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

Ah, the hunt was good!

The interior of the barn is as dry as can be expected in this weather - well, there are some places where the walls have started to drip a little, and the area near the door is splashed with rain. Still, most of it is covered in clean and not-yet-damp straw, and it's almost warm for this time of year. Aurora's lying some distance from the door, her head in her paws as she dozes, and she looks up slowly as Peppy enters. <You... found something?> she says, sleepily, and raises herself to a sitting position, smiling as she looks the Rattata over. <That's really good, Peppy. Thank you!> she woofs.

Peppy just sort of drops the corpse onto the ground. He doesn't bring it over to Aurora first, but most likely he just has something to say. <I didn't hunt it, though, because when I found it it was already dead.> Unsaid goes the fact that Peppy is actually a little relieved that he didn't have to kill something (it hurts when they squeal for mercy, it does!). <So I know it's...> The pup's head drops, not so much in shame than as to glance at the soaking wet form on the ground. <I know it's not as good as some have been, but maybe you'll like it anyway?> Snatch! Peppy picks the pokemon up in his teeth again, and makes his way over to Aurora, still dripping with rain (he seems to have forgotten to shake himself dry). As he approaches her, however, he comes to a very sudden stop and, keeping the Rattata in his mouth, he woofs a very soft, <Um, oops.> A pause. Though the rat is muffling his mouth, he still shouldn't be too hard for Aurora to hear: <I didn't mean to wake you.>

Droplets splash in puddles at mid-day.

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<You didn't wake me up, it's okay,> Aurora replies, and winces as something in her belly moves. <One of them keeps on kicking me when I start to doze off. I think he might get to sleep if I have something to eat. Ow... there he goes again.> She gets to her feet and moves towards Peppy, bending her head down to sniff at the Rattata. <It doesn't smell too old - maybe a few days.> Though she's eyeing the Rattata with interest and eagerness, she doesn't lean over to grab it in her jaws - instead, she waits for Peppy to put it down, or offer it to her... or for him to move in response in some way.

When Aurora tells him that he didn't just barge on in here and shatter her dreams to pieces, Peppy exhales a little through his nose, declining his head to deposit the Rattata on the ground right in front of the female Growlithe, letting her have her way with it. <Kicking you?> Peppy responds, peering up at Aurora, then at her tummy. Face. Tummy. Face. <Doesn't that hurt?> No, really. His eyes twitch a little as a few drops of water slip down into them, but still the pup doesn't shake himself dry. Maybe he's forgotten to. "Grrrrr," he growls, not in an angry tone, just a slightly annoyed one. For as often as he's out in it, Peppy still really hates water. <Hey,> he woofs softly, looking up at Aurora with his eyes still squinting and blinking rapidly. He looks pathetic. Cute, but pathetic. Hey, not his fault he can't very well rub his eyes. <... I wonder if we should think of names for them.> His eyes still half shut, he glances at her belly once more, adding, <They might come out any day and we wouldn't have any idea what to call them, and I get really easily confused.> That much is obvious.

Aurora almost lunges for the Rattata, biting into it eagerly. For a while, all that Aurora's paying attention to is the slightly rotten meat she's devouring, and it's only when the Rattata's looking more than a little skeletal that she looks back up, still chewing. <I shink...> she mutters, mouth still full, before swallowing and continuing, <I think we could. I don't know how many there are, but maybe thinking of some names would be good.> She nods, and then ducks her head back down towards the Rattata carcass again.

Chilly rain falls from a grey sky. It's bleak and raw. The wind blows from the east.

Well, this is very humiliating for Peppy. It's not enough that Aurora's bigger than him - now she has to take away the one thing that makes him -him-, his black hole for a stomach! She ate that Rattata faster than he could eat a burger! But then, maybe that's what makes her such a great mate in his mind... Anyway. Plopping down on his rump, Peppy watches the other Growlithe ravenously consume the spoils of the hunt, partially surprised and partially amused. She does take the time out of her meal to tell him something, to which Peppy woofs, nods, and tail-wags. <I bet there will be a lot, but I hope there won't be too many because...> He sort of trails off, as if even -he- realizes how obvious having too many puppies would be. <... ... Do you know any names? My sister's name was Tanara but I don't think you can name two Growlithes the same name, because they're not the same Growlithe.> With another nod, as if it influences his point, Peppy has yet again arrived at another wrong turn of logic.

