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

The sky is grey and cloudy, and nothing casts a shadow. The northwest wind is chilly. In the forest, fiery red, gold, and orange leaves rustle and blow past you, swirling in the wind. While at the coast, the sea matches the cool autumn sky: grey, rolling and foreboding.

Brrr. Well, this is a "refreshing" change from summer. The air is crisp and fresh, no longer muggy and sticky, but it comes at a price. It's cold - very cold, for those who haven't experienced chilling weather for some time. The thicker coats of furry pokemon haven't come in yet, so for most creatures across the island, it's an uncomfortable day. But then, there are things to be grateful for. It's not snowing and it's not raining, and when you're a parent in a house of five way too active children, that's as good an excuse as any! Making his way down the path is good ol' Peppy the Growlithe, and by his side, Aurora (or maybe ahead of him, or behind him... that depends on how well she's doing - Peppy, in all his ignorance, won't stop, slow down, or speed up in any case, content to just mosey along at his own pace). The wind blows through his fur, ruffling it here and there, but he doesn't seem to appreciate it much. When it picks up, he growls lightly at, giving the direction it's coming from a nasty glare.

Rattata snatching things away, save the base without delay! (Saving)

It may be cold weather outside, and the pair of Growlithes out walking may not have their winter coats yet - but at least it's not raining, and this fact is probably the reason why Aurora's looking so cheerful today, even though she's shivering from time to time as she follows her mate along the path away from the barn. Other than her shivers, she doesn't pay the wind much notice, preferring to look around at the trees with their autumn colours, or sniff the cool, crisp air. Ah, life is indeed good, even if it's a little cold. She does also glance back to the barn from time to time, as if to see how the children they've left there are doing, but she's not as frantic about checking as she has been on other occasions.

The sky is grey and cloudy, and nothing casts a shadow. The northwest wind is chilly.

Parenthood is an amazing thing. The puppies are nearly a year old now, and they're almost the size of their parents now. Why, then, does Peppy seem to share Aurora's concern and here and there glance over his shoulder back at the barn, as though he'll be able to do something from this distance? The pups are more than capable enough to take care of themselves, even without Soki's guard! The wind intensifies once again, and Peppy snaps his head in its direction, slowing to a stop as he lowers his head, his ears flapping and wiggling in the wind. Man, that's uncomfortable. <Sorry to, uh, drag you out here into this weather, Aurora!> Peppy woofs with his usual cheer. He may or may not have been the one who suggested it, but hey, he's taking the blame! <You... um, I think you get used to it after a while. The wind, I mean.> Out of reflex, he turns his head back, once again looking to the barn.

Rattata snatching things away, save the base without delay! (Saving)

<Oh, that's okay,> Aurora calls back to Peppy as she stops a second or so after him. The strong winds mean that sound doesn't carry very well, so Aurora's forced to woof more loudly than normal, and even then it's not certain that Peppy'll be able to make out what she's saying. But even in this wind, she looks around with a grin on her face and adds, <Isn't it nice weather at the moment? It's not too hot, and it's wonderfully dry...> Perhaps she's seeing the best in the situation... then again, perhaps she's just overjoyed at not being rained on, for once.

Peppy doesn't exactly seem to share Aurora's precise, ah, "enthusiasm" for the weather; he gives her a slightly funny look, wriggles his nose, wags his tail, and replies with a gruff "Lithe", a kind of grudging affirmative. Is there any weather Peppy *does* like? All he does is complain about this or that, no matter what it's like outside! It's like his least favorite weather is whatever kind he's outside in at that very moment! There's a slight pause, followed by, <... It's definitely better than rain, at least!> Wriggle wriggle, this time his whole body. Probably a shiver. He catches the lively grin on Aurora's face, smiles softly, and watches her just for a second or two before turning - ta da! - back to the barn. If Aurora continues walking, she's going to leave him behind (which, granted, isn't a *terrible* outcome, but still).

