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

Heavy snow falls, making it hard to walk through the accumulating drifts, and occasionally even hard to see. All the world seems grey and white. The wind blows the snow about from the east, and it swirls around objects and never falls straight down.

Aurora has connected.

Sunday, October 27th, 2002.

Words entirely worthless to a Growlithe. Yet how ironic it is that to two particular Growlithes that this date should be so important to them. Days into weeks, weeks into months, all lead up to this one crucial point. Finally, after so much waiting - today's the day.

Peppy has pretty much witnessed what could be compared to being torn to shreds by a pack of wild Katerwauls. Never before has he seen so much pain in one scene. Even now, the pup shudders softly at the thought of ever having to go through giving birth. If anything, his respect for his mate has grown, and dramatically at that. The climax of the event is over, and there she is. Still strong. Still there. Taking his eyes off of Aurora, Peppy takes a glance around the barn, clenching his teeth at the sight before him. Five (he counted them himself!) puppies lay scattered along a ten foot radius of Peppy and Aurora, a couple of them making noises. Blind, deaf, and entirely helpless. ... And his and Aurora's. Peppy can barely speak, and he's not even the one who just went through labor.

As painful as it may look to someone watching, that's nothing compared to actually going through giving birth to five puppies... Almost the only thought going through Aurora's mind in the last hour or so has been <Ow, ow, ow...> and it's only now that the pain's starting to fade. The puppies also seem to be showing signs of life - although only two or three are making noise, all of them are moving, trying to walk on tiny, barely-grown paws. One of them has made it as far as Aurora's belly, and is nudging at it, trying to find somewhere to suckle. And the proud mother herself? She's still exhausted, and is simply watching the puppies as they move around, extending a free paw to gently drag back any ones who stray too far.

Peppy himself isn't actually quite sure of what to do. Should he stay here and watch the new puppies? Should he hunt really quickly, because undoubtedly Aurora is halfway starving after that whole ordeal? Do puppies even eat meat yet? Are their eyes supposed to squint like that? Why is that one almost entirely black? Is it too cold for them? Peppy realizes that Aurora's probably in -way- too much pain to worry, so he's doing enough worry for the both of them. He glances over at his mate, noticing her exhausted condition, most especially her sleepy eyes. Moving a little closer (and making extra sure to not step on one of the puppies), Peppy declines his head down, leaning forward slightly so she won't have to speak too loud to be heard. <... Are you okay?> he asks, with only the most remote smile forming on his face.

<Mmmm hmmm...> is about as coherent a reply as Aurora can manage, but it sounds vaguely like a <Yes>, and she doesn't seem to be in too much pain. Another puppy wanders close to her belly, and she nudges him a little closer - after a few moments of sniffing around and bumping into her, he starts suckling alongside the first puppy, and Aurora grins. <They're small, aren't they?> she murmurs to Peppy, though he might not even hear her - what with all the noise that another one of the puppies is making, yipping her loudest and tottering around in the straw.

Whether Peppy hears his mate or not is uncertain, but his smile does broaden a bit. The fact that she can make out a reply to him has to be a good sign, right? He doesn't reply right away, however. Instead, he lifts his head up high, once again surveying the scene. His grin increases as he looks more and more, most especially once his eyes stop upon that one particularly active puppy, struggling around in the straw as she tries her very hardest to keep from tripping over herself. <They're beautiful,> Peppy woofs softly, taking one last glance at the loudest puppy before turning his head back to Aurora. <Aren't they?> His voice sounds exasperated, like this is all overwhelming, all unbelievable. He can't even begin to comprehend how Aurora must feel.

October means Kats come out to 'play', save the data! Right away! (Saving)

Aurora nods in reply, adding a quiet, <Yes, they are,> before reaching out a paw to haul a third pup over towards her. <There you are,> she whispers to the puppy as it finds a place next to the other two, and then she looks over at the other two - the almost-black puppy, who's standing and peering at her, and the rather hyperactive yipping pup. <Could you nudge those two this way?> Aurora asks Peppy, lying her head back down on the straw. <They'll be hungry by now...>

Hungry by now. Peppy gives Aurora a quick look, perhaps not entirely quizzically but not altogether in understanding. A moment or two passes, his eyes straying over onto the suckling puppies. "Lithe!" Peppy woofs, something of an "<Oh!>". Even he wasn't so dumb he didn't realize that puppies need their mother's milk, but it looks like he couldn't apply this to the word "hungry". Only thirsty. Giving his mate a curt nod, the canine pokemon makes his way over to the most active pokemon. Upon approaching her, however, he lowers his head to meet hers, giving his daughter a tiny grin. <Hey there,> Peppy growls very softly, causing the puppy to stop yipping for a moment so she can peer at him for a moment or two before shooting out more incoherent barks. Using his muzzle, the older Growlithe starts to gently push the little puppy over to her mom, but only meeting with some success - she still wants to explore the barn!

