Obvious exits:
North <N> leads to Old Macdonald's Farm.
South <S> leads to Overgrown Lands - Route 11: Off the Route.
West <W> leads to Field and Streams - Route 11: Orchards.
East <E> leads to Footbridge - Route 12: Junction.

Dakshi arrives from Field and Streams - Route 11: Orchards.
Dakshi has arrived.

Fair weather clouds sail across the blue sky, propelled by light breezes from the west. It's warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and the air is clear and dry. In the forest, the wind rustles the bright green leaves of trees and bushes and carries Oddish pollen, downy seeds, and the fragrance of wildflowers along with it. While at the coast, the ocean is a deep cool blue today, the waves lapping at the coast gently under the pleasant spring sky.

It's the perfect day for anything at all. Going for a walk, heading on a picnic, even hunting - the weather could not be better. Peppy the Growlithe, the ever reliable bacon-bringer of the Growlithe family at the Assisi Farm, left his home today with the intentions of focusing solely upon picking off some innocent Rattata so as to get home earlier, but apparently those ambitions proved too much for him. Instead of looking remotely like a hunter, Peppy strolls down the side of the stream, head up high, smiling to himself. The sunlight feels so good on the top of his head! The wind feels so nice running through his fur! The grass feels so wonderful underneath his paws! How lovely Spring is! Indeed, Peppy seems without a care in the world; he's passed at least three families of Rattata on this little excursion thus far, but hasn't made the slightest attempt to hunt them down.

A perfect day indeed! Wispy clouds sail lazily across a crystal blue sky, being propelled by a gentle spring breeze. The leaves of the trees rustle, the grass sways rhythmically, moving in the hypnotic fashion of some musician's ticking metronome, and everything outside seems calm and unusually serene. Dakshi saunters along through the grass, strolling beside the small stream that gurgles past. Blast this wind! It's blowing all the scents around! How is she ever going to sneak up on some unsuspecting Pidgeotto, if she can't hide herself? Of course! She'll just have to rely on her innovative ingenuity! Taking off the satchel she carries on her shoulder, the enormous fire dragon begins rummaging through its contents, searching for something. She tosses a bundle of rope out, chucks a ball of twine onto the ground, and yanks a pair of rubber gloves out, tossing them at her feet with a look of disgust. Where'd she get these things? Or, should the question be, what does she use them for?

"Grrrrowli!" Peppy barks to himself rather cheerfully, closing his eyes for a second to enjoy the wind swirling around him. He, unlike Dakshi, is fully enjoying this crisp, refreshing day! Unfortunately, the Growlithe, who focuses on a keen sense of smell and hearing, isn't exactly the most wary pokemon in a storm of wind such as this. Any traces of a scent are picked up and carried away by some unseen gust, and the soft wooshing sounds in his big dark ears hurt his sense of hearing. Needless to say, by the time he -can- hear Dakshi stomping across the ground and making rumaging noises, he's already within plain sight. Coming around a bush, he exhales into the air. Ahh! So tranquil! So peaceful! So... big! Rearing back for a moment, the Growlithe peers at the giant Charizard in front of him (Peppy should approach her from the side if she doesn't turn), his eyes widening by the second. Augh! It's one of... those... things! Those big... big things! That go raaar and get mad and carry helpless puppies off to islands!

Bright colors, sweetness, and light! Candylion-springtimes! (We're saved!)

Dakshi eventually gives up on her search for whatever it is she's looking for, and she puts the satchel back on her shoulder. <Blast those Pidgeotto!> she calls, shaking an angry fist at the sky, as if the clouds represent the bird pokemon she so despises. Looks like it's time to go home. There's no reason to be out and about, if there's no hunting to be done. Dakshi turns around, and her eyes widen when she spots the Growlithe standing not too far away from her. The wind gusts past the Charizard, brushing through the flame on the pokemon's tail, turning it into a swirling mass of colors. Narrowing her eyes at Peppy, she bends her sinewy neck so she can get a better look of the frightened Growlithe. <Honestly,> she starts, rolling her eyes with annoyance, <I'm not going to eat you.> she assures Peppy, grumbling something unintelligible under her breath. <I swear,> she pauses here and mutters some more, <What superiority complexes everyone has. You all don't taste delicious.>

As he is ever-so-prone to do when he's even remotely frightened, Peppy is entirely motionless. What does he hope to accomplish? To hope that he looks so still that Dakshi won't be able to see him? Needless to say, his attempt is entirely in vain, and when Dakshi glances at him, he quite involuntarily whimpers in the back of his throat and squeezes his eyes shut, though every second or so barely opens one eye to see what the Charizard is doing. As she speaks, he cringes into himself, his bushy tail drooping as low as it'll go. Man, she's so big. Man, she's so scary. Man, she's so... annoyed? <No, no,> Peppy woofs in reply, his voice surprisingly forceful for someone who just spent the last minute motionless and not breathing. <That's not what I'm afraid of!> Why is he telling her this? His right ear flickers, though whether from a thought or simply from the wind is unclear.

