Contents:
Sophia
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.

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west, along with the wind. The sunlight on the snow is dazzling, and it gleams on the ice. In the forest, blowing snow drifts against the trunks of the trees. While at the coast, the sea is bright but cruel and cold looking in the sunlight, the waves gentle and the whitecaps small.

There's a tint of Spring lingering in the air this afternoon. The sunlight gleams and shines on the snow, creating a glaring, blinding effect. The sky is a fresh blue, and the white bushes on sticks that pass as trees sway back and forth. It would be a lovely scene to watch if the snow wasn't so bright that it's impossible to watch anything at all. As it stands, Peppy the snow-capped Growlithe has his eyes squeezed shut as he stumbles across the land, occasionally opening his eyes barely above a squint to get an idea of his bearings. If he were to actually look at the snow for a few seconds and adjust his eyes to the light he'd probably be just fine, but apparently he'd rather spend hours in blindness than a moment in pain. Peppy leaves a long row of dots in the snow behind him. If he's looking forward to using them to track his way back, he's got something else coming. The wind is blowing so hard that any pawprints in the snow more than a few minutes old have already been covered.

As long as it isn't snow, sleet or rain, the weather's dandy by Sophia! She's also in a good mood after a successful run in the Safari Zone. Kero trots along, guided by a long red leash. While Sophia normally objects to keeping Growlithe on leashes, she knows better than to let a Growlithe loose in the city. Someone could run over poor Kero. With that thought, she kneels in the snow a moment to unclip Kero's leash from his collar. Oddly enough, the Growlithe even wears Sophia's black vest. That would explain why the nerd doesn't wear it anymore... Thankfully, after having the snot beaten out of her by a Bulbasaur who took advantage of her snow blindness, Sophia has prescription sun glasses! The polarized kind, of course. -This- nerd passed physics. Kero, too, wears a pair of sun glasses, looking comical, but his eyes are shielded. On her shoulder, perches a tiny (8.5 inch) Pikachu, who wears sun glasses to protect her eyes from the glare, though, they're much smaller than either the nerd or Kero's glasses. Sophia's apparently been shopping. Looking up into the wind, Sophia frowns. Is that a Growlithe stumbling around? She cups a hand over her eyes like a visor and blinks. Her gray eyes narrow. Curse her nearsightedness! Sophia calls out to the pup, "Hello there!" After all, Growlithe normally don't range around here, do they? Her face twists into an expression of puzzlement and Kero lifts his head, looking less than pleased about wearing sunglasses (Awkward as it is.) and lets out a light grunt of greeting. Hestia, the Pikachu is a bit slower to catch on and just clings to Sophia's shoulder, blithely unaware of the Growlithe for a moment, though, she does look eager to burrow back into Sophia's jacket.

Peppy pads across the landscape bit by bit, his pace steady, strong... and slow. Peppy may not be as bright as your average teddy bear, but it should occur even to him that it's remarkably more difficult to hunt without sniffing for scent or opening your eyes. Peppy does neither. Perhaps if he was using his acute-if-you-use-it-useless-if-you-don't sense of smell he'd have been able to detect Sophia before she was right there within normal speaking range, but as it turns out, he was pretty much just bumbling blindly along, not seeing or smelling, perhaps just hoping to trip over a Rattata. Peppy, the ever resourceful master of the hunt. As Sophia calls out to him, the wild Growlithe's ears prick up, and he jerks his head in her direction, his eyelids involuntarily blinking open. Immediately, he howls out a somewhat loud "Groooowlithe!", though whether it's from fright or pain from the snow is somewhat uncertain. And so, Peppy stands there, eyes squinted shut, directing his attention from Pikachu to Growlithe to trainer to Pikachu again, doing the best job he can through the narrow crack he can see out of. "Grrrrrrrr..." His stance is tense, but not particularly threatening. More defensive than anything else.

