK to be finished."
Blackcloud sighed before she nodded. Dragon nodded back before turning back to the scratching post. Blackcloud did the same and readied herself again, repeatedly trying to remind herself not to instinctively use her right, and instead use her left. "Now, on my command..." Dragon half whispered.
(Word Count: 172) (Level 7 4/5) (Scrape: Continued)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 13, 2012 19:37:09 GMT -5
Blackcloud tensed up, preparing herself for her alpha's command.
"Scrape!"
Blackcloud ran off again, claws eating away at the grass hungrily as she ran. She was determined to do this, and she was determined to do it correctly.
As she neared the scratching post, she at first moved off to left to use her right paw, but then she almost just as quickly corrected herself by moving off to the right, so she could use her left paw. She once again made a small leap and then brought her left paw against the scratching post, quickly but lightly scraping it, as she passed.
She circled back and headed over to Dragon, who met her with a smile and another shred of meat. "That was wonderful, Blackcloud," she said. "The left paw still needs work done, but it'll get there, I promise you." Blackcloud nodded, feeling a little more confident now.
"Now, how about we go and rest for a bit before resuming training?" Dragon suggested. "Running can tire people out relatively quickly." Blackcloud nodded with a small yip, tail wagging slightly. Dragon grinned before she walked back to the tree, with her Fiero following close behind, feeling more confident that before.
(Word Count: 201) (Level 8) (Scrape: Finished)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 20, 2012 9:28:58 GMT -5
Dragon sighed as she thought about what they were to do next. She and Blackcloud were resting under the tree, Blackcloud taking a nap while Dragon was busy trying to figure out what it was she was going to train for next. Perhaps she could do another bite attack? Or perhaps get in Scratch so the training could be relatively even?
Then she thought of something else. In her rush to try and train Blackcloud to get Vera back, she had completely bypassed teaching her how to accept her contact. That would definitely be something she would have to correct before continuing on with anything else.
Dragon looked over at the sleeping Blackcloud, wondering if she should wake her up and explain or just try it out while she was asleep. She didn't have to wonder for too long, because the Fiero soon yawned and drowsily looked up at her alpha.
(Word Count: 151) (Level 8 1/5)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 20, 2012 11:56:22 GMT -5
"Have a nice nap?" Dragon asked now, smiling. Blackcloud blankly looked at her before yawning again and then nodding as she became more awake. Dragon nodded back. "That's good," she said. "It likely means that you are up for more training, I assume?"
Blackcloud nodded faintly before she stood up. She stretched for a moment before looking back at Dragon and then trotting over to the middle of their field before stopping to look back at her alpha. Dragon stood up and walked over to her, but she gave no other direction as to what they were going to train for, be it a claw attack or a bite attack.
Instead, Dragon stood next to her Fiero, looking over her, examining her. Blackcloud gave a muffled whine, confused as to what her alpha was doing. Why was there no explanation?
Dragon said nothing, not really giving much explanation, as there was no real easy way to explain the acceptance of the alpha's contact, which in itself was pretty explanatory. Carefully, she held up her right forepaw and gently placed it on Blackcloud's back.
(Word Count: 183) (Level 8 2/5) (Accept Contact: Began)
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Post by Wolf D. Plasma on Jan 20, 2012 15:40:37 GMT -5
Blackcloud shifted away from her alpha's paw, flattening her ears and whining in response. Did she do something wrong? Why was her alpha being so weird right now and suddenly touching her back? It didn't hurt or anything...but it did feel weird and unusual. It was too strange to her.
As Dragon's hand slid from the Fiero's back, she looked up at Blackcloud's very confused expression. She only smiled gently though. "It's alright, Blackcloud..." she said. "You haven't done anything wrong. This is just something that I forgot to do before we got into training attacks..." She carefully took out a shred of meat. "It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for for a first try, but hopefully you will learn to get used to my touch..." She handed Blackcloud the meat, who hesitantly licked it from her paw.
Dragon now tried again with placing her hand on Blackcloud's back.
(Word Count: 151) (Level 8 3/5) (Accept Contact: Continued)
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