[ShadyBro]

Though no one is quite sure how it happened, this darling seems to be completely blind and deaf. Their other senses have improved greatly however, and as one of the best sniffers in the dragon world that means they can be easily trained through working with their sense of smell!

Rider: Nanorat
Name: Orion
Gender: Male
Species: Rumblehorn

Are all tasks completed?: Yes

[Nanorat]

Name; Orion
Gender; Male

(Incomplete/Complete) Task #1 - Meeting
(Incomplete/Complete) Task #2 - Training
(Incomplete/Complete) Task #3 - Taking Flight

Ahh, I love him so much <3

[Nanorat]

Task #1 - Meeting

When I first saw Orion, I couldnt at all tell he was disabled untill dragon master told me his story. That noble beast, left in silent darkness by whatever tragic events happened in his past, didnt let his condition defeat him - nowhere near it, actually. He was exploring the new outside pen he's been put in without hesitation, steadily, at his own comfortable pace - not because he was both blind and deaf at the same time, but because he just didnt want to study it any faster. I could see it in his every move. He wasnt afraid, withdrawn, or shy - but rather, he took his time to carefully examine every scent and texture, to make sure he knows everything there is to know about his surroundings. I instantly fell in love with that powerful, strong-willed dragon, and was honored when I found out I was chosen to be his partner. I came up with a name for him on spot. Orion - the hunter constellation, hunter in the sky. He reminded me of a star for some reason - his beautiful eyes shining brightly despite not being able to see the world around them.
He couldnt see nor hear us coming, but I could tell he knew - picking up faded scents and feeling our steps revebrate over the compressed bedding of walking pen. He raised his big head high up in the air to get the best range of scents and loudly sampled damp morning air with his heavy breath. I was worried Id scare him with my approach, but there wasnt a trace of fear or agression in his stance - just unsated curiosity to know what creature have approached him this time. I slowly walked up to him, but the one to start our acquaintance was Orion. He lowered his head and carefully first sniffed me from forehead to knees, then bumped me in the belly with his nose. He wanted to know how I smell, what size I am, and what Im made of. I couldnt help but finding that adorable, and carefully put my hand on his snout when it seemed appropriate to return the courtesy. To my great pleasure, he reacted positively to it, trying to rub his nose over my hand almost like a puppy. He was trying to get a closer impression on me, on my scent and the feel of my skin.
"You're a very friendly boy, arent you, Orion?" I said, patting his nose with my fingers. For some reason, he froze in place when I was talking, like he was listening, even though it was impossible. Only after a while, I realised - he could feel the vibration! My vocal cords, along with sound, produced a barely present vibration, going down my hand and reaching Orion through the touch. It amazed me how sensitive this giant was, feeling the tiniest tinge - and trying to interpret it. "Do you like it, boy? Like it when someone's talking with you? Orion. Orion!" I said again, pressing my palm over his forehead. He closed his eyes, taking in the vibration he felt through my hand, and then suddenly, a few moments after I finished talking, I felt a quiet, nearly purr-like growl coming from his throat. He was willing and ready to learn how to communicate with me, and I felt tears coming up to my eyes.
"We'll be talking a lot, Orion. I promise."

[Nanorat]

Task #2 - Training

As good as our first meeting went, it took us a while to get to know each other. Ive decided to concentrate on learning each others languages first. Orion figured basic words said while I was touching him in a blink of an eye, it was barely few days untill we could already move around without the help of dragon masters; he was eager to socialise and perceive. Against all the odds, this massive rumblehorn turned out to be a true gentleman; he never allowed himself any sort of rash action, always careful before making the smallest move, he never pushed me or made me trip, something even perfectly tamed dragons would do that occasionally while being excited or playful - but not Orion. He carefully planned his every action before taking it, a trait even more surprising for a dragon rescued from hunters. Like a rocky cliff, he remained standing strong despite all the storms raging to bring him down. The more time I spent with my new friend, the more my adoration and respect to him grew.
I couldnt always be within touching range of him though, so I had to come up with a long-term solution for our communication. Valka's example inspired me to make my own "dragon staff" - but instead of rattle, it had four "horns" on it, sculpted to look like curved ram horns, two on each end, made of different materials; iron, wood, rock and whale bone. Each "horn" was adorned with tree bark bands on it's tip, soaked with different scented tar. Each gave a strong distinctive vibration when hit on a surface, and scented trail the staff left behind made a good direction pointer. I was worried for a bit it'd be hard to make Orion understand the signals of the staff, but he crushed my worries in a single day - the staff got his undivided attention as soon as I approached his stable with it, and he was very focused on it throughout our entire lesson. The scents intrigued him greatly, and the hits of staff horns on different surfaces he could feel as clear as I could hear their sound. Through daily training, we have developed our own language, and starting from that time, Orion's world have widened greatly.