Odd. She normally can understand Growlithe, but this seems more like a primal growl than an actual threat. "Oh, honey, don't mind us. We're just passing through," Sophia coos softly. "You must be hungry though... This isn't weather for fire types at all, I remember that Ninetales we met was hungry and she was out in this cold," She notes. -That- Ninetales also robbed her blind, but who is to judge? Desperation is desperation. Kero's fur rises slightly as Peppy lets out the howl and he tenses a bit. Sophia shushes at him a bit, trying to reassure her protective canine. Hestia just shyly waves a paw. "Pikachu! Chapi?" <Hi other Kero! Or are you a Maxim?> Unfortunately, Hestia is young and hasn't gathered the idea that that's more than -one- Growlithe in the world. Well, she has a pretty good idea, but the Pikachu's got a ways to go... Sophia keeps her eyes under the sun glasses' lenses so she doesn't get blinded, but Peppy tugs at her heart strings. The snow was a harsh mistress on the eyes and today's no exception. Sophia frowns slightly and tilts her head, the long brown hair tied back behind her head flopping like two long ribbons. Sophia is tense, a bit wary herself. She's not too eager to get mauled by a Growlithe today, but she looks friendly enough. The sort who spends their days in books and can tell you what attacks a Butterfree learns, but can't survive out on the street. Oh well, no one's perfect... If anything, Sophia looks goofy. Kero eyes Peppy and mutters in a low tone, "Growli..." A second greeting.

Peppy doesn't really react for a few moments. No, he just keeps up his defensive stance for a while longer, perhaps deciding what to do. Slowly his eyes open, settling their sights upon the one who seems to make the most sense of the three. The girl. <Hungry?> he asks her, cocking his head very slightly. It looks very awkward, giving his slightly crouched position. He takes a second to think, before adding, <Yep, I'm hungry! But that's why I'm out. I'm...> The Growlithe undergoes a change her. Bringing up his back paws, Peppy adopts a sitting stance as he rests on his haunches. His back goes erect, and he puffs his fuzzy white chest out. The corners of his mouth pull back into a proud looking smile. <... Hunting! And-> Now he strips his green eyes off of Sophia and lowers them to Kero. The smile fades slightly, but Peppy keeps a somewhat happy attitude about him. Kero shouldn't interpret what he's doing as an assertion of dominance or any such testosterone-induced battle of wits. <And I don't need any help. ... Unless you've, uh, seen a Rattata? Maybe really recently?> His poofed chest falls slightly. His orange fur blows in the breeze as he shifts his attention to the side, frowning slightly. <... I think they're hiding today.>

Uh oh! The Rockets are scheming! Better save than sorry! (Saving)

Kero doesn't interpret it that way at all, he's just overly protective. As Peppy eases up, so does he. Kero sits then flinches. Snow on the bottom. D'oh! "Hungry huh?" Sophia looks at Peppy with her gray eyes then lets out a soft "Hmmm." Rubbing her chin slightly and setting the leash in the snow, she sets the lavender backpack that hangs on her back down into the snow. Fortunately, it's a sturdy sort. "Well, hunting... You won't hunt well if you can't see..." At the mention of Rattata, Sophia's left eye twitches slightly. Purple. Rodents. Error. For better or worse, Sophia's Rattata-phobic and she shudders. "Ugh, Rattata. No, I haven't seen any... This really isn't good weather to be out and about in, you know?" If Peppy didn't gather by now, Sophia's fluent in Growlithe. Kero just blinks slightly, feeling somewhat maladroit himself as all threats vanish. He means well, but Sophia also means a lot to him. <Have you ever met a pup named Flareheart?> His tone takes on a worried tone, his eyes softening considerably. His chest even pulls in a bit, is he quivering? <Sophia and I-- We're looking for her. A human got her and...> Kero just looks down and Sophia frowns, putting a hand on the pup's back. "Kero..." Hestia furrows her tiny mousey brows. <Kero... Maxim... Kero...> She just can't put her paw on -who- this darn Growlithe is! Though, she's sure he's more of a Kero since Maxim's female. "Well, you can't possibly hunt blind. I think I have a spare pair of sun glasses... Or my scarf. We can work something out with that. Maybe a visor," The resourceful nerd moves the subject off Kero's long lost sister for his sake, though she won't interrupt him and Peppy if they should discuss it.

