Contents:
Dusk
Obvious exits:
North <N> leads to Overgrown Lands - Route 11: Off the Route.

Cold rain pours from thick grey clouds, driven by a howling northeast wind. In the forest, gusts of wind tear through the tree limbs and howl around rocks, turning the leaves over so that you can see their silvery undersides. While at the coast, the cold blue ocean pounds the coastline under the swirling grey spring sky.

It's raining, it's pouring, and mom and dad are snoring. And if mom and dad are snoring, it's only because the pups are sleeping as well. Dakota is curled against her mother, while Karen uses dad's flank as a pillow. Flame is off in his customary corner, with only his own body heat to warm him. However, at least one pup isn't asleep. Briska has one eye cracked open in his position next to Karen. The fuzzy male's coat is slightly less fuzzy due to the warmth of the weather...though there's little warmth today. Briska remains lying down; he doesn't yawn, he doesn't move or twitch, but he is awake. Maybe he's just thinking of something to do when no one else (as far as he can tell) is up.

Karen must be dreaming of wrestling or chasing because her feet begin to move in a mechanical fashion, scratching at the floor and working in small circles now and then. Things get really exciting and she kicks out, smashing a hind foot into her previously sleeping sister. Dusk rolls a bit, eyes popping open in surprise and a small yip of complaint issuing forth as she lies there looking around. What hit her? Both blue eyes narrow and then focus on the kicking Karen. "Grrr," she tells her sleeping sibling softly, one lip curling. Stretching slowly to her feet, the littlest Growlithe slinks away to get a drink of water. Dusk stretches as she goes, one rear leg stiffening, then the other. She stops near a large water dish and arches her spine with a yawn and a shake. Then, the black-eared female helps herself to some water.

Briska doesn't look around to see if anyone else is awake. Nope. He cracks his other eye open, but his pupils don't even move. The canine just stares straight ahead. Dusk's growl provokes a reaction from him...he flicks his ear towards her. Little else happens for a few seconds. Dusk is lapping up water by the time Briska responds. His eyes widen suddenly. His previously heavy head jerks upwards with terrific force and he swings it from side to side, trying to find the noise-maker. When Briska sees Dusk, he blinks a few more times, and then grins broadly. The pup's large tail wags quickly from side to side. Finally, someone to do something with! <Dusk,> he wuffs happily, a bit too loudly, for some of his sleeping siblings and parents grimace and grumble at the intrusion of Briska's voice into their sleeping worlds. Briska doesn't hear them. He's too busy getting to his paws.

Dusk is started by the sudden echoing sound of her name in the silence; she stumbles forward in surprise, one foot ending up in the water dish as she spins to find the source of this outburst. If it hadn't been for the abruptness of the call, she would have recognized the voice of her big brother, the good one. Dusk sighs with relief, ears sagging somewhat as her blue eyes find the culprit; Briska. Wagging her tail and slipping into a pleasant doggie grin, Dusk woofs back softly. Her eyes shift to check on their sleeping family, which, thus far, remains as such. Even Flame appears to be out of it, unless it is all just a clever plot. Flame being the master of the barns plot department, of course. Dusk snickers to herself as she peers at the mass of sleeping, black fur, then wags her tail in happy windmills to greet her other brother. <Not sleepy?> she asks him, extricating her foot from the water and then shaking it with disdain. Dusk then slips into a little limbering bow.

Briska tilts his head as Dusk manages to land her foot in the water dish. Is she playing a game? Because Dusk is smart - she could probably think up quite a few games. He walks towards his sister, his steps slow and ambling. He's not quite gotten the sleepiness out of his system, and, besides, he's never been a terrifically hyper child. In response to his sister's question, Briska's head bobs up and down and his tongue spills from his mouth. ..Yeah, he's got no idea what she just said. Briska's grin is still on his face as he walks past Dusk and sticks his front paw in the water tin. Look! He's doing what Dusk did! Isn't he clever?

