Contents:
Navarone
Obvious exits:
Northeast <NE> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Trader Way.
Southwest <SW> leads to Celadon City: Eastern Entrance.

A light rain falls from a grey sky. It's warm and there's a slight wind from the southeast. In the forest, raindrops patter against the leaves, and glisten like silver beads on their deep green surfaces. The wet tree trunks have darkened from grey to brown. While at the coast, the rain dances on the surface of the playful blue ocean gently.

It's raining. Darn it all, it's raining. Water drips from the sky, and the warm weather makes it seem as though it's more humid than it really is. The occasional tree along this section of route 7 provides for very little protection from the rain - the most Peppy the Growlithe can find is the sanctuary of small bushes, and those are nearly worthless. <Rain!> grumbles the puppy as he squeezes his way out of a bush, the seventh one he's tried this morning. Little discontent "Grrrr"s and "Lithe-Grrrr"s soon follow as the canine further mumbles about the wet weather. He can't wait for summer.

Meanwhile, while Peppy is going about his business, a certain Vulpix rests under the rainy sky, unaware that the day has turned dark and dreary. Even if it might be the start of summer, the weather seems to note otherwise. The poor little fox pokemon seems oblivious to it all, as he seems to be indulging in one of Peppy's favoutite pastimes. Which is sleeping. Nav's pretty much lying in the same position where he started day-dreaming yesterday, right next to the little mound where he dug yesterday. He's sleeping peacefully and serenely, and even if he may not be the most adorable Vulpix in the world, he looks sorta.. cute.

One if by land, two if by sea, behind me I seem to be able to see! (Saving)

Peppy's mad. Mad at the rain, mad at his growling tummy, mad at... uh... the rain, and it shows in his little growls. "Grrrrowlithe," he complains to himself, as though if he whines enough the rain will stop. After popping out of the bush, the dog makes his way - moving quickly with stomps - onward, hoping to find a tree that provides decent shelter. As he walks, he thrusts his head up to the sky, growling a little, trying to look for any sign of the weather clearing up. He sees none. Rain gets in his eyes, and he tries to blink it out. And then...

Navarone snorts, and twitches. He sort of raises a paw, but then the paw just falls back limply earthward. Looks like he's still asleep... Then again, maybe not for long. His working eye squints a little, and once again he raises his paw, but this time it seems to be slammed down back to the ground. The paw digs into the earth, and there's a look of discomfort on Nav's face. Ears twitch. Tails swing back and forth, abruptly. He frequently moans to himself, a moan that seems to come from both discomfort of the rain... and of something else. Bad dream? What else could it be?

Peppy, lying in his Crumpled Heap, finally sees enough through blurry eyes (with a little help of his nose and Navarone's scent) to recognize that he didn't trip over Aurora, but, rather, Navarone. "Growlithe?" he mutters to himself, rolling over onto his tummy and pushing up onto all fours. Most pokemon would react after being stumbled over - but not this one. Is the Vulpix dead? Peppy asks himself this, even as he *sees* the fox's paw lift and drop, lift and drop. Peppy approaches the fire-type, giving him a poke in the cheek with his cold nose. <Are you okay?> he asks, almost worriedly. What if he killed the Vulpix when he tripped over him? Uh oh!

A light rain falls from a grey sky. It's warm and there's a slight wind from the southeast.

Navarone continues to moan and move about uncomfortably. And then, his moans start to turn into something that's actually comprehensible. Intertwined with his moans, there's several "no's", softly and melancholicly uttered, and something like "don't take her". He starts to move around slightly more vigourously, but then there's an interruption; Peppy's cold, clammy nose. He wakes up with a start, and if he could sweat, he'd be waking up to a cold one. His eyes are stricken with terror, as he glances around, shocked and frightened, unaware of Peppy's presence (once again).

Peppy, now sort of scared himself, peers at the newly awakened Navarone. A drop of water hits his right eyelid, and the dog flinches a bit but otherwise is almost motionless. A moment of quiet. Then Peppy asks, his voice very innocent and lightly curious, but also caring, <... Who is 'her'?> A pause. <Who were they trying to take?> He's also very quiet, though it's possible that he's only afraid Navarone is going to beat him up for tripping over the fox. As least Navarone's not dead.

Navarone almost jumps when heraing Peppy's voice, but with his voice being so innocent, it's hard to get frightened. Nav turns slowly, until he comes face to face with the Growltihe. He's still breathing heavily, and (obviously) still very much dumbstruck by fear. He doesn't catch the first question, but he does get the second one, and as he stares at the ground he tries to ponder what the pup means. Maybe.. maybe he was talking in his sleep. He raises his head again, and tries to speak, in a slightly cracked voice. <.... Her. And her.> What is he saying? Not even he knows. He's still shocked by this whole incident to even ask when the hey did Peppy appear in all this. Can't blame him; it's the first time he's ever been so shocked before.

