Ask Howling Across the Fields

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique didn't doubt her answer...the Knights quarters were alright, but she knew that the Squire barracks were just like the ones she had been in as a cadet. Admittedly, everything was better in the new headquarters, but as a Lieutenant and as a Knight she had learned that the quality of beds still improved with rank.

The two women then started walking and Kalique quickly ordered her thoughts. All the input she had gained recently was a lot to process at once, but she felt prepared at least right now. "Both actually...at least that was the plan. We can use the Force to heighten the bonds we're naturally forming, thus making them more reliable" she elaborated as they made their way over to the property.

"We'll have to take them out one by one though. Controlling multiple puppies is hard. Let me guess...you'll want Lumi first?" she asked her with a warm smile on her lips, wrapping her own head around the idea of starting with the most complicated case first: Chaos.

"We'll keep the other two busy and take Lumi and Chaos outside. We want to connect our spirits to them, which should help us strengthen the bonds we've already started to form". It sounded easy and straightforward from a theoretical perspective, but she didn't doubt through actual meditation it would be a challenge.

@Xorism

 

[Rhiannon]

Rhia walked along with Lady Demici at a reasonable pace. Both women were in excellent shape due to the latter's high level of expectation in training, and cardio was no exception.

The squire chuckled once they had reached the barn and her mentor could see right through her thoughts. "Of course, she's an angel, it'll be great!" Her confidence in both herself and the relatively wild pup would be tested in the coming hours, but if anyone could tame the wolf pups, it was they.

Nodding to the plan, they quickly and carefully made their way into the barn and to nobody's surprise they were excited to see the girls again. It would take a little bit to calm them down, but eventually things had settled enough that they could extract both Chaos and Lumi without the other two being upsetti spaghetti.

Rhia took a hold of the pup and walked over to a dry patch of ground not too far from Lady Demici, but far enough that the pups wouldn't be distracted by each other.

"Okay, Lumi girl, are you ready? Yesss you are the bestiest girl." Rhia chirped as Lumi playfully darted about, rubbing against the squire's knee and thoroughly enjoying the head scritches. "Okay girl, Lumi sit...no stop that tickles!! I'm serious, sit girl." Rhia giggled for a little bit, until eventually the puppy relented and sat obediently.

"Good girl, Lumi." Rhia cooed, rewarding the cute pup before closing her eyes. Meditating on her own was difficult, but over the past year the squirre had gotten quite good at it. But there was a league of difference between controlling one's own breathing, heart rate and connection to the force and that of connecting with a living being like these pups.

But Rhia was going to do her best, and with any luck she would ace this too.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique didn't doubt that Lumi, given how sweet, well-behaved and affectionate she was, would be easy. She knew handling Chaos was a challenge already, but she felt up to it. The pups once again greeted them excitedly, and while they wanted to focus on their individual training sessions with their chosen pups, Kalique quickly let Ember and Smokey out to play.

They were busy enough for now, so they were good to go. Chaos seemed distracted, but Kalique was ready to teach him. "Maybe sure that she won't just listen to you...you'll have to connect spiritually as well" she offered the quick reminder, referring to the material they had worked with.

"Alright" reaching out with the Force, she called Chaos towards her before she purposely radiated off calmness, steadily expanded her reach and looking for the first ways to connect with the canine brain in front of her. Chaos was pure chaos on the inside too, the distracted juvenile brain rebellious and rather untamed, but it slowly silenced while the dark brown eyes rested on her.

"Heel" her voice was demanding, firm, and unrelenting. It was a command Chaos had already heard before, but this time, it was the Force permeating the command. She began walking and Chaos turned, finding his place beside her and following along. Glancing up repeatedly, he did obey, however the wagging tail and the way he sped up and slowed down again left room for improvement. What worked well though was him keeping his focus on her, just while her spirit connected with his in the realm of the Force.

"Stay" she said a moment later while she continued walking, which was however much more difficult for the fierce male. She threw him a glance and stopped as he approached, before he sat down and waited expectantly. The slight headache that set in soon told her that the Force did a lot in this, but it did at least work well. Impressive...

Kalique stopped and glanced back at Rhia, who could handle Lumi in a much lighter way. "Come here" she said to Chaos a moment later and the muscular wolf immediately hopped over, eagerly pressing himself into her. "Good boy" she softly added, scratching him gently as a smile crossed her lips. "You're doing well!" she praised her squire happily, walking back, over to her.

@Xorism

 

[Rhiannon]

It was an exciting day combining her two favourite things, working with Lady Demici and the wolf pups! The fact that Lumi was taking well to the initial training was a promising sight, but considering the loose similarities between the squire and the pup, was that all surprising?

Glancing over as her mentor approached, Rhia grinned. "Thank you!!" Training continued for them both, as the squire wished for their bond to deepen entirely. Seated on the ground and now closing her eyes, Rhia concentrated upon the pup and attempted to suggest something for the canine to do, in essence attempting to command it with the force rather than verbally.

Clearly there was still a little work there to be done, as Lumi sat still obediently for a moment before spotting Lady Demici and Chaos approach. Lumi raced off to play with the other pup, tail happily wagging, causing Rhia to frustratingly laugh.

