Mission details + rewards said:
He decided he needed to get out of the slums that he found himself in these days, on which he took up a mission/help wanted at the school boards. Help the Inuzuka to bathe some of the puppies they had. For him, it also held in memory the meeting of Okami and Keiyaku, there was after all so much to learn about and over them. After he had gotten there, everyone was given instructions on what to do, but also on what not to do. Call them if there was anything they needed or wanted or help requirements. At that, one of the Inuzuka came towards Nova with worry in his eyes. “That arm…” And there was the pointing towards it. “If you cannot wet that bandage or use that arm, you cannot help us.”
Nova looked over his bandaged arm at those words. "That... is true, this arm may not be the strongest anymore. And... I cannot pull my bow anymore near as good as I could in the past. The few muscles and tendons there are sadly damaged, and it is unsure if I can ever pull the string as I could in the past. This is why I started to drop the bow and focus on other things, for now, I decided to strengthen the arm in other ways possible. Like melee contact spots and stuff like that." He explained to the Inzuzuka in front of him. "The bandage type is more to support rather than to heal if that worried you. I also have gloves in case the puppies need a more firm grip and since wet fur can be tricky..." On that, the Inzuka laughed and nodded. "Alright, you are fine to go." He mentioned the young male to follow.
It was tricky to wash the first puppy, the water was getting everywhere and slowly all the kids were getting soaked wet after more and more time. Some puppies displayed a whole other behavior than other ones did. Not to mention one of the kids actually got bitten by a puppy.
Eventually one of the Inuzuka came towards Nova, first off to compliment how gently he was washing the puppies. But then the words fell. “You don’t know how to read their body language… do you?” On which Nova would lower his head a little. “Not sure. I know when they look mean, but I have no idea about how they actually communicate…” At those words, the female laughed and would help Nova out with bathing a puppy before talking.
“If you look around you… do you see the puppy there that keeps licking his lip and nose?”
“Yea..?”
“That isn’t just a grooming behavior right now, they can do that just after they ate dinner, same as you with eating something. But for them, it also signals anxiety, fear of caution. In this case, since bathing is really new. I think it's a fear response. other than that, she keeps her mouth closed. Where a relaxed dog keeps it hanging open. The tail is tucked, so now we know it’s a usual fear symptom, but it also indicates she isn’t in the mood for a fight. There are multiple signs that need to be read together to understand one.”
“Uhuh…” Nova nodded as he was looking then toward the puppy below him. “So this puppy stands tall but appears relaxed, or has his mouth hanging open and tail wagging… Sometimes licks my hand.”
“That mainly indicates this male likes you, but also is relaxed around you. But do keep in mind you keep watching that tail… as soon as it goes curved, tall… It may feel threatened and may snap or bite…”
With her; Nova started to compile a general list to look out for as to what things could mean, he loved the fact that he was now learning a lot more regards of dogs.
Tail held high; communicates confidence, arousal, and willingness to be approached by other dogs or humansTail horizontally straight out, stiff, and pointing away from the dog; displays an initial challenge that could lead to aggression if feeling threatened or anxious. Tail up, between the horizontal and vertical position; conveys dominance. Tail down, near hind legs, legs straight, tail swings back and forth slowly; dog feeling unwell, slightly depressed, or in moderate pain. Tail tucked between legs; expresses fear, anxiety, or nervousness; can also be a ritualized pacifying signal to fend off aggression from another dog. Tail fast wagging; excitement. Slight tail wag, each swing of only a small size; greeting.Broadtail wag; friendly. Slow tail wags with tail at half-mast; unsure of what to do next, insecure. Tail wagging to the left side of the body; the dog senses a negative situation, such as unfamiliar dogs or people. Tail wagging to the right side of the body; the dog feels comfortable and safe.
Direct eye-to-eye stare; a threat, expression of dominance, or warning that an attack is about to begin. Eyes turned away to avoid direct eye contact; breaking off eye contact signals submission; it is also recognized as a calming signal. Blinking; a calming signal. And many many more things were written down, like the body language, the barks, howls, whines, whimpers, screams, paintings, sighs, play sneezing, and even the type of barks. At the end of the day, Nova felt that he had done so much more now.
With that, he started to roundt the day up, looking more and more around him to see how everyone was doing, trying to adjust what he had learned from her… And he started to see how the communications were and how people adjusted to them a bit. He even started to see some behaviors corresponding to some of the Inuzuka people themselves. ’ At least I can understand my friends a little better now.
WC: 975