The Charizard continues to peer at the Growlithe, leaning closer to the frightened fire type as he cringes away from her. The edge of her tongue peeks out of her mouth as she examines him, eying him in the same fashion a butcher would a fine cut of meat. Once she's through looking the whimpering pokemon over, the Charizard relaxes, and backs off a few steps. That stupid firedog's whining is enough to drive a Ditto up a wall! Scowling bitterly, the Charizard taps her clawed foot on the ground as she impatiently listens to the Growlithe's words. <You're not afraid of being eaten?> the Charizard asks, overcome with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity. <What are you afraid of then?> she inquires, landing on the ground with a lazy plop. The force of her weight striking the ground causes the land to quiver slightly, and she rests her head on the palm of her paw. <Well?> she asks, offering Peppy a toothy smile.

A few thoughts run through Peppy's head about what he can do. He can run like the dickens, get chased, get caught. He can stand his ground, get caught. He can fight, get beat up, get caught. He can plead for mercy, not get it, and get caught. Wow. Hope Cinnabar's nice this time of year. As he tries to brainstorm up some other ideas, Peppy glances to the side, shifts his weight, lowers his head, twitches his ears and tail... just basically acts like the helpless, confused, doomed pup that he is. His discomfort should be easy for Dakshi to note. <... Well,> he woofs cautiously, currently looking down at his paws. Idly, he runs a claw through the soft dirt, not really drawing anything. <You... uh... could, um, take me somewhere far away, like you're supposed to - but don't!> He woofs at a more rapid pace now, jerking his head up to peer at Dakshi with wide, watery, pleading eyes. <Really, if you don't want to, that's really good, because I don't want to go and don't want to, um, to... bother... you...>

Despite Dakshi's immense size, her posture is non threatening as she lies there in a lazy heap of muscle and scales. In fact, the Charizard doesn't seem to be concentrating too much on the Growlithe as he helplessly pleads for mercy. She pulls a daisy from the ground, and idly plucks its petals from the center of the flower, letting them fall lifelessly onto the grassy ground. Dropping the stem when she's through destroying the flower, Dakshi returns her attention back on Peppy, focusing her beady eyes on him just as he's finishing his pleas. <I don't want to.> she informs him plain and simply. Maybe if she convinces him he's in no immediate danger, he'll quit harassing her. With the way he's talking on and on, it sounds as if he wants to get kidnapped, eaten or tortured until he squeals like a Mankey. <I have no use for Growlithe.> The Charizard gets into a sitting position, and crosses her arms in front of her chest. <Well,> she pauses, rubbing her hands together deviously. <Know where I can find some Pidgey nests?>

After Peppy is finished speaking, he actually feels a little... relieved. He handled that kind of well, didn't he? He gave her the -option- of not pupnapping him, instead of immediately trying to escape! Maybe he'll survive this encounter anyway! ... Or maybe he's about to be dinner for the Charizard's kids. That would be ironic. At Dakshi's words, Peppy breathes out a sigh of relief so fiercely that it causes him to lower him head closer to the ground. When he lifts it once again, there's a big ol' smile on it. <Really? Like, really really don't want to?> He shakes his head vigorously for a moment, as if snapping himself back into reality for a moment, and once again lifts his head up high, as though he never was totally and entirely frightened. <Pigdey nests?> he repeats, glancing up at his forehead thoughtfully. He's making a show of it, of course. Peppy has no idea where a Pidgey nest would be, but he wants to create the -illusion- that he's thinking about it so as to not tee off the Charizard. <... No, not really,> he admits after a moment, grinning uneasily at her.

Dakshi watches as Peppy pretends to think, (go Peppy), and waits patiently for an answer. When Peppy replies that he cannot help her, the Charizard doesn't set the farmlands on fire, nor does she gobble up the unsuspecting father. Instead she nods her head slowly, a look of superiority climbing onto her dragonesque face. Of course he doesn't know where Pidgey nests are! Why would he? She is the superior hunter after all! <Hmm,> she mumbles, a broad grin tugging at the corners of her scaly lips, <I suppose /you/ wouldn't know. Growlithe don't make good hunters now do they?> she asks in a condescending manner, flapping her wings once to prevent them from getting too stiff folded up against her back. <I'm sorry for having troubled you with such a difficult question. I'll remember to direct inquires such as those elsewhere.> she finishes, giving the Growlithe one curt nod. <So,> she hesitates, leaning over to pluck another flower from the ground, <What are you doing out here?>