When Peppy replies to her comment on the weather, Aurora nods enthusiastically. <Oh yes, it's so much better than rain...> she replies, and shivers once more. As Peppy turns to head back to the barn, she stays standing where she is, watching him for a while, and then shivers again before trotting up to walk beside him. <It's a little cold, maybe, but soon our fur will get thicker so we won't feel it. It's not bad like this when it's dry, so I'm just happy the weather is dry. Don't you agree?> she finishes, still with a wide smile. Looks like the lack of rain has made Aurora uncharacteristically (for the autumn) cheerful.

Rattata snatching things away, save the base without delay! (Saving)

A thick layer of stratus clouds cloaks the sky at mid-day.

Huh? What? Coats? Peppy doesn't completely understand what the heck Aurora means by "our fur getting thicker", and likely he won't until sometime tonight, when it'll suddenly hit him. As Aurora approaches, he masks his confusion with a toothy smile, a tail wag, and a really light growl that gets lost on the wind. <That's true,> he agrees, though he doesn't smile as he normally would. <But it's probably not going to be like this for a long time.> A shiver runs down his spine, caused by the weather (or perhaps by a thought), and he shifts weight onto the right side of his body, looking a tad uncomfortable. <... Hey, Aurora?> Uh oh. Given his squinty eyed look, his tight frown, and his stiff body, this is probably not going to be a particularly happy thought.

Rattata snatching things away, save the base without delay! (Saving)

Aurora's once again looking around happily at the trees and plants outside the barn, and sniffing at the air, and is thus not paying as much attention to Peppy as she ought. His observation gets a rather distracted reply of, <I suppose not, no...> before she actually realises what he's said, and looks at him, her ears drooping a little as her smile fades. <You think the weather will get bad soon?> she asks, and then her ears prick up again as she realises Peppy's asked her a question. <What is it, Peppy?> she replies to him.

An uneasy smile marks Peppy's response to Aurora's first question - not exactly an enthusiastic reply, by any means. The Growlithe stands there for a couple moments, his ears all drooping and flapping in the wind, the wind swishing through his fur, his tail limp and lifeless. Uncomfortable is a good way to describe how he looks right now. So is anxious. Unsettled. <It's... well, um, the puppies are getting really big now, aren't they?> Sounds innocent enough so far. He'll give Aurora a second to respond, likely nodding in reply, before continuing. <... Some of them might stay with, er, with us, but I have a feeling that most or maybe all of them will want to go as soon as possible. To, um, to you know, get out of the barn.> Typical teenage behavior. Almost interesting that Peppy managed to figure this out. He opens his mouth to say more, pauses, then closes it, letting his mate input anything she desires.

Peppy's reply brings up an issue that Aurora evidently hadn't considered, judging by the look of surprise on her face. <I... suppose they might, maybe...> She looks a little puzzled, though, and shakes her head slightly. <Wouldn't they want to stay with family for a while, though? I think I was nearly three years old before I wanted to leave...> She glances over at the barn, and gives a half-hearted little smile. <If they want to go when the weather gets warmer again, then maybe they should. But I hope they stay around for a little while. It'll be strange not having a large family...> She turns to look at Peppy, as if to see whether he agrees or not, and then blushes and shakes her head. <Oh! I didn't mean that it wouldn't be nice to have just two of us again, though...> she adds hastily, her barks stuttered slightly with embarrassment.

Rattata snatching things away, save the base without delay! (Saving)

The sky is grey and cloudy, and nothing casts a shadow. The northwest wind is chilly.

Bing! Aurora seems to have definitely interested Peppy, for sometime during her speech he jumps up slightly, quickly settling himself back down onto his haunches. <Really?> he peeps softly after Aurora mentions that she didn't want to leave until she was three. He nods softly as she continues speaking, trying to quell his excitement, though he cants his head slightly when she quickly covers up for an error that Peppy didn't even notice. He takes a moment or two to figure out why she looks so embarassed all of a sudden, widens his eyes slightly in understanding after he figures it out, and nods softly. <I understand what you mean,> he assures her, tail swish-swishing in the wind. It kicks up some dust on the dirt path, which flies into the air and finds itself lost in the air's current. <I love you and love being around you,> he woofs, turning his head to the side as though that will somehow lessen his blush (or at least hide it from his mate). <But I love the puppies too, and I'm concerned about them. I want them to do what they want and go when they want to go... but I also don't want them to get hurt.> He turns his head into the wind, shrugging as best he can slightly, and stays silent for a moment. <I wanted to leave my parents as soon as possible when I was about one,> he woofs, voice low and soft - Aurora may have to strain to hear him. <... Maybe I'm afraid they feel the same.>