His relationships with other sanctuary dragons were tense for the most part. He did try his best to be friendly and never snapped, but many other dragons, traumatised or agressive, didnt treat him as nice, often causing him to stay away and avoid them, which was difficult as the place was crowded with misfortuned hunter victims. The staff became the last milestone in his "housetraining", and I could finally bring him over from sanctuary to my home island. The travel itself provided a bit of a challange - we obviously couldnt fly there, and he didnt take to idea of travelling by boat as kindly as Id have hoped. He refused to go inside by all means - made me think he was probably kept on board for a long time and being cooped up in cold, damp cage was probably the reason he lost at least one of his senses. I had to spend the entire trip up on deck with Orion, calming him down. Luckily, my island wasnt that far away and he didnt grow too agitated by the time we finally got there.

I already had a cozy warm stable prepared for him, and he liked it more than the cave he used to live in back in sanctuary. As soon as he explored his new home, he flipped on his back and rolled in fresh hay bedding with great pleasure. I also prepared several toys for him which were too big to take to sanctuary with me, like big wooden ball, which he enjoyed rolling around while I was busy with chores. Another new experience for him was finding the colorful world of tastes. Sanctuary fed all their dragons same fish they caught for everyone, and bringing other food wasnt allowed - nobody would want to be robbed by dragon curious for new food - but now, I had a chance to spoil him rotten with treats. He basically turned omnivorous, gladly trying anything I could offer him, fruit, vegetables, various kinds of meat and fish. I figured his favorite kind of meat is actually chicken, and tried to provide him with his favorite meal at least a couple times a week. We quickly learned to co-exist, and soon it felt like we've never even lived apart.

[Nanorat]

Task #3 - Taking Flight

Riding on foot didnt take any time to learn at all. Even after he learned to respond to the staff, he still much preferred it if I was nearby, ideally in contact with him. Seemingly content and serious at all times, he nontheless needed company. And when I first put a saddle and sat on his scaly back, Orion was outright delighted. I could basically read "this is how it's supposed to be!" on his face. After our first ride along the backyard, he didnt want me to come down from the saddle, he even tried nugding me back up. Every day we spent more and more time practicing untill it was time for a big change. It was of course too early to try flying yet, but having mastered the bases of carrying a human on his back, Orion was ready to begin sort of a "dragon trail riding". A special path was trodden by fellow dragon riders for pleasure riding along scenic shores and woods of the island. It fit perfectly for foot walking with dragons unable to fly by breed or by occurance, and it was one of the island's most popular routes to travel. And this was where I took Orion for a trail ride.
He loved it from the moment he made his first step onto the rocky path. It was bursting with new impressions for Orion; scents and textures of everything around him dizzied him at first, but then, I felt his heavy breath go faster with excitement. Pointing his way with signals from staff, I led him further down the road towards seashore, and before long, he didnt even need me pointing him. He quickly figured out the road is nearly always clear ahead, and followed it precisesly like a minecart is following rails. I only had to give him a notice if someone was coming our way to warn him. Trail riding became our daily exercise, as good for his health as it was pleasant for me.

I didnt think much about flying at that time. It seemed a very hard task for him to undertake yet, if not impossible at all - the speed takes away most of the scents, and going airbourne without good control over flight was plain dangerous, so I didnt rush to proceed with it. That day, we were chilling on a grassy clearing up in the mountains. Ive been daydreaming on Orion's back and he dozed, soaking up warmth of the sun. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew past us, and he raised his head to sniff it. I sat back into the saddle; the wind was especially peculiar this time, swirling around and blowing seemingly from all sides, and Orion followed it's every turn with his shivering nosetrills. I once heard a story that dragons can "see" the wind, that they understand it so well it developed them an extra sense; that winds are like rivers of color flowing through the sky for them. Ive always wondered if it was true.

Suddenly Orion stood up and confidently walked right towards the cliff; I wasnt worried he'd trip over it, he walked with greater care than even I did - but it sure puzzled me what was up on his mind. As soon as his claws touched the rocks framing the cliff, he suddenly let out a quiet grumble and spread his wings. I could see wind playing and teasing their thin membrane. "No-no-no, boy, it's too early for it yeeeEEEEEEEET!.." I tried to object, but Orion didnt require my approval. He felt he was ready. One powerful thrust, and he soared up. I could barely grab onto the saddle, nearly dropping the staff.

To be honest, our first flight I can barely remember, mostly due to me being terrified through it's entire length. The one thing I remember well is how we landed. It wasnt the most graceful touchdown, the staff was violently blown aside by the wind and I hardly could get the command across to Orion; luckily, he went towards the shore and we half-crashed into the water, so our first flight didnt end in any serious injuries. It was neck-deep for me and I soaked to the bone. That was the first time Ive ever saw my serious big guy frolic like a hatchling, though. He played and splashed in shallow water, snorting and flapping his wings, and was overall plain happy. I joined in the game as soon as I manage to locate and dive for the staff, sunken in result of crash landing.

But staff was hardly a solution for flight it turned out, so I had to expand our arsenal. Scented arrows - that's what was suited better for flying. Each "command" having it's own mini-quiver, they had dulled tips made of different materials, soaked with various scents. When I needed to give Orion a command, I tapped the arrow on the side of his head and sent it flying at the needed direction. It took us a while to master, considerably longer than training with staff, but in the end, we became a pretty good team!