Peppy just kind of peers at Navarone a little more, trying to sort this all out in his mind. He really doesn't want to hurt or offend the Vulpix - but, likewise, he's not exactly smart enough to know exactly what to say. After a small pause, Peppy smiles a little bit, and his tail gives a light little wag. <Are you talking about your mother?> he asks, trying to see if he can piece this together. Who else could the Vulpix be talking about? (Friends, mates, sisters, and trainers all pushed aside, of course.)

Navarone's ears perk up when Peppy mentions Nav's mother. He turns his head towards him once more, his eyes hinting more at suprise, than at shock. He shivers slightly, and then wraps his tails around himself. <How... how did you know?> No one knows much about Nav's mother, not even Navarone himself, strangely. <How did you know who I was dreaming about?> But then, there's another mystery; he mention two 'her's. If one's her mother, who's the other one?

That "two hers" fact goes completely over his head. But as Navarone asks how he knew, Peppy just sort of blinks, furrowing his eyebrows. <I was right?> Hey! Maybe Peppy's actually getting smarter after all! ... Or perhaps it was just dumb luck. ... Yeah, emphasis on the dumb part. <I was right!> The puppy gives a light little grin, before realizing this isn't the exact best time for a grin. Peppy sits down on his rump, making sure not to crush his tail. <I just... thought... who else could it be?> As established, friends, mates, sisters, and trainers haven't even hit Peppy's mind. Dumb pup.

Navarone continues looking forward at Peppy, and then nods at his statement. He smiles a little, finding it strange that this pup can offer him some comfort in that sense. <Yeah, you're right. Who else...> He rights himself up, and sits down on his haunches, and clears his throat. Uh oh. Is Nav gonna burst into a tear-jerking tale about how his mom was taken away from him as a cub? <Then there's.. Her.> Apparently not. Nav tilts his head skywards, looking at the cloudy-grey sky, and then a raindrop falls into his eye, and he blinks and shakes it away, and in the process shaking a tear loose as well, though that isn't the last tear he's going to shed for some time.

But oh, poor Peppy. It completely goes right over his head, and in reply to the Vulpix, Peppy simply woofs a somewhat nervous, <Right... Your mom, right?> A pause. <Are you mad at your mom?> Pause. <How long has it been since you've seen her?> Pause. <Do you remember that she looks like?> It's only just now that Peppy is actually remembering his own mom. It's been years. He doesn't say anything about her, however - though whether it's because he wants to keep the topic on Navarone or it's because he doesn't remember his mother is unclear.

One if by land, two if by sea, behind me I seem to be able to see! (Saving)

Navarone looks up at Peppy, as he begins his string of questions. He stares curiously at Peppy when he asks the first question. <Mad? No, no, not at all..>. Second question. <...I dunno.. But I probably won't see her again, unfortunately.> Sniff. He raises a paw to wipe his face. <What she looks like? I.... forget. It's been so long since.. since..> A soft sigh escapes from Navarone's muzzle. He rests himself back on the ground, burying his face underneath his paws. There's a soft choking, sobbing sound coming from him.. <I miss her very much.> That about sums it up.

What is Peppy supposed to do now? Give the Vulpix a nuzzle? Comfort him with words? Leave him to himself to think? A Growlithe with an IQ might be able to know exactly what to do. Peppy does not. <Well...> He pauses for a moment. And then he gets an idea. He'll simply compare this entire thing - to himself and Patch. <Well, maybe you should just... stay... hoping.> He turns to glance at the sobbing Vulpix, and continues. <Because maybe you will see her again, and then you'll be happier. If she misses you, too, she'll try to find you, and with both of you looking for each other, maybe you will meet one day!>

Navarone lifts a paw from his face, and looks up at Peppy with a half smirk, half choked-with-sorrow-kinda-look. <I stopped hoping a long time ago. I've already tried all that I could do to get her back. Nothing worked. But I know she's somewhere, maybe here, maybe somewhere else, maybe even dead... But I've learned to accept all that. It's just that..> He turns away, looking at the path which vehicles take to go back and forth between Saffron and Celadon. <Oh Spook, where -are- you?> He looks at the road wistfully, wondering to himself.