Rattata snatching things away, save the base without delay! (Saving)

Aurora nods to Peppy. <It was fun where I lived, and it was so big and full of other Growlithes and other pokemon that I didn't ever think about leaving, until my older brother came back. Then he said so many things about the world outside that I wanted to see what it was like... Maybe the pups will be like that too. They've lived in the barn all their lives, but so many other pokemon come in from outside...> Peppy's blush doesn't go quite unnoticed, and Aurora herself blushes a little, whispering a quiet, <Thank you,> before hushing to listen to his last comment. When he's finished, Aurora's silent for several moments, considering her reply. She finally says, <I think it'd be sad and lonely without the pups here...> Looking up, she tries to catch Peppy's eye as she continues. <But I think it'd be worse if we tried to stop them leaving if they wanted to. You've taught them well, and so I'm sure they'll do well.>

Peppy nods slowly and continuously throughout Aurora's speech, small little signs of body language that don't mean much, just that he's still awake. <I know,> he mumbles to himself after Aurora has finished speaking. <I know, I know,> he repeats a bit louder - not irritated, but definitely a little stressed. <My... parents weren't like you and me, I don't think.> He shakes his head here, sighing softly, nose wriggling at the thought. <You and I... I think, um, I think we did a good job.> There's a bit of cheer there, but it's almost sullen. <... But when Patch let me go, it was so cold, so scary, so terrible, the thought of imagining one of our puppies out there in the snow, no food, no water, no shelter...> So far Peppy's doing a good job keeping himself from crying. The wind blows stronger now, and his face is alight with dancing furs. <You and I will be together forever, so I can always protect you. But I can't do the same for any of the pups, once they're off on their own, and that hurts a lot.> Another sullen sigh, this one louder.

Rattata snatching things away, save the base without delay! (Saving)

<So let's not send them out in the cold, then!> Aurora replies heatedly, almost as soon as Peppy's finished talking, perhaps even as he's still sighing. <If they want to leave to see new places, and maybe make their own families... we should let them.> She shakes her head as she continues, <But we'll tell them it's best to go in the spring, when it's getting warm. And we'd better tell them how to build a den, and show them what sorts of fruits are good to eat, and let them practice hunting again and again...> Her heated, intent expression shifts into a little smile, and she adds, <They'll survive, I know it. We survived, and we can teach them how to. Remember, they're your pups, so they'll be good at hunting and finding food. I'm sure of it.> Another smile, and Aurora looks at Peppy with sympathy in her eyes. <What we can do to help them is prepare them for when they do leave.>

Wow. Aurora seems passionate about what she's saying, and it's enough to snap Peppy right out of his blue funk. His head whips up, but all he can do is peer at her intently, eyes wide, jaw slack, as she informs him on what they should do, what would be best, and how to prepare ahead of time, instead of moping around and feeling sad. And once she's finished, all Peppy can do is kind of blink at her, before, slowly, a smile creeps onto his face... first small, then wider, then very big. <You're right,> he announces, getting up to his feet. <It was cold, and scary, but I made it, and you made it, and if we can do it then our kids can, too. Instead of just protecting them forever, we'll make sure they can protect themselves.> It all sounds so amazingly simple and obvious to Peppy now that Aurora's instilled it in his head. He looks up at Aurora, squinting slightly from the wind, and gives her a small smile. <You're right. ... As usual.> The smile widens, and this time, he steps forward, leaning towards her, prepared to give her a warm, affectionate nuzzle, a nice contrast to the biting cold. If this touch is successful, he'll even whisper to her, <And I thank you for that.> Aww.