(2021-06-05) How To Train Your Dragon

Details

Author:	Athena
Summary:	Sandy wants to learn how to train his animals, and has come to the best trainer of pets that he knows -- Oranna Stormbreaker. Grimnos helps. 3k-ish words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Logging started on 06/05/2021

[In a nice out of the way house.]

Sandy enters with Dragon on his shoulder and the unnamed rat in his arms. Sandy waves.

Oranna is reading a letter, a bright smile on her face. She looks up at Sandy. "Oh! There ye are, lad." Oranna carefully tucks the letter away, and stands up, walking over to Dragon.

[Sandy]: “Yeah, it's good to see you Oranna!”

[Oranna]: “So, ye wanted ta learn how ta train Dragon?”

[Sandy]: “And my rat!”

[Oranna]: “Aye, th' rat'll be easier in some ways. Birds are bright, but they can ha' a mind o' their own. Still, best ta start ye on th' basics.” She dusts off her gloves. “Did ye bring treats fer them?”

[Sandy]: “Uh…sure, yeah!” He grabs his bag and looks for something that could be considered treats. He gazes at his Soul Shards for a second, then takes out some bread and an apple. “…Is that a treat?”

Oranna 's eyes go wide, and it's clear she's trying not to laugh. "Ah. No'…exactly. Here, I brought some along jus' in case. Fer th' rat, ye'll want ta use these." She hands over a few small cut up carrots. “Ye can use th' apple fer th' parrot, if she likes 'em. Otherwise, I brought some seeds she should like well enough. We can cut up th' apple inta pieces fer Dragon.”

[Sandy]: “Oh thanks!” He grins, putting the bread that was totally not his lunch in his bag.

Oranna holds out a hand for the apple, taking out a small knife. "Probably best ta let me do it, I think."

[Sandy]: “I'm on it, don't worry!!” He cuts the apple into pieces of very different sizes. He uses his dagger. “Uh… let me just…” He cuts the bigger pieces into tinier pieces.

Oranna watches, trying not to laugh. She puts her knife away and nods sagely. "Well, we'll jus', ah, use th' smaller pieces first. Righ', well. Th' trick ta trainin' is ta remember tha' ye canna jus' tell a beastie wha' ye want, an' tha' they ha' no idea wha' yer thinkin', aye? So, we're goin' ta help them figure out wha' ye want usin' simple steps, an' some patience an' consistency.”

[Sandy]: “Okay! That's different from demons!” He puts the rat down on one of the chairs, away from Befound.

Oranna nods. "Aye, an' with beasties, it's best ta start with jus' body language. Tha' is, no need fer words at all, unless ye want ta introduce them later. So, here, let's start with somethin' simple, like gettin' th' critter ta come ta ye when ye want."

Sandy stares at Dragon and the rat. "Easy, they're always following me!"

Oranna steps away from Befound, who is watching with a look of pure feline boredom. Oranna gives Befound A Look, and the leopard appears to almost roll her eyes before looking at Oranna with feigned interest. “Aye, but say ye want them somewhere specific, like yer hand or yer shoulder.”

Sandy still has Dragon on his shoulder. The rat instead stares at Befound, sniffing the air, curious.

[Oranna]: “First thing ta do is gesture ta where ye want them. An' then if they start ta move towards it, or actually go ta it, ye give them a treat. Like this.” She gestures to her side and Befound goes to it. Oranna hands Befound a treat. “Ye can also use words fer a treat, like sayin' ‘Good lass’ or ‘Good lad.’ It can help with later, when ye no longer use treats. See if ye can get yer rat ta go ta yer hand. Gesture how ye'd like ta use fer later, because tha's wha' it'll be learnin'.”

[Sandy]: “Hmmm…” He thinks, before kneeling down, opening his hand and closing it slowly, looking at the rat. It approaches, curious to see if there's food hidden there.

[Oranna]: “Good, give him a little treat fer gettin' close ta yer target, then make the gesture again, an' see if he'll go closer. Rewardin' in steps can help make yer intent clearer ta them, since they know they're on th' righ' track.”

Sandy stares at the seeds, the apple and the carrots, not sure which one was for the rat. He slowly goes for the carrots, looking at Oranna.

Oranna nods encouragingly.

Sandy gives a piece of carrot to the rat, who eats it happily.

[Oranna]: “Now, see if ye can get him ta get all th' way inta yer hand. Dinna reward him this time until he's where ye want him ta be. See if he can figure it out. Rats are smart, an' he'll probably understand it fair well.”