The smaller puppy blinks at her brother as he sticks his foot in the water dish. You have to be kidding me, her mind comments as her sapphire spheres widen. <Err, Briska,> she begins, then sighs and decides not to confuse the poor guy further. Besides, if it makes him happy, then why not? The dark eared puppy grins and shakes her head in mock exasperation. <Silly, Briska,> she adds to her previous comment, then her eyes narrow and she gets a wild look on her face, lips pulling back mischievously. Dusk rears, rising quickly on her hind paws and bringing both of her front paws down in the tin with a mighty splash. The water billows and sprays up at her big brother like a mini squall. The little female giggles away, thrilled with her little attack.

Pretty soon, an odd sensation comes on Briska. Pain. And it's coming from his foot. Now, this is odd, because usually when there's pain there's another puppy around that causes pain. Pain comes from physical actions done by either himself or something else - and yet, here's his foot, in pain because he stuck it somewhere. Briska's eyes widen and his tail halts in mid-wag as the pain begins to increase the longer he keeps his paw in the water. And then...Dusk moves. With Briska's paw providing a bit of a stabilizing anchor, the water mostly hits the rest of his leg and a bit of his chest. Briska, slowly, stiffly takes a few steps back from the water tin, all of his attention on his stinging leg. The shocked expression doesn't leave his face as he looks at the offending limb.

Dusk's face soon loses her smug expression and she blinks dumbly at Briska. <Whatsa matter?> she asks, tilting her head to the side and stepping out of the dish again. This time, she is too concerned to even shake the water from her paws. The little female just stands and stares blankly at Briska. What happened? Did she do something wrong? Dusk's ears and tail droop in concern and she continues to watch the larger puppy, wondering what is wrong. She takes a hesitant step closer to him, waiting and wondering what could have happened to change her exuberant brother into a statue. Even his tail stopped wagging! That is not a good sign, she notes, peering over her shoulder at her parents a moment. If he is upset about being splashed, she might get in trouble. Dusk whimpers.

Briska can't find anything physically wrong with his limb and shakes it slowly, trying to get some of the water off of it. It helps only slightly. The pup of fuzzy body and fuzzy mind then tries to respond to his sister's question. <No...> he begins in his deep, rumbling voice. He tries to set his paw on the ground. He manages it, but with a wince and a short whine. Briska quickly lifts his paw, looking at it with eyes narrowed in confusion and wariness. <No...> the youngster repeats, as he gingerly puts his pained paw on the ground. This time the pain is slightly less, and Briska blinks in susprise. He then turns back to Dusk, ready to answer her question. <No...guh..goooooh...oood.> Well, Briska's using a new word, even if he's not pronouncing it well. He doesn't seem like he's directing it at Dusk; his suspicious eyes are on the water dish and what little of the liquid remains in it.

Dusk pants nervously, peering from Briska's eyes to his leg and then back again. Oh dear, what is a little sister to do? Looking anxious and catching the drift that there is something wrong with his paw, Dusk circles around her fuzzy sibling and whimpers softly. <Try again!> she encourages; maybe doing it again will help. She wags her tail hopefully and bobs her head. <You can do it!> she adds. Since when did a cheerleader ever assist an injured athlete? Well, perhaps some encouragement wouldn't be a bad thing after all. Dusk then turns on the offending water tin. How dare it hurt her brother! "Grrrr!" she issues a challenge, then the smallest of the puppies attacks it with her teeth. Clang! Ouch! Dusk shakes her head and blinks, then tosses caution (and quite) to the wind. "GrooooOOoooow!" she wails and attacks again, this time more carefully. The small puppy grabs and shakes the light weight, metal tin, spilling the rest of the water.

