Contents:
Briska
Aurora
Obvious exits:
South <S> leads to Pokemon Haven: Assisi Farm.
North <N> leads to Field and Streams - Route 11: Farmlands.

Everything is pale grey, veiled by mist. It's warm, humid, and still. In the forest, only the nearest tree branches show their full color; more distant trees and branches are colorless and indistinct in the pallid grey fog, looking ghostly and not quite real. While at the coast, the sea is sluggish and grey as fog lays on its surface like a thick wet blanket.

Fog is a dreadful thing. It stifles all of the senses, making it difficult to see far, hear much, or smell almost anything. The sticky, inescapable water clings to hair, fur, and skin, making it uncomfortable, itchy, and above all, hot. It's among the hottest days of the year, and just being outside forces pokemon to pant for breath to get more cool - which doesn't help much, as there's less oxygen and more water in the air to inhale in the first place. Weather, no matter how poor, however, is never an impediment to those who would do anything to get out of the house for a few hours, and the two parents from the Growlithe family at the Assisi Barn have ventured out into the mist this afternoon. They're not as alone as they usually are, however; Briska trails behind, leads the pack, or sticks himself right between mom and dad, depending on what bush or flower catches his attention or what not. Despite the yucky atmosphere, Peppy seems to be pretty cheerful today, though he's really not speaking much. Too busy panting for breath, I suppose.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

Everything is pale grey, veiled by mist. It's warm, humid, and still.

What with all the fun of fog, and hot weather, and not being able to breathe without inhaling air that's almost like soup, it's no wonder that Aurora's paying less attention to Briska and Peppy than she probably ought. She does glance at Briska from time to time to check where he is, and less frequently at Peppy, but a fair amount of her time is spent staring at the ground just beyond her feet, shaking water out of her fur, and twitching her ears unhappily as water settles on them. And, of course, panting for what air can be had through the thick fog.

Briska is happy. 'Cuz he's outside. With Mom. And Poppa. Any of those things would make him very happy, and since all three of them are mixed together the pup is over the moon. Let too much water in the air and a thick fur coat get lesser Growlithe down; it doesn't bother Briska! The large pup - who by now is a bit taller than his father, though not quite as heavy as a full grown Growlithe - will rush ahead from his mother and father in great bursts of energy, only to rush back towards them, always stopping a foot or two before actually hitting them. He just can't seem to keep a steady pace, though he doesn't actually go off and investigate anything - or at least nothing has caught his eye or nose yet. "Rooow! Rowli! Grow thhhh!" he barks, his voice rich, deep and, like his wagging tail and dangling tongue and giant grin, clearly saying how much he loves this day and the company he's keeping.

Briska doesn't exactly share the anxiety both of his parents probably retain. He doesn't have a phobia of water, nor does is he positive that there's a Katerwaul waiting just a few feet away for any one of the three Growlithes to drop their guard. Needless to say, Peppy perks up when Briska starts barking, and his head jerks from side to side to see if the Katerwaul lurking in the fog is going to use this moment to strike. <Um, Briska!> Peppy woofs, his voice hushed, trotting a few paces forward, adopting a spot right next to his taller son. He takes a quick glance back at his mate to make sure she doesn't linger behind (in which case that blasted ghost could attack her and Peppy wouldn't even know it!), before grinning uneasily at Briska. <Do you know what this is called?> he asks, still keeping his voice soft and quiet. <It's fog. It's hard to see, isn't it?> Though he's partially trying to inform Briska about new, exciting words to get him to speak more, Peppy's main intention is to just get the hapless pup to quiet down a bit. A little paranoid, aren't we, Pepster?

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

Unlike Peppy, Aurora's not so worried about Katerwauls attacking them - she's never been accosted and mauled by them herself, and she's also been rather reassured by Peppy's efforts at trying to scare them off the last time they were outside. Still, the possibility of Briska running off in the fog and never being seen again is one that looms large in her mind, and when Peppy starts talking to Briska about the fog, she nods, and adds after her mate, <It makes other things hard to see, too. So if we stick together, we'll be able to see each other better.>