For as defensive and, you know, intelligently -aware- as he was mere moments ago, Peppy seems very relaxed now, perfectly comfortable. One would think he'd be more interested in talking to a Growlithe with sunglasses on, but, judging by his small frown, his mind's more on a Rattata than on a conversation. <None? None at all?> Kero's first few words go ignored as Peppy's attention shifts onto Sophia, but it doesn't take long for the wild pokemon to take notice of him. <Flareheart?> Almost immediately, Peppy shakes his head, as well as his big, bushy white tail. <Never heard of a Flareheart.> He opens his mouth to continue, but Kero's pitiful look causes him to snap his trap shut. Peppy shifts his weight uncomfortably, sinking down into himself, fighting to find something to say. Sophia, in the end, distracts him from comforting Kero, and he perks back up. Having no idea what sunglasses are, he decides to simply ignore what she's saying about him. <I'm not hunting blind! I'm going to find a Rattata, not just because I'm hungry, but because Aurora's hungry too!> He really, -really- looks like he wants to say more. His mouth is half open, quivering gently, as though he just -really- wants to tell them who Aurora is. His eyes are begging, 'Please! Ask me who Aurora is!' His tail flies back and forth furiously.

Kero looks a bit disappointed by Peppy's response, but he expected as much. <Oh, very well...> His chest heaves out, the white fluff falling slightly. Sophia coughs. "Nope, none. But we do have some food with us if you just need a tiny bit to tide you over. And maybe I could tie my scarf around your face to cut down the glare if you like. It's nothing too drastic, but... um, those Rattata are slippery," She adds. Sophia unzips the first pocket of her backpack and begins to poke around it, her eyebrows lowered in concentration. Hestia looks as confused as ever and just sighs. <My head hurts...> She just snuggles up against Sophia's neck and shuts her eyes, waggling her ears, tickling Sophia who giggles a bit. "Aurora?" Sophia rises to the bait. "May I be so rude as to ask who that is?" She turns her head to face Peppy once more, ceasing the rooting about in her backpack. Kero just looks solemn, thinking. <Thanks anyways.>

Peppy puts himself on Ignore-Everything-Mode until he hears those vital words: "Aurora? ... Who that is?" <Aurora?> Peppy repeats, straightening his stance once up once again. His voice is considerably deeper now as the pup tries to put a more masculine tint into his words, because, of course, he is just so manly and so cool. <She's my mate!> He flashes Sophia a very toothy grin here. He'd look as cute as a button if his eyebrows weren't quirked and his chest wasn't all poofed so that he looks more condescending than anything else. Supposing nobody immediately interrupts, he'll ramble on with his own life, barking cheerfully, <And I love her a whole lot and she loves me and we have five puppies and we love them a lot too!> Wag, wag, wag... wag... ... wag... ... ... ... wag. Slowly, Peppy's cheesy grin fades into a look of near depression, his eyes sagging down and settling upon Kero. <... Oh.> His voice is far, far more quiet now. His bushy tail no longer carries the pep of his enthusiasm; it instead droops low to the ground. Peppy's ears press against his scalp submissively. <... I'm sorry,> he whimpers at last, hardly even audible over the wind. <F... Flareheart wasn't you... your, um... ... was she?> Peppy's going to have a major guilt attack here if he gets the reply he expects.

"A mate huh?" Sophia smiles a bit and Kero shakes his head. <She was my sister. The last of our little... But I shouldn't be sad. You have puppies, soon they'll grow and...> The stoic Growlithe lifts his head and musters a weak tail wag. <And be great themselves, I'm sure.> Sophia shuts up respectfully, then looks down at Peppy, her gray eyes sparkling with amusement behind the sun glasses. "5 puppies? Wow, that must be a pawful," Sophia tries to lighten the mood a bit and gently rubs between Kero's ears as Hestia watches. <I'm still confused...> is the only response from the Pikachu and easily the biggest word Sophia's ever heard her say. Sophia sighs slightly then wheels her head back, not unlike a Ponyta balking at the reins. "I... promised Kero I'd help him find his sister, so here we are, right Kero?" Kero nods, looking a little cheered by the idea of a Growlithe litter. The more Growlithe in the world, the better! Sophia looks down into her backpack, tugging out a scarf and rooting for her stuff... "Let's see..."