Briska's white puff of a tail rises as he looks at the water tin and bares his teeth. It must have bit him! It's sneaky! Dusk's encouragement forces the youngster to raise his head and begin to glare at the evil, evil water dish. And then Dusk attacks it! He's ready to help his little sis out! "Roowwwwww!" he growls, ears flattening against his head. His hackles rise as his sister howls (and not just due to anger, as the loudness of one of Dusk's howls is annoying in and of itself); due to her speed and brains, she gets to the dish before him. Once she has it in her jaws, Briska rushes towards it and grabs the other end - fortunately, he unwittingly times it so that he does so when the water is out of the tin. He begins to tug fiercely, the pain in his paw forgotten. Maybe he's hoping that he and Dusk can pull it apart and destroy this menace once and for all.

Dusk wags as her brother joins in to help her destroy the dastardly water dish. "Rrrrr!" she growls around the bitter tasting metal, shaking her head and consequently, the dish too. After a moment, the horridness of the dish is forgotten and Dusk lapses into a game! Tug o' war! Backing up and hunkering down with her haunches, the smaller female attempts to tug Briska forward or pull the dish completely out of his grasp. Her eyes switch from an angry, intense gaze to a softer one full of mischief. "Row row!" she yaps at her big brother from around the tin, digging in with her clawed paws and wiggling her hind end. The plume of a tail that completes her fury fashion wags happily. She'd say something more meaningful about this new game, but it probably would be lost as it dripped out past the bowl.

Well, it must be easy for Dusk to forget the dangers of the dish when it didn't bite her. Briska is quite intent on destroying this enemy of his - anything that hurts him might soon turn to hurt the pack. While he's normally very perceptive of body language, that ability of his doesn't work when he's purposefully not focusing on one of his siblings or parents. Briska's gaze is still intense and angered as Dusk yaps and wags her tail. His ears are still back, tail held above his back and stiff as a board. And he continues to growl. The water tin isn't breaking. Briska stands firm and pulls, but it still doesn't break. His eyes narrow, his jaw clenches, and he does two things simultaneously. He lets out a Growl - a fully-fledged actual attack of a Growl - and he wrenches his head to one side as he tries to destroy the blasted tin.

Caught by surprise, Dusk is both jarred by her larger sibling and shaken by the Growl attack. No one has ever attacked her before and even though it wasn't aimed at her, she was the only creature close by and the intimidating nature of the Growl causes her to be thrown free of the tin where she stands frozen and quivering. The smaller female is only so bold. Ears lowered and tail tucked, she peers at Briska with frightened, unhappy eyes. She had too quickly forgotten the offense while he had raged on, bent on destruction. Her attempt to play was somehow ignored or perhaps it upset Briska. The black-eared puppy doesn't know what to do or think, she just shivers and whines softly to herself.

Briska frowns briefly as he stares down at the still intact tin, before the idea hits and his ears perk up with determination. The dish still in his jaws, he spins on his heel, his whole being speaking of unshakable purpose as he strides towards the front of the barn. He reaches the door and finds that it's open a crack...a conveniently Peppy-sized crack. Poppa must have forgotten to close the door when he came in from his last hunting trip, and as the wind is blowing the rain away from the barn door, it must have been forgotten about. And now Briska is re-discovering it, and using it to his advantage. Briska, forgetting about all the warnings his parents gave him about going outside, wanting only to protect his pack from danger, steps outside, intending to take a few steps and then toss the tin outdoors. Clever, clever Briska.

Dusk is totally blown away. Briska is going outside? In this weather? What is he thinking? The small female is still shivering from the frightening Growl and trying to get her wits about her. Last time she tried to sneak out, she got in trouble, therefore, if she isn't supposed to go out, Briska isn't either. <No no no no!> the little female yaps at her brother. So much for quite in the barn on a Sunday afternoon. Between the scuffle and their interactions, things have not been very low-key. Dusk totters after Briska awkwardly, half bounding, half tiptoeing. She doesn't go all the way to the door, however, stopping halfway and whining miserably. She doesn't want to get in trouble, but she also doesn't want Briska to get in trouble. He is somewhat of a hero for her, brain power aside.

