Tacking Leather
Tacking leather is a type of treated cap leather designed to be stimulating for Sazashi to dig their claws into. The prevailing means to do this is to soak the leather in a perfume of mildly intoxicating scents, so that the leather releases its smell as the Sazashi’s claws dig grooves into it.
Some are made in the form of a stress-ball, while others are full-scale mats laced onto doorframes so that a Sazashi may press their back against the other side of the frame and stretch out fully while clawing into the leather.
Most Sazashi have tacking leather in some shape or another. A dozen variants of it — all varying in hardness, scent, and shape — can be purchased at any faire or supermarket.
Qřilya pressed her spine flat against one side of the arch and her palms against the other, claws pressing into the tacking leather fastened along the entirety of the archway from hip-height upwards. It scratched between her shoulderblades. It yielded (but did not split) beneath her clawtips. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled the gentle, mixed aromas of treated leather and bitter herbs.
She flexed her hands, putting more force into it. The maroon leather dented but still did not break. Qřilya had just that day gone to have her claws treated and sharpened, and even as the tendons in her hands flexed and rippled beneath the thin velvet of her hand fur the leather resisted.
A trio of skidding, diagonal slashes cut from one edge of the sill mat to the other. Her own doing, months before her accident. She would do it again. The treatments had gone well, and she could feel her strength and determination returning, it would just take time.
And then...
Below that, her brother's. Deep grooves unbroken and nearly tapping into the sill behind the mat. His last mark on their life before being lured away by the call of the void and shipping off with colonists.
And then she would go find him, hug him, kick his ass and bring him back home.
A keychain rectangle intended for you to squeeze between your clawtips. Won't last more than a few weeks with hourly use. Sold everywhere that offers conveniences. Many have been boiled with meyfar leaves.
Often used in meditation rituals and as a dexterity exercise. The ideal size is just a bit bigger than your grasp. Hold the ball in your clawtips and rotate it without letting it touch any other part of your hand. Squeeze down and attempt to pierce the leather, then pull your claws free without assistance of your other hand or a prop.
Sazashi bathhouses and gymnasiums commonly have tack mats to assist with aerobics and resistance training. They are often shredded within days, and are replaced weekly. The machismo of an establishments clientele can be measured by the thickness of their tack mats.
For home use, though you might want to hire a contractor to install it. It's made to be difficult to cut and to be used for years. As claw marks build up, the texture becomes ideal for rubbing against to brush out itchy old fur. A poorly kept and cleaned sill mat is cause for gossip and judgement.
Love this. Stretchies!
Explore Etrea | Summer Camp 2025