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west, along with the wind. The sunlight on the snow is dazzling, and it gleams on the ice.

Though Peppy avoided a big guilt trip this time, it still sticks him in a somber, more calm mood. Perhaps he's even being respectful towards Kero by not bouncing around and howling to the whole world how awesome he is. <They are,> Peppy replies to Kero, lowering his head very slightly to level it with Kero's. <We're both going to make sure of it.> Peppy doesn't move his head as Sophia speaks; he merely glances up at her, looking rather silly as he leans forward. <And yes... Yeah, they really are sometimes a lot of trouble, but I'm still really glad... uh... glad...> Apparently, something seems to have distracted Peppy. His eyes are locked onto the clothing Sophia pulls out of her backpack. The scarf. The Growlithe can only peer. <... What is that?> A long thing with lots of little things at the end? This is something Peppy's not familiar with. Idly, Peppy notices the setting sun in the distance, and, at the same time, the coolness of the air. Gripping as much of the ground as he can with his paws, Peppy shakes himself furiously, sending the sticky, almost muddy snow flinging every which way - undoubtedly towards the other two pokemon and their trainer. Yuck!

Blat! Right on the money. Peppy should consider making snow flinging a sport. Sophia sweatdrops a bit and wipes some of the snow off her face. Hestia just ducks, being faster than her human and Kero grunts, shaking off the flung fur himself, making Sophia a prime target. "It's a scarf. It keeps you warm. Since the sun's setting, you probably won't need it though. Gosh, I'm slow," Sophia smiles wryly. Kero shakes his head again. <I'm glad for you. I'm sure Flareheart would think so too,> His eyes are wet with the idea of a new generation of Growlithe. Maybe Flareheart's happy where she is? The human did capture her and the ball and then... Kero muses over this thought a moment and peers over to Peppy curiously. <Sooo, any names?> His tail wags slightly. He doesn't want to drag another Growlithe down with his depression after all. Sophia smiles at the two Growlithe. They really are such fascinating pokemon. Hestia goes back to hanging onto Sophia and proudly announces, <You are a warm puppy!> Apparently the once dim bulb in the young pokemon's head is finally getting a power source. She's not dumb, she just has to learn.

Purple, gold, and vermillion clouds grace the western sky as the sun descends toward the west.

After his little shake, Peppy, now on all four paws, pants very slightly as his tongue hangs out. Sophia may not have appreciated being showered with snow, but Peppy sure did, and if he notices that he got his new friends all wet, he doesn't comment on it. <Keeps me warm?> he woofs after a bit of panting, peering first as his striped side, then down at his chest. Doesn't he have a fur coat for that? He opens his mouth to ask Sophia just that, but Kero catches his attention with something far more interesting - names. <Yeah!> Fwoosh! Kero is now the target of all of Peppy's attention. His tail wagging furiously, Peppy will glance up at his forehead occasionally as he speaks, as though trying to get the facts straight in his muddle head. <Two of them are my sons, and three are my daughters. And Briska said his first words the other day, and he said Poppa, though actually it was my daughter Dusk who put that into his head. Oh, and Dusk has black on her ears... oh, right! Black! One of the puppies is totally black, and his name is Flame, and then there's Karen, who's really nice and really quiet and Dakota is the opposite, she's so loud and energetic and... aa....n...> Peppy was getting a little too excited there; having went the whole thing without taking a breath, the Growlithe, still trying to elaborate on Dakota, frivilously pants and gasps and tries to continue. Eventually he gives up, letting his head drop. He peers at the ground as he recovers his breath, tongue hanging out lifelessly.