Briska should have paid more attention to his little sister. If he had noticed how upset she was, he could have stayed with her and comforted her, rather than rushing out into the lashing tempest outside. As it is, Briska does catch Dusk's yapped protest, and he turns to look back at her...but only briefly, and only to give her a reassuring "Lithe!" before walking onwards. He's still not quite remembering - or perhaps just ignoring - Aurora and Peppy's warnings; it's easy enough to ignore an order if you can't understand most words. Briska slips out of the door, takes a few steps, and swings the water dish away from the barn. "Owwwli!" he barks victoriously, his upright tail beginning to wag and his mouth lifting upwards in a grin. He's brave! He's a defender! He's..hey, his feet are getting muddy. And the rest of him is getting wet by...falling stuff. And it's...beginning to sting. Briska stands still for at least ten seconds before he turns and scrambles clumsily back into the barn, howling in pain. Let's hope Dusk gets out of the way, or he might bowl her over!

This isn't Dusk's day. First her attempt at play is foiled by an uncooperative water dish, then she is Growled at, and now, she is bowled head over heels by a very wet and slightly muddy Briska. "Oooow!" she wails unhappily, whimpering and sputtering in utter self pity. Poor, poor, little Growlithe! It is hard being small! The black-eared puppy might end up being a black-eyed puppy some time soon. With her ears drooped and her tail squashed under her rump, the small female sits looking thoroughly miserable. <Ow,> she says, turning big, teary blue eyes on her brother and sniffling. Dusk's head hangs and she sits on her furry bottom with both hind legs extended and her front paws braced against the floor between them.

Once inside, Dusk would see her brother's coat dripping with water, his eyes wide, and his sides heaving. Briska looks back towards the door. <No good! /No/ good!> he yaps mindlessly, shocked but not quite afraid. He then turns to Dusk and barks, quite forcefully, <go! Go, Dusk! Go!> He has to keep her safe from this menace. Maybe..maybe the water dish must have a pack that also brings pain? Bah. It makes little sense to Briska - all he knows is that outside is now very /bad/, and that Dusk is standing too close to the door for comfort. Briska steps toward Dusk and he'll attempt to bark her away from the door, all the while sending concerned and angered glances to the door behind him. He's not Growling, though; he didn't even realize he'd performed an attack in the first place. However, it's likely not going to help her mood.

Dusk peers at Briska with a look of frustration and contempt. Ok, the fur has totally clogged his brain now, she concludes. Baring her teeth at him, the smaller pup tucks her tail and scampers for dad. He'll save her from her insane big brother. Eyes glowing wildly, the black-eared female scampers and slides into Peppy. The adult Growlithe starts awake, blinking around. <Wha? Who? Just a few more minutes,> be begins before going back to sleep. Some help he is, Dusk thinks. Oh well, she is safe now with the rest of the family. Glowering at Briska again, Dusk curls herself up in a tight ball at Peppy's side and hides her face, a few stray tears of frustration wetting her cheeks.

Cold rain pours from thick grey clouds, driven by a howling northeast wind.

Briska stares at Dusk as she runs towards Poppa. His chest and sides slowly cease their heaving as his heartbeat slows, but the stinging of his wet skin hasn't gone away yet, nor has the dripping wetness of his fur. All right! He got Dusk to move away from the door! But this victory is too sour. What was that look for? Briska's body-language reading abilities have quickly come back to him...right after he needed them. But, oh, his little brain is churning. The big puppy is used to seeing such anger and contempt on Flame's face, not Dusk's. Why is she mad? What did he do wrong? The pup gives a light whine of confusion and walks closer to the family and, since she's with them, towards Dusk, though he's not moving towards her specifically. It doesn't occur to him to shake his wet fur.