Briska woofs a few more times at the simple joy of being out here. The pup is fearless...but he is loyal to his parents. Thus, when Peppy calls his name, Briska perks his ears and moves towards his father in an easy trot. <Yeah?> he barks loudly, in direct contrast to Peppy's timidity. When the patriarch of the family introduces a new world, Briska plops onto his rump, tilting his head and <Hmmm>ing a few times. <Fawwwwg? Is this fog? All...faaaaawg?> he repeats, and then he chuckles loudly. He sounds like he's making a joke - like he finds something very funny. At mother's words, Briska nods, moving up beside her. He sniffs around, and tilts his head. He gives a light snicker. <Hmm, hmm!> he says loudly to his mother, tilting his head in an almost exaggerated fashion. He still has a tone like he's telling the most marvelous joke. <Briska gotta think long about..hmmm, what this?> He gestures around him - presumably to the fog that covers the land. <What this? Is..is...raaaaaiiin? No, no!> A chortle. <Is...hmmm? Suuuun?> The pup can't restrain his chuckle. He's sure having fun.

Peppy nods enthusiastically in reply to Aurora's words, coming to a stop himself when Briska plops down on his rear, making noises to himself and to his parents. Peppy smiles uneasily when his son says... something about the rain, or the sun, and it takes dad a moment or two to figure out where Briska is drawing this relationship from. A moment or two later, he gasps slightly, lifting his head up, a lightbulb blinking over his head. <Oh!> he woofs, before turning back down to Briska, nodding slightly. <It's not rain, but it kind of feels like rain, because it's wet, right?> Whoo! Peppy figured it out! As far as Peppy is concerned, that's quite an achievement. <But it's not rain, before rain is usually really cold and makes you really, really wet, while fog only makes you a little bit wet and it's hot.> Poor Peppy, in all his wild, generalized inaccuracies, looks so happy with this bit of information he's enlightening his son with. Peppy looks as far down the path ahead of his as he can, back at Briska, up to Aurora, then back down the path. He seems hesitant about having to stop in the middle of this place, and he doesn't rest on his haunches. Not yet, at least.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

Now that both Briska and Peppy have stopped, Aurora takes only a step or two more before she also stops. She nods as Briska speaks, and again as Peppy replies, though she frowns a little as Briska's words prove rather hard to decipher. Peppy's not-entirely-accurate explanation of the weather also gets another frown, but it clears as he finishes speaking, and Aurora adds hastily, <Anyway, when you're not in the barn you can sometimes have water in the sky, or heat. It's important that you know what it's like outside, so that when you learn to hunt, you're used to being hot or wet and it doesn't stop you from trying to hunt.> After that longer-than-usual speech, Aurora pants a little, tongue lolling out as she tries to get some more oxygen from the damp air.

Actually, Briska wasn't expecting to get another lesson so soon, so when his father speaks the pup blinks and stops talking, looking rather surprised. His brow furrows as now he tries to understand Peppy, rather than the other way around. He tilts his head. So, er, fog is like rain? And here he thought he was just naming two completely unrelated things for comedic effect. Then Mom speaks about...er, something about the outside and that hunting thing all the other pups go on and on about. <Uh huh,> Briska says, nodding once. He laps at his off-white muzzle once or twice. Suddenly, a bright light kindles in his eyes and he glances between the two of them slyly, his tail wagging quickly. <Ohhhhh...!> he says, nodding a lot, as if he finally understood something important. <Ohhhhh!> Then he looks like he's trying to think /extra/ hard..although this effect is ruined a bit by a few snickers. <So, Poppa *hee!* say that fog is like..err...star? Or...*snicker!* hmmm..barn?> He says this all in an extra dumb voice - which isn't particularly hard for Briska, all things considered. Briska barely stifles another snicker. He doesn't seem to understand that his parents haven't yet figured out that he's teasing them, that this is all a jolly old joke; maybe he figures if he does this often enough, they'll pick up on it.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

The most unfortunate part of this conversation is the fact that it's very easy to see which side of the family Briska draws himself from. Peppy, as if giving up, plops down on his haunches with a sigh, looking down at the ground in a rather depressed manner. His mind tries to sort together Briska's speech. Peppy knows deep in his heart that Briska is really onto something, that Briska is really saying something intelligent, is really discovering a very smart, very interesting connection... and his father simply can't figure it out. With another sigh, Peppy finds himself shaking his head slowly, so slow that the water collecting on his furry face stays attached. <... No... fog is not like a star, or like... the... I got it!> His voice triples in size, and his excitement level rises to the very top. Peppy leaps to all fours, looking at Aurora like the proudest guy in the world. <Fog is like a barn! When you're inside the barn, you can't see very far, just like in the fog! And you can't smell the outside much while you're in the barn!> And Peppy, settling himself back down, looks like the happiest guy in the world. Let's see if this bubble bursts and drops him. It's a long way down from Cloud Nine.