Uh oh! The Rockets are scheming! Better save than sorry! (Saving)

"Sure it does," Sophia just smiles as she listens to the two Growlithe banter. It's probably good for Kero, so she quietly fades into the background. Hestia folds her arms over her chest and listens in. Kero nods, perking his ears forward to catch all the news. <Oh, wow. That's interesting... A black puppy,> His eyes seem to lose the sadness as Peppy goes on. <Flame, Karen, Dakota, Briska and Dusk?> Kero makes a mental list for later as he just grins slightly. Peppy cheers the fire pup up. Kero's fur rises as the sun sets, painting the sky above. Kero looks more poofy now, his mane fluffed and all. Sophia can't help but keep a big smile on her face as the wild Growlithe goes on. Kero's from Cinnabar, the burned down lab to be more precise, so he's unused to the cold here and shivers slightly, his muscles keeping him warm. Hestia curls up against Sophia's neck. "First words are always the most memorable, aren't they Kero?" Sophia looks up to the sky, smiling lightly. <Yeah, I guess... I don't remember mine, my parents aren't wild... Anymore,> He shrugs, rippling the fur down his striped back. Or at least, the closest thing to a shrug he can manage with his canine body. <I guess it's a good thing I met Sophia instead of someone else,> Kero mulls over this then goes back to the topic of puppies, his own pink tongue curling over his lips. <Don't tire yourself,> Kero grins. <They sound great though.>

Pump, pump! Peppy's heartbeat is practically audible, so proud and excited is he right now. <Yeah?> he lets out between gasps. When he finally gets enough air in his lungs, he raises his head to meet Kero's. He's grinning broadly, a few of white teeth showing from where his chops pull back. <They're really great puppies.> Peppy's own fur starts to stick on end slightly as the wind becomes colder, as well, but his extra fluffy winter coat, unaffected by pokeballs or somesuch, mixed with his frequent outings in the cold do a good job of keeping him somewhat warmer than the other Growlithe. He turns his head to the side when the two talk about parents, glancing up at the sky, over at the tree, down on the ground, anywhere but at the chatting two. When they finally finish, Peppy bounces back into the conversation like he never left it. <They were... really hard when they were tiny.> The grin fades slightly, and Peppy closes his eyes at the mere thought of the newborns again. <... If you ever find a mate and have puppies, don't give up on the first few moons... uh, months, I think.> He pauses for a moment longer, glancing up at his forehead, before nodding cheerfully as he realized he used the word correctly. <... They're really hard then.>

Aww, Sophia chuckles a bit to herself and winces as the snow soaks through the knees of her black jeans. Geez, it's cold... Sophia flinches. <Oh, I have no idea...> Kero looks utterly puzzled, but he keeps a smile. Sophia lets Hestia cuddle up into her collar and shivers a bit. <Hard huh? I -I wonder what that's like. I can't remember being a puppy,> Kero responds, unsure of what to say. His tail keeps wagging, sweeping the snow behind him. Periodically, he shakes the snow off his tail and onto Sophia's hind end. Man, that's cold! Sophia squeaks slightly and sighs. <I'll keep that in mind,> Kero nods, listening to the older, wiser Growlithe. Kero looks like he's learned a lot today, his brown eyes wide. Peppy is truly a Growlithe guru!

The orange-red sun sinks below the western horizon, leaving a darkening tapestry of purple and red-gold clouds behind it.

Peppy, the Growlithe guru. You thought his greatest use was a furry paperweight? Think again! As Peppy expells his miraculous wisdom, bit by bit his confidence rises, his smile widens, and the overall stance of the pup just seems more strong. So this is what it feels like to be smart. <Well,> Peppy woofs, plopping back down on his rump, entirely ignorant to the cold layers of frost on the ground. His fur blows in the breeze, but his tail wags just as strongly as ever. <They can't see, can't speak, can only drink from Auro... uh, their mom, I don't think they can hear, and they pretty much just sit around. ... And make your mate really, -really- hungry.> Peppy's eyes are widening slightly at the memories, and his oh-so-impressive stance falters. He seems almost a little scared. <She ate even more than -I- did!>