What could be more important than the wellness and happiness of one's child? Apparently, one's beauty sleep. Mostly ignoring the little puppy's snivling as she nestles into his side, Peppy attempts to drift back into dreams about burgers and Rattatas and all sorts of other fun things. But perhaps in the back of his subconcious mind, Peppy feels a little guilty for ignoring Dusk (that, or maybe the collective sniffles of Dusk and whines of Briska grow a little too loud for him). With a grunt, grumble, and growl, Peppy mentally mutters a curse towards fatherhood before stretching open one eye. The first thing he sees? A none-too-gleeful looking Briska marching towards him. <Mmmph,> he mumbles to his son, slowly opening the other eye to peer at his son with a half-caring sort of attitude. <Sumthin' th' mattr, Bruskuh?> Peppy asks as he raises his chin off of the floor to yawn widely, a nice long five second yawn.

Dusk is feeling very let down and rather obstinate. Hearing Peppy groan and then feeling him stir beside her; the littlest Growlithe raises her head from off her paws and looks at him with teary eyes. And then he does it; her father asks that mean brother of hers what is wrong. Dusk wails softly and buries her head under her paws, her fury body shaking like a leaf in the wind. She is feeling so angry and so betrayed right now, she doesn't want anything to do with Briska or Peppy while he is dealing with Briska. Normally, she might have stalked off to get away from them, but she isn't /that/ upset and it would only suffer her to feel more alone than she already does. She tried to play and was rejected, she offered a new game and was attacked, and the last straw; she was clumsily slammed into and then barked at harshly. The little puppy snivels some more, feeling utterly wretched and fuming at her careless big brother. Who does he think he is, anyway?

And while Dusk nurses her feelings of anger, while she sobs out her pain and her body trembles at the unfairness of the world...Briska just stares dumbly at dad. He blinks a few times, sure, but his eyes don't leave his father's face. Once (if) Peppy gets a bit more awake, he might notice that his son is dripping wet - his mohawk is plastered downwards, his tail is not quite as poofy, and there's the small fact that water falls in drops from his chest and sides. <Huh?> Briska asks of dad, his head tilting to one side. His green eyes finally leave Poppa, and they flick to Dusk, his suddenly and surprisingly upset sister. His ears perk and his body twitches in shock as he sees just how much she's shivering. <Dusk good?> he asks softly, confusion and worry in his tone as he takes a few steps closer to her and, by proximity, Peppy.

Peppy's ear pricks up as he hears a piteous wail to his side. His eyes widen slightly before narrowing, and he turns his head to take a glance at Dusk. She is crying. Briska is worried. Peppy is sleepy, and, unfortunately, too sleepy to be able to deal with this properly without a little time to recover. With an overexaggerated sigh, Peppy shakes his head vigorously. He pushes up with his front paws with his eyes squeezed shut, and mumbles a reply, <She's fine, son.> Walking forward his hind paws, Peppy goes from this head-high-bottom-low position into a more comfortable sitting one, and when he turns his head to glance down at Dusk, his right cheek presses into his shoulder. <What's the matter, Dusk? Hungry?> His green eyes flicker to the door, and his spirit drops at the sight of rain he sees through a crack in the barn. Nothing quite like hunting in weather like this.

<I hate him!> is Dusk's rather quick reply, though she doesn't move to deliver this slap. Well, that is the female way; super mad for a short amount of time and then back to sunshine. Though, Dusk has always had a little bit of a dark cloud that rains on her sunny days. It seems that the resentment she feels might need a little bit of working out. Knowing Briska's usual sweetness and irresistible stupidity, he shouldn't have a hard time winning back her admiration and 'looked up to' big brother status. For now, the miserable puppy continues to sniffle and heave. Karen and Dakota stir gently at the noise, but sleep on, lost in the deep sleep that takes over the young upon occasion. Good thing Flame isn't near by and in on this. He would surely find his sister's plight hilarious and worth a good mocking.

Briska stops in his path and watches anxiously as Peppy ministers to Dusk. Poppa will make it all right - he's the dad, the head of the pack, that's what he does. Dusk's angered words do leave a mark on the pup. His ears lower, and his brow furrows in even more concern. He's still asking all these questions in his mind, but he's not coming up with any answers. <Dusk...Dusk no good?> he asks worriedly of Peppy, looking between his father and his sister. Suddenly - bing! - a though goes off in Briska's head. He swings his front end around until he's facing the door. </That/ no good!> he says suddenly, frantically. To think that he almost forgot to warn the family about the lack of gooness of the outside! He has to start by telling Poppa! <No good!> he repeats in the same tone, his lips baring as if he's not sure whether to growl at the outside or leave it alone.