Sandy closes his hand again, the rat staring at him for a few seconds, then jumping on his hand. “Oh! He did it!”

Oranna claps with a bright smile. "Nicely done, Sandy!"

Sandy gives the rat a piece of carrot.

[Oranna]: “Ye can use tha' same sort o' thing fer jus' about anythin' ye want him ta do. Anythin' tha' is complicated, ye jus' want ta break down inta steps fer treats. So, say, teachin' him ta go around in a circle an' play dead, tha's several things ta teach. First ye teach him ta follow yer finger in a circle, then maybe a gesture tha' shows ye want him ta flop down, an' so on. Jus' keep moving th' target fer th' treat after every stage, an' ye can train jus' about anythin' ye want.”

[Sandy]: “I see, I see! What if I want him to become a scout? Like, discreetly get somewhere and tell me if someone's hidden there. Like a miniature spy!”

[Oranna]: “Hmm. Tha' migh' be tricky, Sandy, mostly because he wouldna be able ta report anythin' ta ye. But, ye could teach him ta go places ye point ta, or ta seek out specific people, like with a message. Tha's fair complicated though. Ye'd need ta work on first gettin' him ta go where ye point. Or ta work with going ta a certain smell based on ye sayin' a word or a gesture.”

Sandy puts his rat right next to Oranna's shoulder. "That's Oranna! Remember her smell! O-ra-nna!" The rat looks confused.

Oranna chuckles, and reaches up to the rat, offering her hand to smell. “Okay, here, let's see if we can get ye ta tell him ta come ta me.” Oranna backs away several feet. “Try pointin' ta me, and see if he starts movin' towards me. If he does, give him a treat.”

[Sandy]: “Uh…Come on buddy! Go to Oranna!” He puts the rat back on the floor, then points at Oranna, but it immediately turns around and tries to get back on Sandy's hand, clearly wanting another carrot.

[Oranna]: “Tha's all righ'. Jus' dinna give him another treat, an' try th' gesture again.”

[Sandy]: “Oh, I know!” He starts summoning Grimnos after putting the rat back on the floor.

[Oranna]: “Ah, Sandy! Wha'? Wha' did ye bring Grimnos fer, lad?”

[Sandy]: “Grimnos! Go to Oranna.” He points at her.

[Oranna]: “Oh, ye tryin' ta demonstrate? Tha' doesna always work, but we'll see if yer rat can figure it out, tha' he can get a treat by mimickin' Grimnos.” She smiles with encouragement.

Grimnos walks up to Oranna, before receiving a piece of carrot from Sandy, clearly confused.

[Oranna]: “Good lad. Let's see if yer rat can do it now.”

[Sandy]: “I think it's going to work, Grimnos is very convincing!”

Oranna chuckles.

Sandy turns to the rat. "Go to Oranna!" He points at her. The rat glances at Oranna, than Befound on one side and Grimnos on the other. He eventually takes a few step in the right direction.

[Oranna]: “Good lad. Give him a treat, an' repeat th' gesture again. See if he's startin' ta understand wha' ye want him ta do.”

[Sandy]: “Yeah!” He gives a carrot to the rat, before repeating the command. The rat takes a few steps forward again, carefully keeping his distance from the demon and the big cat.

Oranna bends down, and mimics the gesture Sandy used for the rat to climb into his hand.

The rat immediately runs onto her hand, before turning to Sandy and the carrots.

Oranna laughs with delight. "There we are! Give th' lad a treat. An' if ye jus' keep workin' at tha', he should get better an' better with it.” Oranna gently hands the rat over to Sandy.

Sandy hands a carrot to the rat, who takes it and starts eating happily. "I think Grimnos really helped!"

[Oranna]: “Good lad, Grimnos. Thank ye fer yer help.” She smiles at the Voidwalker. “Now, ye can use th' same principles ta teach Dragon ta talk.”

Grimnos nods, clearly unsure of why it was summoned.

[Oranna]: “D'ye have any idea wha' words ye'd like her ta say? Somethin' like ‘Hello, Cobalt Company!’ or such? Or ‘This is Duke Sandy!’”

[Sandy]: “Oh, if we need a ‘speaking’ teacher, Grimnos won't be really useful, that's more… Brynia's thing. But I don't really want Dragon to learn from her.”

[Oranna]: “No, best ta learn from ye lad. She jus' needs someone ta mimic, an' ye can talk well enough. She willna need nearly so much demonstration. We jus' start slow, with a first phrase. Like, ‘Hello.’ We say tha' a' her, an' if she caws at all back, give her a small treat, an' then repeat it. She'll probably caw again, but this time ye dinna give her a treat until she caws somethin' tha' sounds like Hello.”