Chewing and gulping down a last mouthful of Rattata, Aurora looks up and nods to Peppy. <I know that my parents named me and my brothers and sisters after fire. My big brother was called Flame, and I'm called Aurora after the fire that you can sometimes see in the sky. But we lived near a volcano, so maybe the two of us should think of different names...>

Peppy sort of glances at Aurora here, not quite as if she's crazy, but it's obvious that -something- confuses him. <Fire... in the sky?> Peppy asks, glancing up at the ceiling of the barn as if it's going to help him out even remotely. <I didn't know there could be a fire in the sky unless it's a really sunny day and you Ember the air, but I don't think that's what you're talking about.> Having just arrived at that amazing conclusion, Peppy now glances to the side for a second, as if he's trying to think of some sort of name. Needless to say, he's not exactly the best pokemon in the world at names - you need an IQ higher than four to be any good at it. <Once mom...> There's a little pause here, almost undetectable but still present. <Told me that if I had a brother that she would have named him Briska, and I like that name. But what if I do have a brother but I don't know it, and his name is Briska? Is it still an okay name?> Just look at his face - it's easy to tell this is actually - no, seriously - distressing him.

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<It's not like Ember,> Aurora replies quickly. <It's like... it's like lights in human houses, only it's different colours, and it shimmers, and... I've never seen it, but my parents said they had once.> She's been speaking quickly and eagerly, trying to explain it as best she can, and stops to catch her breath then continues to talk at a slower pace. <Your mother was going to call your brother Briska... but you didn't have a brother when you were with your family? I think...> Aurora frowns in concentration (quite a feat for a member of a species who are not, after all, the brightest of the bunch), and then nods and grins widely. <I don't know if you have a brother or not, but we could name one of the puppies Briska - that way, you could remember your family because of him, and if we ever met your parents then they'd be proud of you that you'd remembered them.> Again, she stops to catch her breath, and winces again at another kick from her belly.

It's not often that Peppy confronts the topic of color - ignorance that isn't exactly his fault - but when he does, it's pretty much only dismissed as yet another one of those things he just doesn't understand. <Colours?> he repeats, one soggy ear perking up a bit. <Is that how bright it is? When I was with Patch, she had this thing that was sort of like the sun but didn't hurt your eyes as much, and you could make it night or day... is that color?> Hey, it makes perfect sense to him. He pauses for a moment and, his voice dropping a pitch or two, he half-growls, <I hope I get to see an aurora one day, because if it's not pretty than you were named wrong.> Right here he gives Aurora this little grin, half of his teeth showing, as if he's really proud of his little compliment. It came a little fast though, almost from memory - he probably promised himself he'd say that one day when he learned what an aurora really is. Still flattering. <But maybe we can, even if there's another Growlithe named Briska maybe they won't ever see each other, so there won't be two Briskas as far as they know.> His tail stops wagging for a moment, and he seems to ignore Aurora's comment about meeting his parents - or maybe he just missed it. That sounds more likely where Peppy is concerned.

Aurora blushes at Peppy's compliment, and then nods quickly to his last words. <If they don't meet, then they might not know. But they can't be the same Growlithe anyway, because they don't have the same parents... so then there would be two Briskas, but they'd be different Briskas. I think.> Aurora pauses for a moment, and then adds quietly, <I'd like to name one Flame, after my brother. He'd be proud of me if he were still around, I hope...>

That's a little too much for Peppy. Two Briskas that are two different Briskas is perhaps just a little beyond his mental grasp - he knows you can have two burgers that aren't the same burgers, but he can't apply this to other living things. Not that he doesn't do it with the Rattatas he hunts, but. <Flame's not a bad name,> Peppy woofs genuinely, his bushy tail wagging briskly, cocking his head slightly as his mate continues speaking. <And I...> He pauses for another second, his head shifting even more. <... Of course he'd be very proud of you. You've got so much, you're really smart and parcticle-> The word he wants is practical, but Naiad's word slips his mind. <And... just... look at you!> Now's where his head goes upright, he steals a quick glance at Aurora's tummy, and glances back up at her, grinning softly. <He'd be very proud of you.> He hesitates for just a second here. <... But not as proud of you as me.> His smile increases, but he makes no motions to nuzzle her - presumably because he's still soaking wet. Somebody get this pup a towel already!