A port in a storm, a home away from home. We're (saved)!

Well, Peppy thinks to himself, that's vague enough. Slowly, the older male repeats Dusk's statement slowly and deliberately, switching his gaze to Briska as he does. <You... hate him?> He looks all over his son's body, idly noting just how much he's grown since birth. How could anybody hate Briska, of all pokemon? Look at how sad he looks, how... panicked he is from Dusk's words. <You're right, Briska, that is no good,> Peppy agrees, switching attention back to Dusk. <Dusk?> Even if the female puppy replies, Peppy will repeat her name two or three more times, slowly leaning over to get closer to her. <Dusk? Dusk, I'm sure you don't mean that. What happened? What's going on?> If Briska happens to reply instead of Dusk, he'll get The Look, one of those built-in parental things that shuts almost any kid up. Peppy, apparently, wants Dusk to speak. Granted, just a glare might not be enough to get Briska to not reply to Peppy's question...

Today is the day when Peppy will get to see that not only one of his seed has an ingrown anger, there are at least two. Shaking with rage, Dusk leaps to her tiny paws and spins to face Briska. Her hackles are raised and her head is lowered in a threatening manner, ears plastered to her skull. This little puppy means business. Dusk snarls softly at her brother and then turns icy eyes on her father. There is a coldness there that as of yet, only Flame has ever seen. <I do hate him! He is big and clumsy and, and, mean!> she stammers reproachfully, tear stains remain in her fur but her eyes are dry for now. The littlest Growlithe stares daggers at Briska. Wow, unknowingly, he tapped something in her that should never have been released. What will Peppy think of her now? Suddenly, this thought occurs to her and her head lowers even further, in a look of shame. <He wouldn't play. He growled at me,> she begins, trying to justify her hatred. Will Peppy understand the difference between the growl that happened and Briska's use of an attack that accidentally unnerved his sister?

Briska can't really reply to something he doesn't know much about anyway. Briska pauses to take a breath before launching into another tirade of "no good no good", in his frenzy to spread the word unable to catch that his father has already responded to him. He does so just as Dusk snarls. <Dusk!> Briska yelps worriedly as he spins around. He gestures to the outside with his head, <no good! No good, Dusk!> She has to understand that the outside isn't good either! He turns back to look at her, and then...actually takes in what she's showing. Anger and hatred. His jaw drops and his face clouds in confusion and shock. "...Liii.." he whines, the sound high and piercing, especially compared to his deep speaking voice. His voice breaks mid-whine as his ears lower. He doesn't add anything on to Dusk's explanation - how can Briska explain what happened?

Whoa. Even Peppy rears his head back slightly, his eyes widening as his teeth clamp together tightly. His daughter has been possessed by a Katerwaul. That, or by Flame. Perhaps even suspecting this himself, the adult Growlithe flickers his eyes to Flame - sleeping soundly in his corner - before turning back to Dusk. <... Dusk, I'm sure Briska didn't mea-> And then the whine sneaks into the conversation. Peppy cringes visibly, his eyes squeezing shut - no matter if Briska's not loud, the note the little one is hitting is definitely a bad one in Peppy's mind. <Briskaaa!> Peppy barks over the noise, eyes still shut. <Stop! Stop, stop, okay? Okay? Briska, what happened? Are you being mean to your sister?> If Briska stops whining, Peppy's voice will return to normal, but if he continues making noise, Peppy will continue keeping his voice loud and clear, trying to override his son's squealing. And yet, somehow, Dakota, Karen, and Flame all stay asleep. They must have his genes.