Like her mate, Aurora hasn't yet figured out that Briska is making fun of them, albeit gently. Unlike her mate, though, Aurora doesn't attempt to figure out what Briska means or what he might be trying to say. Instead, she looks up, staring at and through the fog ahead, and then says, <Anyway, we're going to hunt today, and we'll show you how we hunt and what you have to do.> She grins cheerfully at Briska - as cheerfully as she can, considering the hideous weather and her own paranoia about water - and then woofs to her mate, <Where should we look for prey, Peppy?>

The fog is grey-white in the light of mid-day.

Briska's chuckles and snickers die down when nobody clues into the joke, a particularly loud chuckle trailing off into a surprised silence as he sees his father looking so cluelessly at him. Poppa shouldn't not understand something! ..Was Briska not funny enough? But when Peppy finally 'understands'...Briska just blinks and tilts his head, looking quite surprised. So barn and fog are the same now? Huh? But barn and fog are so different! The pup's jaw drops before he shuts it with a nervous click. He peers at Poppa for a few seconds in consternation before he replies with a slow, <Yee...ahh?> and a few uncertain head-bobs. Briska is spared any more confusion or hurt feelings when Mom talks to him. At this he gets to his paws, his tail wagging softly. <Ohhh-kay!> he says, gaining some of the cheerfulness he lost. <Hunt is...yeah, is good, hmm?> he asks of his parents, now genuinely needing some answers. <And..uh, all family hunt? Dusk hunt, and Karen and Flame and Dakota and Briska and Mom? No..t, not Poppa hunt?> At least he understands that Peppy and Aurora are trying to teach the whole family to hunt - how long do you think it took for him to figure that out?

Oh yeah! He understands! He understands! He is *so* smart! He figured Briska out! Nobody is smarter than him! ... Well, except for Briska, who is the one making the connection between 'barn' and 'fog' in the first place. Peppy doesn't even immediately catch it when Aurora changes the subject, and he only hops in halfway, right as she asks him where to find prey. Peppy pauses for a second, his erect ears falling flat, pulling himself back into reality. <Prey?> he repeats, as though he didn't hear his mate. <Oh, um, right. Well...> Getting up to all fours, he lowers his nose low to the ground, sniff-sniff-sniffing for any trace of a scent. He leaves Aurora to deal with Briska's question - he's far too busy! <Y'see,> he mumbles. He's focusing more of his concentration on catching a scent than he is on talking, so Briska may have to strain or get closer to his dad to hear. <When it's foggy, it's really...> Biiiig sniff here. <... Hard to smell. Somewhere...>

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

And when Peppy's done giving Briska advice on hunting and smelling, Aurora answers the pup's question about hunting. <Not all the family hunt now. There are lots of us, and if everyone in the family went out, some of us might not see where the others were, and then we'd get lost in the fog. Today it's just you, me and your dad.> As for Briska's dad, his advice about smelling gets a nod of agreement from Aurora, who gives the air a big sniff as well, and promptly sneezes. <Too... much water...> she splutters, before sneezing once more, rather loudly.

Everything is pale grey, veiled by mist. It's warm, humid, and still.

Briska listens to Peppy, taking a step or two toward his father and tilting his ears to better hear him. Fog makes it hard to smell? Why Briska could've told them that if he had the words! It's one of the first things he noticed - usually when he goes outside the world bursts with tree-smells and footprint-smells, but not today. ...Okay, maybe he didn't quite pinpoint fog as the reason for the lack of smells, but he probably would have given some time. Still, Briska nods and says a little, <Oh.> He then turns to his mother and listens dutifully to her. His forehead wrinkles as he listens. He seems to absorb one fact, and that is, <Mom, Poppa and Briska outside!> which he crows happily, because all those things make a good day! At his mother's sneeze, Briska looks at her worriedly, some of his fur jolting upright at her loud second sneeze. <Mom...> he murmurs, before stepping towards her and attempting to give her a big, sloppy lick on her cheek to comfort her.

