Nixis Training Entries - Control + Strength + Bravery: Control Training

Nixis had learned how to coordinate herself on land and now it seemed it was time for her to learn how to coordinate herself in the air. She was in the forest with her handler, the trees were large with sturdy branches and were set far apart. Nixis would look over at her handler who was looking around at the trees, she could guess why they had come out here. She would perk up as she heard her handler call her, she looked over to her handler who was gesturing to a tree they were standing in front of. The tree itself looked sturdy enough to hold the tyto's body weight. Nixis would walk over to her handler, her handler would give her a small pat before pointing towards the tree. They said something in their language which Nixis still didn't understand. While she had learned her name and some small phrases she didn't know how to fully understand her handler. Instead she would do her best to guess what they wanted her to do. Seeing as they were gesturing towards the tree Nixis would guess they wanted her to go up there, so she would unfold her wings and tried her best to get up into the tree. Nixis admittedly didn't know how to fly very well at all so she mainly used her wings to balance her as she made her way up the tree. She was able to get herself up onto the lowest branch with some frantic flapping of her wings, it definitely wasn't the most graceful way up but it worked. Now that she was in the tree she would look back at her handler and gave them a small chirp as to ask what she was supposed to do now. Her handler would gesture for her to stay and moved to the other side of the tree, once they were on the other side of the tree they called for her.

Nixis would have to hop from branch to branch to make her way around the tree, or she could just jump down and walk around. But she guessed that her handler didn't want her to just walk around the tree. If they did then they would have just lead her around it and not have gestured for her to go up into the tree. So she would look around at the tangle of branches around her, there were plenty of small branches she could easily reach. However she wasn't sure if those branches would be able to hold her weight. So instead she looked for another thicker and sturdier branch that looked more promising. The closest branch that could take her weight that she could see was a decent leap away. It was also a tad bit higher than the branch she was on right now, she would have to jump upwards a bit to get to it. Nixis would tense her muscles and crouched, her wings were halfway unfurled from her sides. After a moment of hesitation she leapt, she unfurled her wings fully the moment she was off of the branch and flapped them wildly in hopes of slowing her descent. The young tyto practically smashed into the branch she had been aiming for, she quickly reached out and gripped the branch and pulled herself up. Nixis kept her wings unfurled as she flapped them now and again as she tried to find her balance. Once she was balanced she tucked her wings into her sides and looked back at the branch she had leapt from. Well she made it, even if her landing was far from perfect. Now she needed to get to the next branch, which after a moment of scanning nearby branches proved to be closer than her last jump.

Confident that she could make this jump Nixis would crouch down and prepare to leap onto the branch, she had made it to this branch and that branch was closer so she was sure she could do this. Without as much hesitation as before Nixis would leap towards the branch, again she flapped her wings wildly to try and get herself closer to the branch. Once the branch was within reach the young tyto would sink her talons into the bark to get a good grip, it took a few flaps of her wings for her to gain her balance. Her landing this time was a lot better than her last one, for one she didn’t just collide with the branch and actually landed on it properly. This boosted her confidence a bit and she would quickly look around for the next branch. Once Nixis had spotted the next branch she could jump to that would support her weight she quickly got ready to jump. Her wings were half way unfolded and her legs were bent as she crouched on her branch. The young tyto would loosen their grip on the branch she was balancing on. She pushed off of the branch and rapidly flapped her wings to give herself a boost, it felt a bit less awkward this time. Nixis made it onto the branch a bit easier this time, while she still wasn't all that graceful she did seem to be getting the hang of this. Nixis felt proud of herself, she was determined to learn how to fly properly. Though she knew that for now that she would be stuck hopping from branch to branch she did truly was excited for the day when she would be able to soar in the sky.

Once Nixis was ready she would jump to the next branch, again she would unfurl her wings and flap them rapidly in hopes of giving herself some sort of boost. She did this again and again as she made her way from branch to branch and closer to her handler. With each successful jump she grew more confident and assured of herself, this caused her to hesitate less and pick up her speed. However she seemed to have pushed her confidence a bit to far as with her picking up her speed she grew clumsy, she ended up almost slipping off of one of the branches. She had to dig her claws deep into the wood to keep herself from plummeting off of the tree and colliding with the ground. The slip up caused her to take the last few jumps much more carefully and slowly. She had to remember her limits and boundaries, she had to remind herself not to rush it and get sloppy. Once Nixis had made it around the tree and was balancing on a branch right above her handler she would chirp happily in self praise. Her handler returned her chirp with some of their own praises and gestured for her to come down. Nixis happily leapt from the tree towards her handler, she would spread her wings out to ease her descent. However she hadn't expected her handler to move backwards, she had been aiming to go over their head and land behind them. But since they moved backwards they were now standing right where she had been expecting to land. Both her and her handler seemed to notice this a moment to late, Nixis would flap her wings to try and raise herself higher and over her handlers head. However it didn't work and she ended up colliding with her handler and knocking them down. They both ended up sprawled out on the ground, Nixis was on top of her handler. Nixis could feel her handler attempt to wiggle out from under her and would quickly try to get to her feet so that they could get up. By the time the two had untangled themselves from each other her handler was left bruised and scraped, however they were smiling.

Nixis's handler seemed to brush the wipeout off and went over to Nixis and gave her a hug, the young tyto happily snuggled into her handler's embrace. Her handler murmured something that Nixis guessed was either praise or encouragement before letting her go. She would coo at her handler and then gave them a loving nuzzle. Her handler purred something softly to her before heading over to their things and packing up, they would then begin leading them out of the forest. Nixis noticed that they were heading home yet and wondered where her handler was bringing her. Usually they would head back home to clean off and rest up after practicing, however it seemed her handler had different plans for today. Nixis didn't mind a change of plans and would happily follow her handler out of the forest. The two walked for some ways until they reached a cliff, the cliff was covered in short soft grass and small white flowers. Nixis tilted her head curiously, the cliff was beautiful in it's own right but it also had a beautiful view. Grasslands dotted with animals that were merely small dots from this height seemed to go on forever. Trees also dotted these grasslands, you could also see the sun which was beginning to set now. Her handler stood on the cliff and started talking, Nixis couldn't understand what they were saying but listened intently anyways. She recognized her handler mention her name a few times, their voice seemed happy and excited. Once they were done speaking they turned towards Nixis, they were smiling and seemed happy. Seeing her handler happy made Nixis happy. The two of them would sit by the cliff for a little while longer and enjoy the view before heading home for the day once it had started getting darker.