"Apparently I'm not yet fluent in speaking wolf through the force, Lady Demici." With any luck, her mentor would have some suggestions for her to meditate on.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique watched Lumi keeping her focus on Rhia, before her brother's arrival caused the young puppy brain to go off at once. While it drew a smirk from her, she noticed something that was just the right spot for Rhia to work on, so she called both puppies back verbally before she squatted down next to Rhia and made the pups sit.

"You're really doing well. It seems like you can strengthen that bond though. It's so much more than just a mental connection...the Force allows us to bond with them in so many different ways". It was something she had read about, and felt with Chaos. It required continous focus, but she was confident Rhia was getting close.

"Chaos is easy to read through the Force because his reactions are more extreme. Lumi is more subtle in her drives, but that's why it should be easier to correct if you sense the sudden changes in her focus" Chaos had to be directed quickly and with a firm and determined correction through the Force whereas for Lumi it was probably about fine nudges.

She motioned for Rhia to try again. "Connect with her again through the Force. I'll agitate Chaos. Try to keep her calm". They were obviously still dealing with the low attention spans of puppy brains, but Kalique had a feeling they were close to a breakthrough, so she did exactly what she had explained.

Through the Force, she agitated Chaos and he soon began bolting again, digging in some dirt before he half growled, half barked at his sister. She was watching Rhia after she had stirred up the little chaos and knew that while Lumi surely wanted to join her brother, Rhia would have it under control as this time, her reaction was probably stronger, too, and thus easier to pick up. Yet, Rhia had to redirect it correctly.

@Xorism

 

[Rhiannon]

Rhiannon was an attentive student and thus when Lady Demici began offering the lesson, she sat transfixed and excitedly absorbed the knowledge being granted. It was like reading a book with missing pages or words, and her mentor always knew the right things to say in order to complete the blanks.

A grin from ear to ear pinned itself on the squire as she listened intently. It was just simply awesome what they were doing here, and she couldn't wait until they were big enough to bring on missions. The idea of racing around saving the day with Lumi was obviously the thing of her dreams, and to finally put that into reality was in fact a dream come true! As cheesy as that sounded.

Attempting again but this time with her mentors suggestions, Rhia was obviously more focused and searched through the force for a subtle way to influence the more astute pup. Come clarity, she called. A wave of serenity flushed between them, drawing a measure of calm and settling the roots of its mind, and thereby more amiable to her suggestions.

Keeping it simple, the squire held out two hands behind her and, with a gentle nudging, made the suggestion for Lumi to search out her right hand instead of the left. The cute pup glanced up at Rhia with the cute little face it possessed, before slowly trotting along behind her.

Staring at its two choices for a few seconds, before nuzzling its face up into her right hand. An excited Rhia beamed! Quickly pulling out a small treat for the pup and brushing her coat some as a reward. "It worked!" She said, glancing over to the other two to see how they fared. "You know, I think Chaos and Lumi are going to be as close as we are, Lady Demici."

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique watched her Squire work calmly. It was nice to see that she took her words and actually tried to stick to that plan, apperently using her guiding to do exactly what was needed. It filled Kalique with pride to see that she was still so attentive and making progress so quickly, so that in the end, Lumi stayed with Rhia.

Chaos grew more frustrated over being ignored like that, so he began whimpering inbetween his provocative growls, so as if pleading for Lumi to join him, but as she didn't react, he began snapping at the grass. "Stop it" Kalique reached out and into the wolf again, slowly reflecting her calmness onto him.

Redirecting aggressions were better than focusing them onto humans, yet Chaos was still in the process of how to coping with frustration in general, so the little nudge helped. "That was great...I could sense your connection" she softly told Rhia, a happy smile on her lips as Chaos hopped over again, apologizingly nudging her, before Kalique scratched him behind his ear.

"They are very different...but you're right, they keep getting along so much better" they were slowly developing into an actual pack, which was great to see, yet their dynamics had always been somewhat different than between her and Rhia. "I do think that was enough practice for today though...we should get Smokey and Ember".

Even if they were focusing on Lumi and Chaos, the other pups had to learn, too. Also, they couldn't overwork them, so switching seemed like a great idea. It was awesome to see the process though, and slowly, they were approaching the point where they could really take them out with them. "Are you still up for the others?". Keeping up the bonds was exhausting, so she left the choice to Rhia. If she was still feeling it, they could continue, otherwise they'd take a break first.

@Xorism

 

[Rhiannon]

Rhia watched with great interest with how Lady Demici mastered controlling the wild beasts. Naturally, she was more powerful in the force, and thus it made sense, but taking in both technique and demeanour was important also.

Some day soon, she hoped, they'd be able to take the then grown wolves out on missions, and it was important for both their safety, the wolves and those they sought to protect that they would be confident in controlling the wild animals. "I would love to help train the other two." She said with an excited grin.

They'd spend the rest of the afternoon working with Smokey and Ember, ensuring that they too received the same level of care and attention that Lumi and Chaos had. Both for fairness and ensuring that their training was on par with another. The next day was the same, albeit slightly more advanced as they progressively improved with each step taken.

All that they needed to do was pop back occasionally when the time fit and spend more time with the wolves. That quickly became Rhia's favourite part of being Lady Demici's squire.

@LadyRen

/end thread