Peppy may not be concentrating on giving advice while he hunts, but Aurora's sneeze snaps him right out of his focus. "Li?" he woofs, turning to Aurora, who gasps about the water before sneezing once more. Ding! There goes the lightbulb again! Peppy senses the perfect opportunity to give another lesson. <Are you all right, Aurora?> he asks. If she replies affirmatively, he'll nod, and if she replies negatively, he'll either frown or chuckle slightly, depending on the tone of voice Aurora adopts. No matter what the case, he'll continue to speak to his son after making sure his mate isn't going to suffocate right there in front of him. He also makes sure to wait until Briska's finished giving his mom a little lick on the cheek. It's only polite. <Almost always when you're hunting, you want to keep your nose low to the ground, but especially when it's foggy. It's not just because you have a higher chance of finding scent... but also because there's less water near the ground.> He speaks loud enough for Aurora to hear, not because he's mocking her for making the mistake, but because he wants her to be impressed by him. What a cheeseball.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

Aurora sniffs a little, then nods to Peppy. <I'm okay, thanks,> she woofs in reply to her mate's enquiry, and then grins as Briska licks her on the cheek. <Thanks, Briska,> she says quietly, and then adds, <Now, listen to Peppy. He knows how to hunt, and he'll tell you how.> She does indeed overhear Peppy's advice to Briska on how to catch scent, and smiles appreciatively as her mate shares his wisdom with their pup.

Briska's tail whap-whaps his sides as his mother thanks him. He did something good, yes he did! It almost doesn't look like he's going to listen to his father as he just stands there, grinning at Aurora for a good few seconds after she just ordered him to not pay attention to her. But, soon enough, Briska tunes into Poppa; first his ears swivel towards his dad, then he turns his head, and finally he turns the whole front part of his fuzzy body around to listen. His looks isn't quite as full of concentration as it usually is when Briska is trying to understand a difficult concept. Either this is easy for him to comprehend...or the words are going in one ear and out the other. <Uh-huh,> he says eventually, giving a little nod of his head. Briska has been one of the pups least interested in hunting, so maybe he didn't absorb as much as, say, Dusk or Flame might.

Peppy turns away from Briska and Aurora, lowering his head to the ground to resume sniffing. In secret, the real reason he looked away is because he's got this huge blush and giant beaming grin on his face. She's proud of him! And now Briska's going to be proud of him! This is turning out to be quite a good day. Of course, it'd be better if Peppy would stop concentrating on pumping his ego and focused on finding a Rattata for dinner, but that's Peppy for ya. When the Growlithe is confident that his voice won't sound giddy and high, he takes a step forward, muzzle still almost touching the ground. He's stepped off the path by now, and most of his paws are submerged in the mud. His tail, thankfully, stays above the mud. Good thing, otherwise Briska and Aurora would get a lovely mud shower whenever he wags it. He shakes his head slightly, lifting it up and turning back to his mate and son. <I don't... smell anything,> he admits quietly, making his way back to the trail. <There's nothing around here. Want to keep moving?>

<There's nothing around here?> Aurora repeats, then sniffs at the air a little. This time, she doesn't start sneezing, and replies to Peppy, <Yes, let's go on a bit, and see if there's anything in the bushes...> She turns her head to look at Briska, and woofs, <Dad can't smell any Rattatas, so we're going to walk for a bit to try to find Rattatas. When he smells them, then we can show you how to catch them.> With an enthusiastic smile on her face, Aurora starts moving again, tail wagging eagerly. Even if she has been outside several times lately, it's been some time since the last time she went hunting - and even though her last effort at hunting left her rather cut and bruised, the looking-for-prey part was rather fun.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

Briska is very good at mimicking others. He tilts his head and takes a few steps closer to his father in order to see just what he's doing. He bends his neck down and sticks his muzzle towards the grass once or twice and sniffs, but for the most part his green eyes stay on his father. Who knows, if Briska remembers all of this well enough, maybe he could teach this to Dusk, or Flame, or one of the puppies who really want to hunt! When both parents suggest moving on, Briska agrees with a quick nod. But one thing lurks at the back of his mind, and he looks to his mother in a bit of confusion as they walk. <Rahh..tah..tahhhs? They, urmmm..> And Briska concentrates for at least half a minute before responding. <They, umm, Rattata is...?> he trails off questioningly. And then he goes into this odd routine. He hunkers down to make himself look smaller, and his ears tilt every which way. He lifts his upper lip to show off his front teeth, and he looks around nervously and sniffs the air quite a bit. He even gives a few "Grow! Li!"s that sound like little Rattata squeaks. This goes on for a good twenty seconds before Briska straightens up and turns back into himself. <Is Ratatatata?> he questions, looking to his mother.