[Sandy]: “Hmmm, I thought about ‘Oranna's my friend’ to thank you, but if we do that, I'd need to do it for everyone in the Company… I don't want people to feel left out!”

[Oranna]: “Startin' simple is best until she knows a bit more wha' ye want from her. So, e'en jus' sayin' yer name or hello or charge!! or some such is a good place ta start.”

[Sandy]: “Hmmm…” he seems lost in thoughts. “I guess ‘You're in the presence of Lord Duke Sandy of Greatland’ would be too long…What about 'I'm Dragon'? So she can introduce herself!”

[Oranna]: “‘I'm Dragon’ is a good place ta start, aye! Start by sayin' it a' her until she says somethin' back. E'en if all she does is call back ta ye, reward it. An' then try again, an' see if she can figure out tha' wha' ye want is fer her ta say wha' yer sayin'.”

Dragon caws before Sandy even says anything.

[Sandy]: “Does… does that count or?..”

Oranna chuckles and shakes her head. "No, but she's a bright lass. Say th' phrase, an' see if she's got th' idea."

[Sandy]: “I'm Dragon!”

Dragon is perched on a chair, tilting her head, staring at Sandy, then tilting her head the other way and staring at Oranna.

[Oranna]: "I'm Dragon!"

Dragon looks at both of them curiously.

[Oranna]: “Go ahead, say it again, see if she'll get tha' she's got ta mimic it fer th' treat.”

Grimnos whispers in a very low, breathy voice "I'm… Dragon…". Dragon now stares curiously at it too.

[Sandy]: “Dragon, look at me.” He says, pointing two fingers at Dragon's eyes, then at his own eyes. “I'm Dragon!”

Dragon caws, curious.

[Oranna]: “Good lass. Let her ha' a bit o' apple. Now, when ye say tha' again, she migh' caw back ta ye, but now ye dinna give her anythin' until she says, ‘I'm Dragon.’”

Dragon eats the apple voraciously.

[Sandy]: “I'm Dragon!”

Befound flops down on the floor dramatically, ignoring the yelling people in the room to settle in for a cat nap.

Dragon caws, a little bit more confidently, but still nowhere near "I'm Dragon".

[Oranna]: “No' yet, but she's got th' idea!”

Grimnos says: “I'm…Dragon!”

Oranna looks back at Grimnos. "Ah…did ye…bring a treat fer Grimnos? Can…he eat apples?”

Sandy goes to hug Grimnos, covering his hands in his sleeves so as to not hurt himself. “That's the kind of treats he likes!”

[Oranna]: “Tha' works! Anythin' tha' they like can be a treat.”

Grimnos says: “I'm…Dragon!”

[Oranna]: “Let's see if Dragon understood tha' sayin' th' phrase gets her a treat as well.”

[Sandy]: “I'm Dragon?” He seems to ask Dragon.

[Oranna]: “I'm Dragon!”

Dragon seems to mimic the questioning intonation, but not the words yet.

[Oranna]: “She's gettin' closer. Give her a treat fer gettin' a bit closer.”

[Sandy]: “Here you go, Dragon, good job!” He sticks two seeds into a piece of apple and hands it to Dragon.

[Oranna]: “Jus' keep repeatin' it until she gets there. She's learnin' tha' yer tryin' ta get her ta talk though, an' tha's a good first step fer her first words.”

[Sandy]: “I'm Dragon!” He says it more confidently than last time because he doesn't want Dragon to constantly be questioning her identity.

Dragon & Grimnos both talk simultaneously, Grimnos repeating perfectly and Dragon's getting closer to the sounds of "I'm Dragon".

Oranna claps with excitement. "She's almost got it! Good job, Grimnos."

[Sandy]: “Good job you two!” He hugs Grimnos, still protecting his hands, and hands a piece of apple to Dragon.

[Oranna]: “Once she's got th' words, you'll want ta pair it with a sign fer her ta say it. A gesture with yer hands ta start will be helpful. Like, pointing ta her. Then ye could introduce yerself an' point ta her, and she'd say her phrase.”

[Sandy]: “I'm Dragon!” Dragon repeats after him, the 'I'm' clearly sounding like it should, the 'Dragon' being a bit more difficult for her, coming out more like a 'Dron'.

Oranna claps. "Verra nice."

[Sandy]: “Oh like… I could have her on my shoulder, and I could point at her, and she'd introduce herself?!”