Peppy should settle for being inferior in Dakshi's mind if that's the way to avoid getting eaten. Upon her words about his species, Peppy glares up at her, and stares for a moment. It's not a particularly harsh or insulted stare, but it's not the blank and frightened peer he would have given her when he first saw her. After a moment, Peppy grits his teeth together, and replies, through ever-so-very-slightly-hurt growls, <Not when it comes to hunting Pidgeys, at least.> The 'difficult question' hardly causes a quirked eyebrow or a flickered ear; apparently, Dakshi can insult him all she wants, but she can't insult his species! Go, Peppy! <When it comes to hunting Rattata, now,> he informs her with a head held high. <As I'm doing right now, we're very good hunters.>

Listening to Peppy defend his species, Dakshi nods her head slowly up and down. This time it would seem that most of her attention is focused on the Growlithe while he speaks. <Well,> she begins, shutting her eyes a moment while she thinks, <I suppose that every pokemon is talented in some way or another.> she surmises, trails of smoke swirling out from her flared nostrils. <I once knew a Magmar that could cook a Pidgey faster than a Charmeleon! Boy,> she stops here, smiling fondly at the memory, <Was that something to watch.> For a moment she looks pleasant enough, standing there with an impressed grin on her face, and the glint of nostalgia in her reptilian eyes. <Very good you say?> she asks, returning back to the current argument at hand. <Oh, well, if you don't mind me saying so,> she starts with a chuckle, <If you're such a good hunter, where's your catch?>

Bright colors, sweetness, and light! Candylion-springtimes! (We're saved!)

Fair weather clouds sail across the blue sky, propelled by light breezes from the west. It's warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and the air is clear and dry.

Peppy doesn't even realize that he's pretty much standing up to (or, at least, not backing down from) the Charizard until the words have gushed out of his mouth. Still, even upon realization of this fact, he doesn't cower or cringe away from her. Maybe he really is taking it personally. He doesn't know what a Magmar is exactly, and he furrows his fuzzy eyebrows in reply when she mentions it with a bit of humor. Is she insulting him somehow? Without him realizing it? Upon her next question, the curves of Peppy's mouth plummet into a deep frown, and the weight of Peppy's body shifts onto his back paws. <I just started,> he informs her, turning his head to the side with rigid, anxious movements. <And really, Aurora and the puppies are probably getting hungry without it, so hey, maybe I'd better, uh, continuing hunting, yeah?> He won't budge an inch if Dakshi doesn't give him permission, but maybe he can get away from the Charizard this way!

Hmm. Decisions, decisions! <Sounds reasonable enough.> the Charizard replies, as if she has every right in the world to interrogate the Growlithe as long as she'd like, about any subject that strikes her fancy. Suddenly, Dakshi remembers a specific memory from her past. A fellow pokemon had assisted her when she was in need. Shouldn't she do the same? <So, you're hunting Rattata eh?> she asks, this time without the condescension in her voice. <I really haven't had much experience hunting those,> she admits, shrugging her shoulders in a show of indifference. <They're a bit small for me anyway.> she concludes, holding her paws about half a foot away from each other, trying to show Peppy how large a Rattata is compared to her. <Don't do much for my appetite. Mankey now, those are interesting things to hunt! Nasty little things though.> she recollects, cringing a bit at one particularly painful memory. <Do you like Pidgey? I've got one you can have.> she offers, stepping aside to let the Growlithe pass if he so desires.

When Dakshi mentions that his request '<sounds reasonable enough>', he almost immediately takes a step to the side, already trying to walk away from the Charizard. He only makes it one step, however, before the Charizard starts speaking. Peppy winces visibly as his chance to escape dissipates into the air. Falling back onto his hind legs, Peppy rests down on his haunches, and (rather disappointedly) listens to everything the Charizard has to say. <They, uh... of course Rattatas aren't big enough for you,> he states with a smile, as if to prove he's really listening to her. Judging by the fact that he keeps glancing to the side every two seconds and shifts his weight back and forth, he's probably not. <Just as... um, a Pidgey really... really isn't enough for all those Growlithes, but, um, thanks for the offer!> Another nervous grin. Peppy's desire to just get away is obvious.

Dakshi peers at the Growlithe, and his body language says it all. It's easy to speak your mind without saying one word. The bulbous pokemon quirks a brow at Peppy, and shrugs her shoulders indifferently. <Suit yourself,> she replies, taking another step to the side, giving Peppy plenty of space to escape. <You can leave if you want. You're not a prisoner, you know.> she informs him, a look of disappointed disgust on her face. Go ahead, turn down a perfectly good offer! Marching away from Peppy, just to emphasize her disinterest with the other fire-type, Dakshi heads over to a tree with a large overhanging branch. Removing the rope from her satchel, she begins fastening it to the end of the branch, making doubly sure the knot that she's tying won't come undone. When she's finished tying the rope in place, the Charizard then fastens the other end of the rope into a loop, and makes it so she can adjust its size by pulling on a loose strand.