Peppy lets Briska get out all of his little broken questions and Rattata squeaks, including allowing Aurora to reply to his final inquisition. After she's finished, supposing she gives one, Peppy takes a step towards his mate and child, lowering his voice down to a near whisper. <Now, Briska,> he tells him softly, hunching towards him a bit like it's a special secret, shh, don't tell anyone! <Another thing about hunting is that you have to be very, very quiet. Otherwise, the Rattatas will hear you and run away, and then you won't be able to catch them!> Peppy tries to say this as gently and cheerfully as possible, so Briska won't take offense to the fact that his dad is telling him to hush up. Turning back to the path, Peppy mumbles a little to himself, starting a slow, cautious walk down the path, making sure his sniffing posture is perfect for his son to see. Phew. Being an example is harder than it looks.

At first, Aurora's a little confused that Briska doesn't know what a Rattata is - after all, Peppy brings them back for dinner almost every day - but her confusion turns into smiles when Briska does an imitation of a Rattata, and she nods eagerly. <That's right, Briska. That's right. Well done!> she says quietly, but sounding rather proud of her son. And, supposing that Briska doesn't move out of the way, she'll lean down to give him a short, affectionate nuzzle on the cheek. That finished, she moves back to allow Peppy to impart more words of wisdom to Briska.

Maybe Briska just hasn't heard the word "Rattata" said often enough. He does stay still for his mother to nuzzle him - his face lights up like a Christmas tree, a broad grin pulling at his face. <Mom..> he murmurs kindly, his tail wagging gently. His attention is soon to his father, and Briska cranes his neck towards Peppy. His grin disappears, replaced with a look of concentration. Okay. Quiet. He knows that. So, he nods a few times and gives his pop a reassuring little grin. He refrains from asking all the questions he wants to ask, like "Hear? Catch? Why catch Rattata?" and so on, but he's confident that they'll all be explained. Briska looks to his father expectantly, wondering what will happen next.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

Peppy is turned away by the time Aurora and Briska have nuzzled one another, so when he begins speaking, he doesn't know he's starting right in the middle of their cheek rubbing. <Sometimes you find a Rattata right away,> he tells his son, who he -assumes- is listening intently, <And sometimes you need to sniff and listen and look around for a while to find one. Different Rattatas, like all pokemon, have different scents, but you should be ab... ... hm.> Sniff. Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff sniff. Peppy comes to a stop, his paws gripping the mud as best as they can, his stance tense and aware. He doesn't say anything right away; instead, he just continues sniffing, taking a step in one direction or another here and there.

As Peppy stops and sniffs the air, Aurora also sniffs, and frowns. Looks like she's scented whatever it was that Peppy's found... However, her hunting experiences haven't been as extensive as her mate's, so while she moves her head around, sniffing in one direction and another, she stays standing in one position, leaving the finding and catching of whatever-it-is to her mate. Hopefully Briska will get the hint, too, and try to find the Rattata's scent.

Briska looks at Peppy as he talks, looking attentive - a little empty-headed - but attentive nonetheless. And when Poppa breaks off in the middle of his speech, Briska tilts his head, beginning to voice a '<Huh?>' but stopping himself just as the 'H' sound leaves his mouth. After a bit of a delay for the greatly furred pup's brain to process just what he's seeing, the pup bends his head and takes a few tentative steps towards his father, gingerly sniffing all the while. He's more relying on Poppa and Mom to do...whatever it is they're supposed to be doing, and he looks to the two of them quite frequently, ready to hear (and try desperately to understand) what they come up with.

If Peppy wasn't busy focusing on whatever scent he's smelling, the Growlithe would ask Briska if he can smell the Rattata (or so Peppy thinks - it's definitely something small and edible, though Peppy can't be one hundred percent positive it's a delicious purple rat) lingering around. Unfortunately, Peppy never was very good at multitasking, and he continues to follow his nose, further and further along the path, eyes darting from side to side quickly and almost randomly. At some points he'll stop, raise his head slightly, scan the area, drop his head, and sniff around a little, pursuing a new direction. He's moving rather quickly - not so fast Aurora and Briska couldn't keep up, but a good walking speed.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

As Peppy starts to move off, Aurora stays standing where she is for a few seconds, then suddenly blinks as if she's only just realised the dangers of getting lost in the fog. She looks at Briska, whispers, <Follow me,> to him as quietly as she can while still being heard, and once she can tell that Briska's following her she'll start trotting in the direction Peppy's gone in, staying far enough behind him to not get in his way, but close enough that he's still visible. After all, the purpose of this trip is to show Briska how to hunt, and that can't really happen if he can't see the person doing the hunting...