The three puppies who've already made it to their mother are apparently rather hungry, and Aurora gives a little sigh as she relaxes and watches Peppy try to move the adventurous puppy. <Maybe she wants to play around a little - could you play with her?> Aurora asks, then glances over at the darker puppy. <Maybe he's hungry, though... Are you hungry?> she asks the pup, who just stays on his feet, peering at her, then sniffs at the air for a few moments and starts to walk towards Aurora.

Peppy seems to be having some trouble with the more hyper puppy. Well, trouble being an inaccurate word - judging by the doggy grin on his face, anyone would guess that Peppy's having the time of his life as his muzzle struggles against the puppy, who tries her very best to jump left, right, left again to try and stop herself from being pushed. For a Growlithe so young, so naturally clumsy on her paws, she's actually moving surprisingly quickly, and her father has to be quick to keep her from sliding out in front of him. She keeps yapping in the process, a slightly cross look on her face suggesting that she's not having as much fun as he is. She wants to explore! <Do you think she'll get hungry?> asks Peppy, lifting his nose off of the floor - but now using his front paws to block the little puppy from bouncing any more than a couple steps in any given direction. <She must be... hmph!> Bam! Peppy's left paw blocks the puppy from running off too far again. She seems to be catching onto the fact that this is a game, as the smile in her eyes suggests.

<If she's having fun doing that, she'll wait until she's hungry before she stops...> Aurora grins and watches their active little daughter try to dodge her father's paws. <That's what I used to do when I was little, my mother told me.> And the mention of 'mothers' seems to jog her memory, as she pauses for a few moments to think, then asks, <Do you think we should name them yet? I mean, they're all very young at the moment, but she...> She glances at the puppy between Peppy's paws, and continues, <Well, I think she deserves a name now. And don't the others, too?>

Heavy snow falls, making it hard to walk through the accumulating drifts, and occasionally even hard to see. All the world seems grey and white. The wind blows the snow about from the east, and it swirls around objects and never falls straight down.

Peppy is struggling slightly to keep his attention on both his mate and his child, but somehow, he manages. <Really?> Peppy woofs, finding how difficult it really is to concentrate on two things at once. <... I think I used to do things my dad did when I was a puppy, but I don't...> Thump, yip, skid, spin, bounce. <... Remember them...> Perhaps tuckered out now, the puppy, her tongue hanging out and panting for breath, comes to a gradual stop, looking up at her father with tired-looking eyes. Almost automatically, Peppy drops his head down to meet the puppy's, and with a little exhausted yip, she presses her nose against his much larger one, looking up into his much bigger face. Much more surprised face. <... ... This one reminds me of Dakota.> A pause. <A lot.> Keeping his wet nose against the puppy's, Peppy looks over at Aurora out of the corner of his eye, seeking her approval.

October means Kats come out to 'play', save the data! Right away! (Saving)

<Then... shall we name her after Dakota, do you think?> Aurora replies, watching as the little puppy nuzzles at her father's face, and shifting a bit as the fourth puppy reaches her and moves in to suckle. <And we've got names for three of the others... so we need to think of a fifth name. For a...> She looks down at the puppies nestled by her, and then over at the one who's still playing with her father. <Three girls, two boys... we need another name for a girl.>

Shifting his eyes back to the puppy, a warm smile forming at the corners of his mouth, Peppy, his nose automatically twitching slightly as he speaks, causing the puppy to have to lean a bit to still keep her nose glued to her dad's. <Dakota,> Peppy repeats, trying to watch the puppy's reaction to the name. <Do you like that name?> But the puppy only keeps squinting up at her father's eyes, trying her very hardest to make out what little she can from him. It's unlikely she even hears him. <Yeah... Dakota.> Lifting his head up, separating his nose from the little puppy's, Peppy looks over at his mate, then down at the suckling puppies, then at Aurora again. <... What about the black one?> he asks softly, striding over to her, watching the shaking lumps of fur crammed together as they each try to get as much milk as their little bellies can consume. <... Is... Flame or Briska a good name for him?> Dakota, stumbling behind him, will probably need a little help getting all the way over to mom, but dad doesn't seem to realize this.

<Hmmm,> Aurora replies, looking at the cluster of puppies with her brows drawn together in a frown. <He doesn't look much like him, but he reminds me a bit of my brother - Flame was serious a lot of the time, though he did like to make fun of me sometimes when I was very clumsy. What do you think of that name, then?> she says, addressing not Peppy but the puppy in question, who blinks at her a few times then returns to guzzling milk. <Then the others will be Briska, Karen and... oh.> That's the problem with only thinking up four names - you end up with one too few. <What if we call her Dusk? I've seen the sky in the evenings, and it sometimes looks like it's on fire... maybe we could name her after that.>

By the time Aurora is finished speaking, little Dakota has already bumped right into her father. Confused, she nuzzles her head along his leg, as if looking to find something to suckle from. She's hungry too! Peppy simply glances at the puppy for a second, before taking a couple steps back - moving his back limbs around the puppy so as to not accidentally kick her - and once again nudging her towards Aurora with his muzzle. This time she complies, too tired from the little game she played to fight back. Peppy, for one, can't wait until they're old enough to be grabbed by the scruff on their necks. Putting Dakota with the rest of the puppies, Peppy looks up at Aurora, who already sounds stronger than she did when the first puppy started suckling. She's so strong, Peppy thinks to himself with a proud grin. <Flame it is, then.> Aurora's next suggestion, however, requires a little thought on Peppy's part, and he doesn't reply immediately - he only looks thoughtfully at her, every couple seconds taking a glance at the puppy needing a name.