The train of thought has left the station, leaving Peppy behind without a ticket. The Growlithe is completely lost now. Isn't 'Spook' what happened when a Katerwaul finds you and haunts you? A light little shiver runs through Peppy's body - probably as the thought of Katerwauls, though it could just be the cold rain. Maybe... <Is Spook your mom?> Peppy asks softly, very innocently and timidly. <She can't be dead. Maybe she's... adventuring somewhere else.> A pause. <Maybe she's thinking about you right now!>

Navarone laughs a little when the mention of Spook being his maternal icon come up. The correction comes almost instantly. <No, no, Spook's somebody else... And right now, I'm worried about her, more than anything else. The second and third comments make him nod. <Maybe, maybe.> But it's killing him slowly to not know what exactly is going on with her. And when one hasn't seen a loved one for almost one and a half seasons... <Oh, why do I have to go through this again. Wasn't once enough?>

Peppy is awfully confused right about now, as has been constantly established. <Maybe... maybe...> Peppy is shivering softly now, despite having a full coat of fur. He's cold - and it doesn't feel like it's from the rain. He doesn't know what to do. Comparing this situation to Patch won't do anything. He lies down upon his tummy now, his chin in the mud, and glances at Navarone. A moment or two passes. <If it's happened twice before,> finally woofs Peppy, going on another of his twists of logic. <It can't happened a third time.>

Navarone sighs as he lifts up an ear to listen to another one of Peppy's 'logical' advice. <Well, what if it does?> And at this point, his voice starts to get slightly more angry in tone. <What if it does Peppy? Could I take any more of it? I know you've lost your trainer, but that's because she released you! It was in her best interests! She wanted you to be happy!.. And.. and you are, I guess..> He lets his head droop a little, but just as quickly raises it again, and now speaking in a harsher tone of voice. <..But this is different! You don't know what it's like to have the things, the ones you loved most... simply get snatched out of your paws, and then just sit there knowing you can't do a thing about it.> He looks away, and cringes. <It's not fair... It's not FAIR!> AT this outburst, he digs his claws into the ground, and cringes yet again, while a tear slowly rolls down his cheek, and drops to the ground, falling in a small pool of rain gathering there.

A light rain falls from a grey sky. It's warm and there's a slight wind from the southeast.

Peppy jumps up, taking a few quick steps back. The outburst sends a sharp, sharp pain in the pup's chest, and he begins panting and breathing hard as he simply glances at the Vulpix, not sure at all of what to do. Moments pass, Peppy just peering. <But... you just...> He finally starts at last, trembling softly. <You can't just... just... give up. Would Spook like it if you gave up?> Another pause. A thought comes to Peppy's mind. He takes a step forward. <If things were fair, humans wouldn't take us unless we wanted to go, and we wouldn't have to hide from them. They wouldn't let us go unless we wanted to.> Peppy's chest is heaving in even more and more now, and he's getting inch by inch more angry. <But it's not fair. And just as much as I growl at the rain, it doesn't go away, and growling at Spook and others isn't going to help either!> By the end of his statement, Peppy is practically howling or roaring at Navarone, his entire body tensed. It's unlikely that he even realizes what he's saying.

One if by land, two if by sea, behind me I seem to be able to see! (Saving)

If Peppy's howling at Navarone, what Nav's gonna say next is gonna sound like a jumbo jet just flew over your head. <What do you know!? You're just some pup who got left behind, that's all. You don't know how I feel! You haven't gone through this, and then have to go through it again! You don't just take someone's mother away from them! You don't just leave your loved ones! But here I am, stuck in a world full of.. full of.. Argh!> He turns away, showing his side (the one with the blind eye on it) to Peppy. <The world isn't fair. It's not fair at all. But there'll come a time, when I change all that. That is a promise that I'll make to myself. You can't just go on hoping and expect it to come true, no, you have to do something about it.> He turns back to Peppy, with eyes once full of sorrow and disappointment, now brimming with rage. <Once I know what I have to do, there's no way to stop me from doing it. No one can. Not you, not the humans.>

Peppy is scared now. He was at first curious, then a bit shcoked, then intimidated, but now he's out and out scared at the Vulpix screaming his head off at him. In contrast to the roaring he was doing only a few moments earlier, the Growlithe seems very timid, very quiet with his ears down at his tail drooping. With a quivering jaw, Peppy practically whispers, so quietly that it may be a struggle for Navarone to hear, <If you really think you can do something, then do it. We all have problems - and sometimes hoping is all we can do.> With a second of hesitation, Peppy's defensive stance relaxes, and he simply turns around. Almost nothing short of Navarone getting up and tackling him will stop the pup from starting to walk away from the Vulpix, not giving him one last glance.

Navarone continues staring at Peppy as he walks away, not hearing what the pup whispered just a moment ago. As Peppy strolls off, Navarone somewhat relaxes, and tsks. He hangs his head in regret, maybe he shouldn't have burst out on him, but it's too late to apologize now; he's already been told off once. He lays himself back on the ground, and just whispers to himself, <Why do I have to get so mad with everyone?>. He sighs, and continues pondering the possible whereabouts of his Vulpix companion.

The moment Peppy finds his way out of Navarone's sight, he simply sighs and drops to the ground in a heap. "Lithe," he mutters, exasperated, his chest clenching and his head pounding. <I wish somebody could put a stop to all the bad stuff in the world,> the pup whispers to himself, drawing a surprising amount of comfort from the thought. With a yawn, he growls out a small, <Maybe someday,> before placing his scarred cheek down in the mud and falling into the most uneasy sleep he's ever had.