Kero, the Growlithe apprentice. He tilts his head, ears perked and nods as he listens. Having the company of another Growlithe is always great. Sophia shivers a bit, lacking the fur of her canine companion and shuts her eyes slightly. Hestia squeaks and tries to keep Sophia warm by rubbing her cheek against Sophia's. Awww. <Oh. I see,> Kero listens intently, puzzled by all of this and leans forward, his pawtips burrowing into the snow. He stands, moving his tail end from the snow and watches as Peppy runs a gamut of expressions. "Oh, goodness, your mate must be hungry!" Sophia's eyes widen in realization. "And we haven't helped you find a Rattata yet either!" Sophia frowns at the idea of a foodless Peppy returning home... Kero looks thoughtful and lowers his head as he plots. It's pretty much only now that Peppy realizes the age of the Growlithe he's talking to. The older Growlithe pauses for a second, then, almost knowingly, grins. Kero hasn't hit that stage where his hormones go buck wild yet; he probably hardly knows what the wild pokemon is talking about. <You'll probably know when you're older,> Peppy comforts the other Growlithe. Though he speaks with kindness and sage, he's almost holding in the urge to snicker at the younger dog. He feels so... mature right now. Sophia's comment, however, snaps Peppy back into the reality where he's still only four years old and he's not the most experienced creature on the block. He blinks, and slowly raises his head to the sky. "... Grr...rowli?" Another blink. <Oh no! Aurora!> Directing his focus back on the other pokemon, Peppy jumps up to all four paws, appearing far more jittery now. <Um, thanks, I liked talking to you, you're nice, but I really, really gotta go, I don't think they'll be too hungry if I go now but I really have to hurry, okay?> Huff, puff.

Kero is just now realizing his age as well and nods, tilting his head. <Yeah... I bet,> He doesn't sound like he believes it, but Peppy probably knows what he's talking about. For now, Kero's blissfully unaware of how much Peppy wants to laugh at him and keeps a soft smile about him. He nods, feeling like the puppy he is and blinks, realizing the gravity of Sophia's words... Sophia stands up a bit herself. "We can give you something to take to them if you want, but if you must go, then I wish you and your family the best of luck," She nods, zipping up her back pack and slinging it over her back. Whoever said Growlithe were dumb must not have counted on the old emotional quotient. Hestia looks over Sophia's shoulder and nods. "Pi, cha..." <Late, getting late...> She babbles softly. "Good bye," Sophia smiles and waves.

Brindled clouds conceal a few patches of starlit sky.

Peppy spares enough time to give Kero a nod, Sophia a grin, and even little Hestia a little "Grrrrowlithe!" of a farewell (aww!), before he tromps around in a tight semicircle, turning himself the other way. <If I was a Rattata...> the Growlithe mutters to himself, his head high, ears prick, tail erect, nose sniffing at the air here and there. <... Where would I go?> Setting his nose down low to the ground, Peppy begins to sniff wildly at the snow. He now begins to follow his nose (wherever it goes!), leaving deep pawprints in the layers of snow. He does not look back at Sophia when he moves away, as by the time he's actually engrossed in the hunting, he's concentrating on nothing but that. Not the brightest of ideas to turn your back on a trainer, but hey - maybe he trusts her. The night lingers on... but Peppy knows he still has a while ahead of him.

Uh oh! The Rockets are scheming! Better save than sorry! (Saving)

Sophia grins as Kero gives him a "Growli!" and Hestia "Pi's!". "See you!" Sophia waves to the canine, and shoulders her backpack, watching the little guy go. She hopes he finds a Rattata or a nice juicy bug... Wait, Sophia's been talking to Kero too long. With a glance to the sky, she turns and heads back to the city, where the human girl belongs. She picks up the leash, of course, and the small group moves out. What a nice Growlithe, Sophia notes with a smile. He really brightened Kero's day, that's for sure. Kero looks over his shoulder one last time at Peppy, grins and heads away off into the distance.