[Oranna]: “Aye, jus' so. Once she's got th' words, ye'll do wha' ye did with th' rat. Do the gesture, maybe say th' phrase ta her first, an' then let her say it. Once she's got tha' idea, jus' stop sayin' th' phrase, an' jus' use th' gesture until she understands tha' she says it after ye point ta her.”

[Sandy]: “This is amazing! Did you train Befound like that?”

Oranna nods. "Aye, tha's why ye migh' see me doin' all sorts of hand gestures in th' field, lad. She's trained ta watch fer my motions, an' ta do things accordingly. It jus' takes patience, an' bein' willin' ta be consistent. She's also got a few tricks she can do tha' jus' need verbal commands, an' a few tha' are based around understandin' field magics an' attacks. If she sees certain things, she knows ta pull back, fer instance.”

[Sandy]: “That's harder than training a demon! Once you summon them, they usually just…know what an order is!”

[Oranna]: “Aye, but some o' th' things work e'en fer people an', well, possibly demons as well, I'm no' sure. If ye give them praise when they do wha' ye want them to, they will often do tha' thing more. Because they want th' treat or th' praise, an' they understand better wha' ye want from them.”

[Sandy]: “Grimnos and Kupjub usually follow orders as closely as possible. Brynia…not always in battle. When she doesn't like my strategy, she just says,” He mimics her pose with a hand on his hip as well as her voice. "Uh, no…"

Dragon seems to mimic the "Uh, no…" intonation with a caw.

[Sandy]: “No, don't remember that! I'm Dragon!” She repeats, the words of the phrase becoming clearer.

[Oranna]: “Hm. Well, I dinna know…tha' it'll work, but ye could try seein' if when she does do wha' ye want, ye could try praisin' her, or, well. Doin' somethin' she likes? Anythin' ye dinna want Dragon ta learn, make sure ye dinna reward her fer it. But, keep in mind, parrots can learn all sorts o' phrases an' words once they get th' idea, an' she may have a mind of her own there.”

[Sandy]: “Oh, she definitely can't hang out with Brynia!”

[Oranna]: “Tha' shouldna be hard, aye? Brynia can only come when ye summon her, righ'? So ye can always be sure tha' Dragon is away fer tha'.”

[Sandy]: “Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. I don't want her to start saying creepy things!”

[Oranna]: “Think ye ha' th' basics in mind though, lad? Fer trainin' these two?” Oranna smiles back at Grimnos. "An' yer helper, o' course."

[Sandy]: “I think so! Oh wait, just one thing!” He pulls some hay from his bag. “Do you know if Dragon or the rat would like to eat that?”

Oranna shakes her head. "No, no' ta eat, but yer rat may like tha' ta make a wee bit of a…well, bed I suppose ye could call it. Or a bathroom. Mostly they'll like fruits an' vegetables, th' both o' them. Carrots, apples, grapes, lettuce…things like tha'. Bread isna good fer either o' them, although they migh' both eat it.”

[Sandy]: “That's why he wasn’t happy when I took that from him! I thought it was weird that he wouldn't eat it, but that he still held onto it! I'll keep that in mind! Fruits and vegetables!”

[Oranna]: “Aye, he migh' like ta sort o' nest in it. But, he willna eat it.” She smiles at Sandy. “Aye, an' dinna forget ta eat those yerself as well, lad!”

Sandy lets out a hearty chuckle. “I won't! My brothers and my mother remind me of that often enough!”

[Oranna]: “I should be headin' back ta th' inn though. I ha' dinner waitin' an' I dinna want them ta think I'm no' comin'. They actually managed ta get me some vegetables ta eat, which is a near miracle these days.” She gestures to Befound, who wakes instantly, as though she hadn’t really been sleeping at all.

Befound goes to Oranna's side obediently, looking alert.

[Oranna]: “I'll see ye soon, aye, lad? Be careful out there.”

[Sandy]: “Sure, I'll head home! Let me know if one day you're tired of the inn's food and want to grab a meal at home!” He grins.

[Oranna]: “Oh! Yer home, ye mean?” She pauses. “I'd like tha', actually. Maybe…sometime soon. Yer mother was righ' nice, she was. I'll write ye when I've got a good day fer comin' by.” Oranna waves happily at Grimnos, Sandy, Dragon, and the unnamed pet rat.

[Sandy]: “I'm sure she'd be happy to see you again!”

Sandy waves.

Grimnos whispers "I'm… Dragon…" at Oranna as she heads out.