Peppy is up the moment Dakshi steps aside, and with a gracious nod, he starts marching forward, his pace hurried and only a step below sprinting. He's home free! Nothing can stop him now! Nothing... except himself. He slows to a stop after he passes Dakshi, no longer facing forward... but, rather, at her. He looks down the path. Glances back at her. Stares down the path. Peers back at her. Curiosity gets the best of him, and, against any remote bit of intelligence that lingers in his mind, Peppy turns around to face Dakshi. <Um,> he woofs softly, as though announcing his presense. No, he's not gone yet. <... What are you doing?>

Dakshi focuses intently on her task, and doesn't pay any attention to Peppy until she's through with what she's doing. When she's finished with tying the rope in place, she makes a few minor adjustments, before finally turning around and acknowledging the Growlithe's presence. <I thought you wanted to leave,> she notes, her tone of voice accusing as she stares at the fluffy pokemon. Opening her satchel a second time, she removes a piece of fruit. <What am I doing?> she asks, repeating the Growlithe's question, thinking it over a few moments before going about answering it. <I'm setting a trap,> she informs him, grinning proudly at her little invention. <I'm too big to go chasing after most prey,> she pauses here, and places the piece of fruit on the ground, inside of the loop of rope. <So, I catch them other ways.> she points to the loop and the piece of fruit. <If something steps in here to eat this, I pull on this,> she tells Peppy, clutching the end of the rope in her paw. <And, the rope snags it.> She pauses here for effect. <What do you think?>

Hey, fruit! Peppy is momentarily distracted when Dakshi removes the sweet food from her satchel, and he peers at it longingly the whole while as she places it inside the rope. He blinks. Why didn't she eat the fruit? Wh... it's only now that the entire process comes clear. If a pokemon wants the fruit, it goes in and... <Wow!> Peppy woofs excitedly, wagging his tail furiously. Why didn't he think of that? (Because he has four legs? Because he can't throw a rope over a tree? Because he has no rope in the first place? Because he has no opposable fingers?) <That sounds like something Aurora would think of,> he comments to her, giving her a nod of satisfaction. <Really, really smart.> Once again he asks himself why he never thought of such a great idea, grinning all the while.

The sun shines overhead, bracketed by puffy fair weather clouds.

Praise! This is something Dakshi likes to hear, even if it's coming from the mouth of a Growlithe, a creature she's normally not particularly fond of. The Dakshi nods her head in response to Peppy's compliments, giving the Growlithe a knowing grin. Of course it's smart! It's her idea! She's a mastermind, a genius of the hunting world! It's about time somebody recognizes her for the many qualities she possesses! <Thank you,> she replies, bowing as gracefully as she can, which isn't too graceful, considering her size and build. <Aurora?> she asks, wrinkling her nose and arching her brows curiously. <Who is that?> Before Peppy has a chance to reply to her first question, Dakshi goes about introducing herself. <By the way, I'm Dakshi. What's your name?> she asks him, for once showing genuine interest in the Growlithe. If he's going to compliment her, he's worth having around!

Does one give his name to the same pokemon who has been threatening (kind of, in Peppy's mind) him for some time? Apparently, yes. <Peppy,> he announces with an air of cheer. <And Aurora?> His voice is slowly getting more excited, as though building up to something very special. And, to Peppy, it is. <She's my mate!> A wide, proud grin grows onto his face, and his chest puffs out as it always does. Even after all these months, he's still so happy over her! <And I... I...> Gradually, that ecstatic look on his face falls flat to one of near worry. <And I... I'd, uh, better get going. She and the pups might be getting angry.> One eyebrow quirks up, then the other. <... Flame might... tell... if... ack!> Looking very panicked, Peppy whirls around, takes a step, pauses, whirls around, and nods to Dakshi. <I really gotta go now thanks for not killing me good luck with the trap bye!> And with that, he spins around once again, and scampers off, head now low to the ground, desperately searching for any trace of a Rattata.

Bright colors, sweetness, and light! Candylion-springtimes! (We're saved!)

<Mate?> Before Dakshi is given a chance to process this new information, Peppy suddenly scurries off, leaving the Charizard at a loss for words. <Weird,> she mutters, turning back to her trap and making sure everything is in proper working order. If she's lucky she'll catch one of those feather crested birds before the day is out! Is she hunting for a mate of her own? Perhaps Dakshi is hunting to feed five hungry children? Wrong! Wrong! She's hinting merely to feed her own fat belly. Of course, if she runs into the Growlithe again, she'd gladly offer some of her catch to the firedog. After all, fellow hunters have to look after one another. Perhaps, Dakshi has kindled some new respect for Growlithe, or at least for one Growlithe in particular. It looks as if Peppy has succeeded in defending his species after all. Go Peppy!