Briska looks at Aurora as she speaks to him, and gives her a curt nod. <Okay, Mom,> he whispers to her, before trotting along a bit behind her. He watches what he can see of his father intently, though his eyes do turn to the landscape at times as he tries to memorize every detail of what is going on - because it seems so important to everybody involved except him. He's never had a clear idea of what hunting was, so the idea that this is somehow related to hunting hasn't quite pierced his brain yet. A few looks are sent his mother's way, but as she seems to be following Peppy and nothing bad is happening to her, he decides that sticking with her is the best for the time being, and keeps careful pace beside her.

Pad pad pad pad pad, stop, raise, lower, sniff, sniff, pad pad pad pad STOP. Peppy comes to a sudden halt, completely frozen in his form. His tail pricks up and freezes, his head remains slightly tilted, his front right paw remains suspended in the air. The moment he hears Aurora or Briska make noise behind him - even if it's something as small as their paws splashing up mud and making noise - he'll spin right away, and whisper out a forced <Quiet!> After he's sure they are making absolutely no noise, he'll gesture with his head in the direction the scent seems most powerful, what little smell there is. It's still too foggy to see anything more than a slightly darker colored shade, and even then, it could simply be a bush or a tree or anything. He's gesturing for Briska to (silently) keep inching closer until that form finally becomes something more than grey cloud.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

Everything is pale grey, veiled by mist. It's warm, humid, and still.

Aurora stops a second or two after Peppy does, standing almost as still as him apart from her tail, which waves slowly from side to side as she waits. From where she's standing, the thing that Peppy's managed to find is an indistinct blurry blob surrounded by slightly larger indistinct blurry blobs. If Briska's stopped behind her, she'll turn as quietly as possible, and motion with her paw for him to move towards his father - once he passes her, she'll walk as quietly as possible, trying to stay a short distance behind him.

As does Peppy, so does Briska. He doesn't see that his father has one paw lifted, nor does he tilt his head, but generally, he mimics his father in his frozen posture. Not even his eyes move. And then Briska is called to the hunt by something as small as a motion of his father's head. The pup gulps, looking to his mother and then his father. The fuzzy one then takes a step back and looks to his mother. She's Mom. She should do this, right? Because Mom is much more important than him...

Peppy turns back to the direction of the Rattata, giving that slightly shaded bump in the mist a little sneer. The adult male is so certain that the little purple pokemon is about to be the first victim of Briska the Great, greatest Growlithe hunter on the island, matched only by his brothers and sisters! Oh, yes, Briska is goin... g... where is he? His ears fall to his side, and he rotates his neck slightly, then more, then all the way back at Briska. <Briska?> the Growlithe woofs, before slamming his jaws shut and quickly snapping back to the Rattata. He takes a slight step forward, crouching low, and watches for a few moments. Content that the purple one hasn't fled, Peppy nods slightly, turning back to Briska. He gives his son another gesture, a little more rough this time.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)

Aurora watches Briska proudly as he stops, looking the very picture of an alert hunter. Her pride changes to doubt, then confusion, as he looks back at her, and she shakes her head. <Not me!> she almost hisses, in her effort to be heard by Briska but not the prospective prey. <Go to your dad! Go hunt the Rattata!> Her tail wags a little more urgently than before, and she glances over at the Rattata-shaped blur with a worried look on her face, then sighs with relief as it still appears to be there.

Poppa says his name. Mom says what he has to do. Get the Rattata. They're counting on Briska. The pup's heart swells even as his eyes narrow in determination. His family and his pack need him. His tail jerks upwards, swinging over his back, and he thrusts his chest outwards, looking every inch the strong, proud hunter. Without saying a word, he strides forward. ..He, er, strides forward not very stealthily. He passes both his of his parents, until the bright redness of his coat is as dull as the dark grey blotch that is their maybe-supper. As his tail disappears into the mist, it begins to wag.

A Katerwaul slinks closer, bright eyes all ablaze, so whisper a prayer and start that save! (Saving!)