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

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.

The last few months have seen far, far worse than today. Sun shines through the cracks in the barn this afternoon, and the entire building is far less cold than it's been for a while now. Pokemon who have spent the entire winter sleeping and eating are just now getting on their feet and going out for a walk, so the barn is a little less crowded than usual. For some, however, all today means is merely a good hunting day. The air is crisp, and snow doesn't get in the eyes. And indeed, there is a Growlithe out there hunting for the family... it's just not who it usually is. Lying there in his corner, wide-eyed and very restless, virtually ignoring the three puppies who roughhouse around him (thankfully, Flame's not bugging them, and Dakota, exhausted from being up all night, is catching up on her beauty sleep) is Peppy. Aurora's not in the barn; she went out to hunt a while ago, and boy, it's driving her mate absolutely crazy. Every two minutes or so, he growls under his breath, causing one or two of the active puppies to glance over at him, <Please come back okay, please please!>

It's a little while longer before someone arrives back at the barn door, but it's not Aurora - it's a Bulbasaur who comes waddling in, looking rather grumpy as he makes his way back to his place of rest. <Ah, it's too cold out there to be going for a walk...> he mutters, ignoring the rather worried looking Growlithe as he goes past. A few minutes later, there's another arrival - this time a Spearow, who looks cheerful and refreshed, giving her wings a final stretch before coming to roost on one of the beams high above the barn floor. Looks like Aurora's still looking for food.

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.

Fwoosh! Peppy's head shoots off of the ground as the Bulbasaur enters, causing little Briska to yip and Dakota to blink open her eyes, peering up at her dad and wondering what in the heck that sudden movement was from. She recognizes him, though only faintly, and plops her head back against his side, immediately asleep once again. Peppy's chest sinks when he recognizes it as a Bulbasaur (ah, his feared enemy, indeed!), and he mumbles a gentle <Sorry> to Briska once he sees his son's surprised expression. Though annoyed, Briska grudgingly goes back to his playing, leading his sisters around Peppy in a big circle. The father sinks back to the floor. Minutes pass, and two <Please come back okays> are uttered before the Spearow walks in. Up goes the Growlithe's head once more, and this time Briska's yaps have a slightly more annoyed tint to them. Peppy ignores him. <I knew I should have went out with her!> he whimpers to himself as he sees the newcomer's species, squeezing his eyes shut and falling back to the ground. And to think Aurora goes through this *every* day!

Another few minutes pass, and then a rather bedraggled and wet-looking white furry crest pokes around the door, followed by a red and black head, with something between its jaws - a dead Rattata. Aurora looks tired, and slightly scratched around the muzzle, but there's an element of triumph in the way she walks slowly through the barn door and over to Peppy, depositing the pokemon carcass in front of him - just as Briska rounds the corner towards her, heading straight for the Rattata.

The only reason Peppy didn't spring off of his paws and just *tackle* Aurora the moment she stepped into the barn is because he was too busy comforting little Dakota, scared and excited over her father's movements and trying to climb over him, wondering if there's a big scary monster that keeps making her dad stand up so much, and if so, wanting to see it. It takes Peppy a good five minutes to finally settle her down, mumbling little worried nothings and giving her the occasional nuzzle. Then he looks up, just in time to watch his mate strutting towards him, sleepy but proud, and all of his work in comforting Dakota goes to waste as he once again springs up to all four paws. The corpse falls to the ground. Peppy stares at it before looking up at Aurora. Could that be... a little envy? It fades away quickly as Peppy launches into rapid-fire and somewhat high-pitched whimpers and barks, his entire body moving. <Aurora, you're back! And you brought a Rattata, and I was -really- scared because it was cold and you haven't been out in a while and I thought something got you and I was really -really- scared!>

Somewhere, a blue haired boy selects the right shade of lipstick. (Eee! Saving!)

Aurora nods a little at Peppy's effusive greeting, and grins, wincing as the action causes a scratch just above her jaw to seep a little blood. <It was harder than I thought,> she admits. <I know it's hard to find them, but I didn't know that they fought back so much. This one scratched me a couple of times when I came near him, and nearly hit my eye before I killed him...> She winces again, and makes her grin a little smaller and therefore less painful. <I'm sorry it's so small, but it could be a nice treat for you and the pups. Did you... manage to get any food that the man put out?> she asks, scuffing one forepaw nervously. <It's so small, and I wanted to feed all of us...>

Peppy's eyes widen even further when Aurora mentions getting injured, and it's only then that he notices the blood for himself. His tail droops a little along with his ears, and his voice is slow and disappointed as he notes, <... You're bleeding a little.> He leans forward a little, shifting attention from his mate's eyes to her jaw, and he frowns a little bit. <Does it hurt? Are you okay? Did it hurt you anywhere else? Do you need to lie down?> His voice increases in his pitch as he speaks, and at the last part, he takes a little step to the side, giving Aurora plenty of room to pass by if she wants to. <They shouldn't have hurt you,> he adds, a little more quietly - though far less sullen. There's a trace of anger in his voice, and, his eyes narrowing, he glances to the barn door, as if half considering a thought. He'll keep this position until Aurora speaks, though the moment she does he'll direct all attention right back to her. He doesn't reply about getting food from the man, though perhaps he just wants to make sure Aurora's okay before anything else.

