Obvious exits:
Northeast <NE> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Trader Way.
Southwest <SW> leads to Celadon City: Eastern Entrance.

Aurora has connected.

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.

(look Aurora)
An agile and playful Growlithe with a fuzzy but unkempt off-white mane, tail and chest, and with the black stripes on her back and legs blending into her mussed red fur seamlessly - with the addition of a few burrs (it seems that she's been rolling in long grass). Bright eyes and ears ever-alert for danger, a nose that could detect a Water Pokemon very well (though probably only at close range), and strong jaws ready to bite if a threat is sensed, although they've recently been more accustomed to eating plants. Her legs are short yet wirey, and seem to have been built for running. At two-and-a-half feet tall, this Growlithe may not seem imposing, but she's ready to hold her own in a battle.

The afternoon sun shines down on the busy road between Celadon and Saffron, glinting off the trucks and cars on the road. There's some activity off the road, as well - several metres off the path, mostly obscured by thick bushes, the fluffy crest of a Growlithe is just visible above the ground, and occasional sprays of soil being flung up from the pokemon's digging.

It's a fairly lovely evening - light breezes, warm weather, and the promise of a beautiful sunset in only a few hours. Cars and trucks do drive back and forth, but unlike most wild pokemon in the area, Peppy doesn't duck and hide when they drive by - he simply continues marching, clay figure dangling out of the side of his mouth, his nose rather close to the ground. He's sniffing every couple steps, apparently looking for... someone? Something? Who knows? Whatever the case, his sniffing gets just a hint quicker and more intense as he gets closer and closer to the Growlithe digging the den.

One if by land, two if by sea, behind me I seem to be able to see! (Saving)

Still spraying soil onto the ground above, Aurora continues with her excavation for a short while longer, then pauses for a while to catch her breath. Tongue lolling, she climbs up the shallow slope that's been dug, and walks slowly over to where the grass starts, then lies down abruptly. "Grrrrow..." <Tired...> she growls softly, and settles herself on the ground for a rest, eyes still open, but not looking as if she's likely to move for some time.

Sniff! Step. Sniff sniff sniff! Step. Sniff. A little scoop of dirt whizzes right by Peppy's face, causing the dog to stop abruptly and quickly turn his head to see the soil smash into the ground. The puppy blinks. Turning his head in the direction of where the clump came from, the dog spies Aurora, which only reaffirms what his sense of smell tells him. Peppy spits out the little figure in his mouth, letting it fall to the ground with a soft plop. Tail showing a quick wag left, wag right, the Growlithe begins to approach Aurora, greeting her with a moderately cheerful <Hello!>, a sharp contrast to the other puppy's tired condition which Peppy seems ignorant too. <How's the, um, the digging thing coming along?> The word 'den' must be simply too difficult for Peppy's mind to handle.

<It's quite big now,> Aurora replies after a pause, inclining her head slightly to look up at the other Growlithe, her own tail wagging slowly in response. <Big enough to sleep in, but not for much else.> She glances back at the hole - which is now large enough to merit being called a den - then drops her head back down to rest on her paws. <I want to make it bigger, but I've been digging since sunrise, and I'm tired now, so I'm having a rest.>

With a curious little glance at the den, Peppy doesn't reply to Aurora right off; instead, he begins to walk slowly to the little hole in the ground, taking a moment or two to glance at it. After the hesitation, the puppy woofs, <I think it looks very nice.> Light pause. Guilty look. <I'm sorry I couldn't... er, help much,> Peppy woofs to the female Growlithe, sheepishly hiding his left paw (which has been making a recovery, as the loss of a limp suggests) behind his right as if that will actually make Aurora forget about it. The reminder of his left paw reminds him of the scar on his right cheek, and with a nervous glance, Peppy turns his head to the side so that he's hiding his right profile from Aurora... and, in the process, no longer glances at the den. <But you,> he continues on what he was saying before, <...Did a really good job.> This is coming from a Growlithe who has seen giant houses stretching down as far as the eye can see - but it's also coming from a Growlithe who hasn't had decent shelter in almost five months.

Aurora looks over at Peppy, then over at the den, then back at Peppy. <Um... would you like to try it out?> she asks, sounding hesitant. <I tried my best with the floor, and it should be nice to sleep on with some leaves underneath...> She looks down at Peppy's paw, and then back up at the puppy. <You helped with it, so you should try it out...>

With the lightest of blushes behind his fur, Peppy's reply comes in the form of a nervous little headshake. <No, that's all right,> woofs the dog, his tail giving a couple little wags for comfort. <You... You should be the one to try it out!> the canine suggests, glancing up at Aurora with a little smile out of the corners of his jaw. Despite what he says, however, Peppy can't help but make a couple quick glances at the den. It does look a heck of a lot softer than the ground he's been sleeping on for the past four months - and anything sleep-related is terrific in Peppy's book!

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.

One if by land, two if by sea, behind me I seem to be able to see! (Saving)

With a breath out that's half-sigh, half-yawn, Aurora clambers to her feet and pads over to the den, peering inside it. <There's some bedding in there already, so make yourself comfortable,> she says with a slight grin, then lies down again a foot or so away from the slope down to the den. <I'll keep guard out here.>

Peppy has to eventually give in. Aurora's so persuasive - and the thought of comfy, soft bedding sounds really great, even if it's only for ten or fifteen minutes. With a light nod and a smile, the dog takes one step towards the den... before stopping. With his eyebrows furrowing slightly, he glances back at the mound of clay that he left on the ground. <Wait right here!> Like Aurora's really going to run off. Peppy trots over to his little clay figure, snatches it up in his teeth, makes his way back over to Aurora, and deposits it at her paws. His tail is wagging fiercely now, and in a very cheerful tone, Peppy barks, <It's a Durgonnit!> ... A what? ... The clay figure looks like a Grimer with a jetpack with three lines on its belly that are inscribed crookedly. It has two stubby arms and one long, skinny leg, along with a little mound of clay where the other leg was before it fell off. Judging by the ecstatic look on Peppy's face and his wagging tail, however, he's obviously very proud of his little sculpture. <I made it. You can have it if you want it as thanks.> Sweet. Ugly as heck, but sweet.

Aurora peers at the clay figure, prodding it with the edge of one paw. <It's nice,> she replies, patting it, and adding, <...What did you say it was?> Nevertheless, the Growlithe pats the clay figure again, and says, <Thanks. I'll keep it carefully,> before laying her head down between her paws, and saying drowsily, <Wake me... when it's sunrise...> She doesn't start snoring quite yet, but her breathing slows appreciably - if she's not asleep, she's close to it.

Peppy was expecting something along the lines of '<Oh, wow, it's the greatest thing I've ever seen in my entire life!>', because that's pretty much what he thinks it is. Still, 'it's nice' is better than nothing, and the puppy woofs a soft "Grrowl" and takes it to heart. After a couple of moments of silence, Peppy turns to Aurora, and asks, <Can I g...> And then he merely blinks. Aurora's already fast asleep, or darn near close to it. Half a minute of silence. The tiniest little smile appears on the Growlithe's face as he mumbles a soft, <Good night.> He takes a step towards the den, pauses for a moment, and glances at Aurora one last time. Hope she'll be all right, he thinks to himself, before making his way into the den. He has intentions of just padding around, lying down, and just resting for a couple of minutes to test the den before leaving - but it probably won't be. Left undisturbed, he'll be fast asleep in a minute and a half, and won't wake back up until morning.