The anger is starting to work out of her after she has finished her little temper tantrum and Dusk peers at Peppy, then blinks at her now distraught brother. Maybe he didn't mean to hurt her. Dusk remains silent for a moment, letting her emotions simmer a bit and waiting to here what Briska has to say for himself. The smaller puppy's bottom lip quivers a bit and her tail remains limp behind her. Things are tense and she really doesn't like this feeling. What should she do though? <Stupid!> she curses the water dish for ruining her rainy day. The smallest of the litter peers toward the door where Briska took the tin and growls, hackles rising again. "OoooOooow!" she wails in her usual way of telling the world what she things of it. Hopefully the rest of the family can sleep through yet another of Dusk's trademark howls. Most likely not, however.

Cold rain pours from thick grey clouds, driven by a howling northeast wind.

Briska can't look any more pitiful than he does now, so Peppy's order produces little more of a reaction. His whine cuts off abruptly, though. 'What happened?' is something Briska knows. Usually it's a question given to Flame or Dakota, followed by them recounting recent events; Briska has watched the interaction often enough. And now it's being asked to him. His pupils flick from side to side as he tries to think, trying to dredge up all the words he knows. <Uh...umm, Brisk..ka..um...> he begins, only to wince as Dusk howls. Once she's done, Briska tries to think again. There's a good long pause, maybe two minutes as Briska mutters parts of words, shifts his weight, and generally looks very unsure. Eventually, he gulps in a big breath and tries to string them all together from what he remembers of the incident.

Life is easier and more fun when you spend it sleeping, not dealing with little kids howling and crying and whining. What's worse is that with every new complaint that comes along, Peppy finds himself becoming more distressed and hurt as well as more annoyed. His kids are fighting! Briska is pained! Dusk is furious! Poor Peppy has no idea what to do! Briska's description doesn't really contribute much enlightenment upon Peppy, who turns his head to peer at his son for a moment, totally clueless. <W... what is bright-hole?> the helpless Growlithe spits. <... What's so bad about it? ... Why is outside no good?> Looks like somebody needs a Briska-To-Growlithe dictionary. His eyes wide, his cheek muscles tightening into a look that can only be described as entirely incredulous, Peppy slowly turns to face Dusk, hoping for help. If Dusk is still howling, Peppy really won't do anything, just continue looking at her until she helps translate.

Dusk's expression sags when she hears Briska's interpretation of their previous adventures. The little Growlithe sighs and hunkers down into a less tense and more comfortable crouch, tail curling about her legs a bit. <The shiny bowl,> she muses, not entirely sure if that was the word that she had heard her parents use for it or not. <Briska got hurt in the bowl. We were playing and he /growled/ at me,> she adds with another sigh and a little whimper. The blue-eyed pup shifts nervously and looks away. <Then, he took it outside and knocked me down,> she splices the events together in carefully analyzed sentences. She clever, that is true, but it is still a difficult task to express herself completely while relaying the important parts of the story. Though, looking at her, one would see that her anger has faded and her face is one of shame and sadness at the conflict.

A port in a storm, a home away from home. We're (saved)!

Briska really didn't mention anything about Dusk in his story because he truly wasn't thinking about his sister. He had to protect his pack from the...<Shy-nee bowl?> the pup repeats, looking at Dusk. He still hasn't come out of his chastened position, so all he can do at Dusk's words is huddle closer to the ground. Growled. That's a bad word now. She seems to be really upset about the growled. <Outside no good,> Briska repeats, his voice soft, wavering in his worry. He takes a step towards her, his voice hushed with concern for his littlest of sisters. <Dusk..Dusk no outside?> he asks, almost pleads with her. <Outside no good; Dusk...be..careful. No Dusk outside.> He takes a breath before speaking again. <Growled no good. Briska no growled, Dusk no growled, growled no good.> See! They're never going to growled again! They'll be a happy growled-less family.