Aurora nods, and blushes slightly again. <I think he would be proud of me, but maybe a bit disappointed,> she says, talking to herself as much as to Peppy. <I mean, he looked after Karen, and helped her, and he let himself get hurt instead of her, and I ran away from her when I should have stayed to help...> Shaking her head, she continues, <But he'd probably be happy to see me now. I think he's laugh, actually, at me being grown up and not clumsy anymore.> A little grin is visible on the pup's face at that thought - her, grown up?

Peppy's eyes wander off to the side, glancing across to the far end of the barn - the corners, the wall, the halfway-broken down ceiling with a few spots leaking. He's not ignoring Aurora - no, he's definitely not ignoring her, even as his attention seems to drift around the area. <He definitely wouldn't be disappointed, Aurora.> Peppy's voice is a little lower now, and as he starts to focus his sight on her it's easy to see that if there's one thing Peppy -knows-, it's that. <I think maybe Karen wouldn't be sad that you ran away. Maybe she wanted you to run. Maybe that's what she was... you know, what she planned.> Perhaps Peppy himself doesn't actually believe this - it's hard to judge by the expressions on the Growlithe's face. He turns his head very softly to the side, directs his eyes down to the ground, and proceeds to move his muzzle in closer to himself, very submissively. <I still don't know why Patch let me go... but I wonder if maybe this was why.> Makes sense to him.

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Chilly rain falls from a grey sky. It's bleak and raw. The wind blows from the east.

<Yeah... maybe that's why.> Aurora's tail is wagging slowly, but she's smiling as she replies. <I don't think she expected me to run away, but she'd be happy to see me like this - and I bet if Patch came by, she'd be really happy to see you, too.> She stands grinning and wagging her tail happily for a few moments, and then suddenly adds, in an urgent tone, <What should we call them if they're female?>

Peppy keeps peering at himself - most specifically his front right paw, if you're curious - but he doesn't react for a couple moments. <Yeah...> He pauses for another second or two, looking as though he's going to say something but in the end deciding against it. Removing his muzzle from his stomach (it's not attached, after all!), he glances up at Aurora, gives her a soft nod and a smile, before gesturing to one of the drier portions of the barn. Maybe this was why he was looking around earlier - looking for a good place to nap that isn't right in the middle of a darned puddle. <I'll think about some names,> he woofs, gesturing once more. <Right now, I just...> He gives a little sigh here; not a depressed one, but it shows how tired he actually is. <Take a nap... Just a quick one, I'm not that tired.> He lifts his head up a bit, not verbally asking but wondering if Aurora's going to stay up to finish up the Rattata.

It looks like Aurora isn't going to attempt any more of that Rattata - after all, most of the flesh left is distinctly green-tinged, and not particularly appetising. The female Growlithe yawns, and nods to Peppy, as she steps backwards to the spot where she was napping before. <This part's quite dry,> she says, <and there's enough space here for both of us to stay dry.>

Peppy gives his mate another little smile as she gives up on the Rattata, and as she heads back to go to sleep, he glances down at the... ah... worthless corpse. He'll bring it out of the barn so that it doesn't look ugly... but later. After all, his nap is going to be nice and quick, right? Take a quick snooze, hop right back up less than an hour later. Sounds good. Peppy starts to walk in the same direction as Aurora, presumably to sleep near her - but he doesn't make it. About halfway from the Rattata to the wall, Peppy just sort of stops, collapses onto the floor, curls up into himself, and poof - he's out like a light. And no, despite his promise - he's probably not going to wake up for quite a few hours. Ah - that's Peppy for ya.