Shaking her head at Peppy's questions, Aurora replies, <It doesn't really hurt, it just stings a little. And he only scratched my muzzle a bit. But lying down does sound like a good idea...> As she walks forward and bends down towards Briska, who's come to see why his mother's only just got back, she gives a small, involuntary grunt of pain, and a drop of blood drips from a cut on her foreleg onto the straw. The pain is soon ignored, though, as she nudges Briska's nose with her own, the puppy yipping a little and wagging his tail eagerly.

Peppy just sort of watches as Aurora, partially surprised, mostly impressed and proud. Despite the fact that she's bleeding with a cut probably big enough to make Peppy whimper like a puppy, there she is, claiming it doesn't hurt and even reassuring their puppy as she does. <A... are you sure you're okay?> he asks, far less certain this time. He looks very submissive right now, his green eyes wide and worried, his ears mere flaps on his head, his tail low and not wagging. He really doesn't know what to do. Lick up the blood? Give Aurora her space? Tell her to lay down? Force her to lay down? Ignore her and expect she'll make the best choice for herself? Sometimes it really stinks being dumb. <The... uh, yes, the man came, and all the puppies got, uh, got a little food... Dakota ate a lot... are you really, really sure you're okay?> He's gone from worried to downright scared, now that he's noticed the cut on his mate's leg. Peppy would probably have fainted by now.

<I'll be fine. It was just a tougher fight than I expected- ow!> This last cry comes as Briska noses at the scratch above Aurora's jaw, causing her to flinch away in pain and him to blink several times and step back. Aurora grins apologetically at Briska, and woofs gently, <Your mother's just got a little scratch, that's all. And I've got dinner for you, too!> She turns to Peppy, her smile a little more strained than it was for Briska, and adds, <I think I'll lie down, if there's space. My leg hurts a bit.>

And she's not even mad when Briska noses her scratch. His eyes still wide, his face still frightened, Peppy still shakes his head slightly in disbelief. The only thing stopping him from asking her why in the world is doesn't hurt (then again, when you've given birth to five puppies, it's unlikely very much hurts bad after that, but Peppy doesn't remember this) is the fact that Dakota, thrashing about in her sleep, has rolled right into the air where Peppy was laying at. <I, um, I'll get her!> Bink! And the Growlithe flies over to her, noses around the back of her neck before finally locating the scruff, and lifts her up. Her eyes immediately flutter open, and she wiggles a bit, yipping something about playtime and generally making far too much noise. Peppy then turns immediately to the adult female, gesturing to the spot he cleared. <Come lie down! Hurry! Hurry! Come quickly! ... ... But, um, but don't move too fast or you'll hurt your leg!> Poor guy's so worried that he's not making sense. Not that he ever really does.

Aurora nods as she walks over to the place Peppy's just cleared for her, limping a little as she tries not to bend the injured leg too much. Sitting down on her haunches is easy enough, but when she bends her leg to lie down the injured one wobbles, and suddenly bends, making Aurora bite back a yelp as she falls awkwardly onto her belly. Slowly, and not without a few more yips of pain, Aurora gets back into a sitting position, and inclines her head towards the Rattata. <Don't you want to have some of it? After all, you said the puppies ate a lot, but you didn't say if you'd eaten anything...>

Peppy lets out a couple whimpers as he watches his mate struggle to sit down, feeling very hurt inside. Isn't he supposed to protect her? And make sure she doesn't get hurt? Then why the heck is she so injured that she can hardly sit down? <I'm sorry...> he growls under his breath as he watches the female, though it's unlikely she'll hear him. The thought to help her up doesn't hit him, though once she is resting on her haunches he approaches her, choosing to remain on all fours rather than sit down. <I couldn't eat,> he woofs to her, scanning her body as he does just in case there are some cuts that he missed. A cut on the jaw and the leg are bad enough, she doesn't need one elsewhere. <I was really, really worried.> A pause. He glances up at Aurora sheepishly, grinning only a little bit, adding, <And I still am, so I can't eat now, either.>

Somewhere, a blue haired boy selects the right shade of lipstick. (Eee! Saving!)

<I'm sorry, Peppy...> Aurora replies, her ears low and her smile gone. <I tried to do what I've seen you do when you hunt, but I don't think I was quick enough with it, or... I don't know what went wrong,> she says, giving up on trying to analyse the hunt. <I don't think I'm any good at it, if the first thing I hunt manages to fight better than I do.> She glares at the Rattata for a few seconds, then sighs and leans towards it, jaws opening to take a bite. Of course, as soon as she leans too far, her leg crumples again, although this time she manages to get back up more quickly, and leans on her other leg for support. <I can't quite... get to it...> she mutters, and blushing under her fur, she asks Peppy, <Could you, um, er, tear some off and give it to me? It hurts to lean over to get it...>

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.