Okay. Bright-holes and no-no-no-goods aside, we're finally getting somewhere. Peppy inhales deeply, wriggling his nose at the musty humid air, and exhales through his mouth. He listens to Briska's statements about the outside, though the little pup totally loses him with that whole growled thing. He spares a glance at Dusk, gives her a slight smile to let her know he's not ignoring her, and turns back to Briska. <Outside no g... I mean, you don't like going outside, Briska?> This comes across as interesting (not exactly shocking, as Peppy's had enough surprises since he woke up) to the adult Growlithe, and he tilts his head curiously. <But... if you don't go outside, you can't hunt or explore.> He smiles just a little, almost uncertainly. <You don't... want to spend the rest of your life in here...> Head goes up, green eyes scan the walls of the rickety shack that calls itself a barn. <... Do you?>

Dusk seems to soften further as Briska continues to explain awkwardly and show concern for her. She is still less than pleased that so much unpleasant stuff has happened; especially the 'growled' part and getting run over. With a sigh, the little female finally caves and slinks toward her brother, attempting to bathe his worried face with a tiny, pink tongue and reassure him that everything is ok. <Not mad anymore. It's ok,> she says between licks if he doesn't pull away from her. Good thing that he is hunkered down and in easy range for the smaller puppy. For the moment, Peppy is forgotten as Dusk works on patching things up with her well-meaning yet totally clueless big brother. Somewhere inside, however, a little seed of anger has sprouted into the tiniest of bitter little weeds. How is it that a pair of wonderful pokemon seemed to have spawned such a strange bunch of pups?

The clouds darken further, rain drenching the landscape as evening approaches.

Instead of Briska trying to make other pups happy, Dusk is making him happy. Peppy's words are nice, but they're just words and Briska's never been very good with them. Dusk's little tongue will taste wet dog, and she'll certainly smell it as she gets closer to him. Fortunately, while his fur is damp, much of the excess water is now off of him, so she shouldn't feel the stinging pain he felt when he went out into the rain. Briska doesn't need to say anything. Dusk is good. And if Dusk is good, then so is Briska. The large fuzzy pup stares at his sister for a few second - then his ears rise, his lips curve into a smile, and his tongue reaches out to lick at her muzzle. Should he manage to do so, he'll begin nuzzling her cheek, murmuring happy "groww"s and "liii"s. Let's hope Peppy won't feel too offended at his son's lack of response to his question.

And so, another conflict in the Growlithe family of Assisi Barn has been wrapped up with virtually no help from the father. Peppy can't help but feel that he missed something when Dusk marches up to Briska and forgives him for his previous actions, but all's well that ends well... right? <Um... glad to help,> Peppy woofs quietly, more to himself than anybody else. Without a warning, he slinks down to the floor, chin ramming into the wood and causing a thump. His lower torso follows right before, and he squiggles and squirms into a more comfortable position, setting his chin upon his paws. Supposing nobody has any more questions for dear ol' dad, it might be back into dreamland for him. With any luck, Briska and Dusk will follow his example, so Peppy doesn't have to risk being woken up once more to help "solve" a problem.

As quickly as the storm began, it is gone. The dark clouds in Dusk's heart are blown away by the ever loving Briska and her sunny disposition returns. The littlest Growlithe accepts her brother's nuzzling and happily continues to bathe his reassuringly. How odd it is for the smaller puppy to be comforting the larger one? Ceasing her lapping of the other fire pup's wet fur, Dusk beams at him with her most charming smile, blue eyes twinkling. <I don't hate you,> she tells him in her soft spoken manner, tilting her head to the side and wrinkling her nose cutely. She can't bring herself to say she loves him, but she at least is willing to attempt an apology. Run over, Growled at, or not. With this, Dusk trots over to curl up next to Peppy again, tucking her paws in and nestling against his side. <Come on, Briska,> she calls her brother to join her, before closing her eyes and slipping off into a contented slumber. The ever so dramatic crisis's of a puppy's life have come and gone. What have we learned from all this? Let sleeping fathers lie, never step in a water dish, and beware a female's wrath!