Dakota starts to suckle happily, and Aurora looks down at the hungry litter before giving another happy sigh, and looking over at Peppy. <I think Dusk might be a nice name, but you probably have others you might like. What do you think of it?> She looks down at the puppies, her gaze resting on each one for a few moments - Dakota, with her furiously wagging tail, is clearly distinguishable from the others. However, the remaining puppies do appear to have distinguishing features - the white fuzzy patch on the head of one of them extends further than normal, some way down his neck, and one of the girls has black fur on the tip of one ear rather than the normal orange-red. Their mother looks at them, then nods, as if she's already decided on names - and she has. Well, almost.

Peppy is quiet for a couple moments, looking over the puppies - his puppies - *their* puppies - as if once again in disbelief at the whole event. Perhaps noticing the same physical quality on one of the female puppies, Peppy woofs a soft, <That one.> How blunt. Taking a couple steps towards his mate, the larger canine gestures down to one of the babies, the one with a little more dark fur on her ear than any of the other Growlithes. <You said "dusk" comes at evening... right?> he enquires, looking over at Aurora's bright, if not tired, eyes, his own eyes narrowing in thought. <... If this puppy has a little more dark fur...> Pad, pad. Peppy walks a little closer to Aurora's head, wondering if she's following the same thought path as he is.

October means Kats come out to 'play', save the data! Right away! (Saving)

Aurora nods, slowly at first, then a little faster and more enthusiastically. <Yeah, that's true. That's true!> She peers over at the dark-eared puppy, and nods. <We'll call her Dusk, then. And the boy with the red fur is Briska, and the one who's- Oh.> Apparently, one of the girls - the only one not mentioned so far - has drunk her fill, and is now dozing peacefully against her mother's side. With a smile, Aurora finishes, <And the one who's just fallen asleep will be Karen.> She looks up at Peppy as he approaches her, and if he's close enough she'll reach out her head to try to nuzzle his cheek. <You were right about what you said before,> she adds softly. <They are beautiful.>

Heavy snow falls, making it hard to walk through the accumulating drifts, and occasionally even hard to see. All the world seems grey and white. The wind blows the snow about from the east, and it swirls around objects and never falls straight down.

Peppy's smile widens as Aurora agrees with his name idea, and his tail begins to wag rather enthusiastically. Thankfully, he's standing up, so none of the puppies will get whacked. He turns his head to look over the little Growlithes. <That's a really nice name,> he notes with a slight nod, obviously approving of the name Dusk. Man - how is Peppy's little mind going to be able to recall the names of five whole puppies? Hopefully, he'll find a way. <Oh,> he woofs as he notices the sleeping puppy, turning his head back to Aurora, then back to Karen, then Aurora again. <She fell asleep!> If Growlithes could aww, Peppy undoubtedly would. <She must h-> His mate's rather sudden nuzzle stops him right in mid-sentence, and, closing his eyes, he nuzzles her back, leaning forward so as to make it easier for her. <Are you tired?> he asks, his cheek still up against her, his eyelids still squeezed shut. <You had a big day...>

Aurora nods to Peppy. <I'm quite tired now. It doesn't hurt as much, and the puppies are all starting to fall asleep,> she replies to him - and look, two more of the puppies have drunk their fill and are now curled up asleep. Dakota seems much more sedate now she's asleep, and Flame also looks peaceful, while Brakshi and Dusk both look like they're going to fall asleep soon. As does their mother, actually. With a slurred, <Night, Peppy...> Aurora lays her head back down on the ground, and closes her eyes. Within a few minutes the new mother is asleep, her chest rising and falling gently next to her snoozing pups.

The whiteness of the whirling snow fades to blanched grey.

Peppy's reply is a very, very quiet, <... Good night...> His eyes slowly scan his mate, watching his children - most of them are asleep, as Briska's just conked out and Dusk is snuggling up against the pup by her side, also preparing to take a nap. Hey - being born must take a lot out of you, too. <... Good night, pups.> His voice probably falls on deaf ears - Aurora is most likely asleep, and to Dusk and Flame, the only two puppies still conscious, his words are intangible "Growl"s and "Lithe"s, mere sounds that mean absolutely nothing. With a small, inaudible sigh, Peppy slinks down onto his tummy, putting his head down on his paws. Look at what he's become. What they've become, what they've made, how things have changed since Patch... Peppy scoots over a couple inches or two, and promptly motions his head over to Aurora, snuggling up against her to get warm, listening to her breathing rate and trying to copy it. It's not too long before dad's fast asleep, too. His last before he slinks into slumber is the realization that life is going to be so different from here on out - but he has no regrets, and this comforts him as he drifts off to sleep.