Peppy stops his scanning halfway to glance up at Aurora, before raising his head to her level. And he watches her for a moment as she speaks, not to make her uncomfortable, but thinking about what she's saying. He has an immediate reply, and it involves him shaking his head. Quite furiously. <You haven't been outside in a -really- long time!> His attention shifts to the Rattata, then back to his mate. <I should be really impressed that you brought home anything. And I am, I am, I'm just really worried because I don't like it when you're hurt, but... but you got something, and two cuts isn't bad! Not at all.> He focuses on the scar on his muzzle for just a second, before he lowers his head further and tears a chunk out of the Rattata. It's quite a big chunk, too, a good half of the Rattata's side. There's no way Aurora would be able to eat this without putting it down (which would cause pain unless she dropped it), but Peppy apparently doesn't realize this. Too eager to get her dinner, he naively offers her the Rattata, pushing it forward so that she hardly even has to move her head to take it if she wants it. He's going to make sure she doesn't have to lean at all!

Although the chunk of Rattata that Peppy's got in his jaws is far too large for Aurora to eat all in one go, a fair amount of it protrudes past his teeth, and it's this that Aurora aims for. Trying to be careful with her jaws, she leans forward a tiny amount and bites, incisors and canines digging into the rat pokemon's flesh. She moves back a little, pulling at the meat and moving her head from side to side, and after a few seconds of effort there's a wet tearing sound, and a glob of the meat comes free. Aurora sits back and chews eagerly, a small but contented smile on her face. <Ish good!> she mumbles around a mouthful of Rattata.

Peppy blinks a little when Aurora doesn't take the entire chunk, as Peppy would have done, but then, Aurora doesn't need to add "choking" to her list of injuries. He sets the piece of Rattata down on the ground right in front of Aurora, pauses for a moment, picks it back up, and puts it with the rest of the rat pokemon's corpse. No point if his poor mate can't bend down to eat it! Now. You can tell everything's not all right with Peppy. There he was, a big hunk of delicious meat right there in his *mouth*, and he puts it down. He must really be worried. <It tastes...> His tail wags a little, his first real happy sign all day. <It tastes a lot better when you caught it yourself, doesn't it?> Dusk has broken away from her siblings for a bit to examine the Rattata, but she doesn't take a bit. She sniffs, backs away, approaches, sniffs again, then tries to peer at it more. This definitely interests her.

A few more chews, a quick swallow, and Aurora's done with that piece of meat. Her tail wags, and she nods to Peppy's comment, smiling at him. <It does taste even better, when you remember how hard you worked to get it. But...> Another little blush, and she says, <But it would be even better to see you happy and full up because I managed to catch food for us. I know you'd like to eat, and I'm feeling okay now, so...> Another grin, and finally an <Eat up!>

When Aurora blushes and comments on how she wishes she could see him happy, Peppy chest sort of droops a bit. He looks up at her face, surprised at her spirit despite her injuries, surprised at how she's actually thinking about him in -her- time of need. Man. It's not a wonder he worries so much. If he lost her... <Don't worry,> he woofs quietly, grinning very softly and blushing very faintly himself. <I am happy.> And he looks at her for a moment longer, locking his eyes to hers... before stumbling and tearing them away, focusing back on the Rattata. <I mean, happy you're safe, I'll eat in a bit, do you want any more?> He bends over the corpse to pick up the other piece of meat, but he stops halfway down when his eyes settle on Dusk. He blinks at her. She blinks right back. <Oh, are you hungry, Dusk? You want a piece?> She smiles at the big familiar face with the familiar scent, but it's only once her name is mentioned that her tail wags and she yips. He glances back up at Aurora, still grinning, though it's not the same kind of smile he gave her. <I think she is... but do you want something first before we... uh, I feed the puppies?>

Watching Dusk investigate the new food source makes Aurora smile, and the benign grin stays on her face as she gazes at the puppy, who's still looking inquisitively at the Rattata. It takes a second or so for her to realise that Peppy's talking to her, and when she does she looks a little startled, and replies, <Oh! No, it's okay. Apart from the scratches, it wasn't really that difficult a hunt, and I didn't have to run too far. And that bite I had was wonderful.> She looks down at the puppies around here - playing, asking for food, or just sleeping - and smiles again as she turns her attention back to their father. <Thank you for looking after the puppies today. You did a great job, and I'm really thankful that you spent time here so I could have a go at hunting.>

Peppy's grin stays strong as Aurora's does, and he adds a soft, <If you say so,> before picking up the piece of meat and setting it next to Dusk. It's almost as big as she is, so the pup is somewhat confused by it, still more content to sniff and lick it than to actually take a bite out of it. He gives her a little smile, nuzzles her cheek gently with his nose (to which she glances up at him, wags her tail, then turns back to the Rattata meat), and straightens himself once again. <It wasn't a problem.> He pauses for a second. <It was...> Another hesitation, and the pup glances at the door, and blushes. A lot. <... Actually, it was harder than hunting.> He opens his mouth, closes it, and grins a little more. And sure, he'll elaborate if Aurora asks, or she'll tell him about hunting, and they'll certainly spend the whole night talking about the switch in roles (and perhaps who has it worse!), but one thing's for sure. As though her intelligence didn't baffle him enough, Peppy's got a definite new kind of respect for his mate.