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

Fair weather clouds sail across the blue sky, propelled by light breezes from the west. It's warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and the air is clear and dry. In the forest, the wind rustles the bright green leaves of trees and bushes and carries Oddish pollen, downy seeds, and the fragrance of wildflowers along with it. While at the coast, the ocean is a deep cool blue today, the waves lapping at the coast gently under the pleasant spring sky.

Summer is in the air! Spring still lingers on with its mild weather and humid air, but the days are becoming warmer and warmer, and rain is coming down less and less. In preparation of the oncoming hot weather, fur-bearing pokemon are starting to shed their coats, and hair mixes in with pollen and grass as it flows around outside. While shedding's no big deal for pokemon who spend more of their life outside, being cooped up in a barn with seven Growlithes can cause some problems during this season, and the straw-covered wooden floor is blanketed with little strands of orange, white, and black hair. Perhaps it's a mixed blessing, for at this moment, Peppy (who is supposed to be watching the kids) has just a minute ago slipped into slumber, no doubt using the more bedlike ground as an excuse. Aurora's nuzzled into him, no doubt comforted by the thought of knowing that Peppy has everything under control and he's keeping perfect watch over the kids. Lovely.

Everything is certainly under control. Most definitely and for sure, things are just fine! While the weather this afternoon makes for good napping and an extra blanket of fur provides additional padding for weary bones, there is at least one Growlithe who doesn't feel the need for a nap. Slipping out from under a sleeping puppy pile with a yawn and stiff-legged stretch, Dusk surveys the rather quiet barn. For the most part, there is little going on. The chests of her parents rise and fall with slumber and an occasional Pidgey swoops down to grab a swatch of hair to add to their nest, but that seems to be all that is going on within the wooden walls of the barn for now. Casting a wary eye to the corner, the black eared female checks on her malicious brother. Perfect, snoozing away and on his own as usual. What is a puppy to do? Flopping down on her rump, the littlest Growlithe gives a sigh and stares at the sleeping heap of flesh and fur that comprises her family. They sleep too much, she concludes, tilting her head to the side and perking an ear. Both blue eyes focus on Peppy and the pup grins and wags her bushy tail, then they peer at the open door longingly; freedom!

Unfortunately for Dusk, Aurora, perhaps taken away by some thought in her sleep, accidentally nudges Peppy's side, causing the male Growlithe to perk right up and expel a frantic, <I'm awake! I'm watching them!> A wave of realization floods over Peppy, and the dog blinks once, twice, three times, before squeezing his blue eyes shut, turning to the floor, and shaking briskly. He seems uncertain of whether or not he was actually sleeping. Surely he'd never neglect his puppy-watching chores..? Slowly, his eyes stray over to the pile of snoozing Growlithes, and he mumbles the numbers to himself. "Gr... row... li..." Glance to Flame. "Lii... Lii?" He repeats it once more. Four is one less than five, he ever so brilliantly deducts, and, lifting his head even higher, he scans the barn for sight of Puppy Number 5. His eyes eventually settle right on Dusk. <There ya are,> he woofs, more to himself than to Dusk.

Dusk hadn't gotten very far, so Peppy's sudden awakening, both mathematically and literally, causes her to tail tuck and spin her head to look at him. The look reads guilty, even if it was just for a thought. Dusk grins sheepishly at her adoring father, bats her lashes over those baby blue eyes and wags her tail for all she is worth. See dad, perfect angel! The bored pup isn't quite sure what to do now, however. Her fun has been squelched, she doesn't want to sleep and there is nothing to do. So, when all else fails, say something! Dusk lowers her front end and wags her tail in happy windmills, both black ears perked on top of her head. <Hi dad,> she says in her usual, soft spoken manner.

Could Peppy ever, even if he didn't try, think of Dusk as anything but his perfect angel? Of course not, and when she greets her father in her normal quiet voice, the older Growlithe can't help but grow a smile on his face. <You look pretty happy today, don't you, Dusk?> Peppy asks, somehow managing to look right over her disappointment at not being able to escape or her sheer boredom. Even if he doesn't catch it from her, Peppy, idly glancing over to look at the snoring puddle of puppies, realizes that poor Dusk must be bored - all her siblings are fast asleep, even Dakota! Perhaps fearful of the fact that if he lies back down Peppy will no doubt slip back into sleep, the Growlithe pushes himself up to all four paws, grunting and yawning and stretching as he does so. He cracks his neck to the left, to the right, forward, back, and finally front again. <You... need someone to play with, hon?> he asks, perhaps a little apprehensively.

Dusk cocks her head, ears tipping to the side as she ponders this question. Of all the puppies in the barn, her idea of play and interest in it is a little off. <Yes?> she answers in the form of a question, totally unsure what to play even if someone, say her father, were willing to. The small creature sighs and turns a small circle, trying to catch her fuzzy tail and then halts again, sitting down and blinking at Peppy in a sophisticated manner. What a sharp contrast or possibly an ideal contradiction this little one is. <I wanna hunt,> she finally states, face totally serious despite its youthful cuteness. One soft wag back and forth is added, then all is still and she peers at her father and hero expectantly.

A reply in the form of a question is no good to a dumb dog like Peppy, and the Growlithe can only peer quizically at Dusk for a few moments after she chirps. Was that a yes? Or was it a maybe yes? Or did she mumble a question that ended with "yes" that Peppy couldn't hear? Dusk's little tail-chasing circle perplexes poor Peppy even further, and he cocks his head slightly in the same manner as his daughter. Looks like that's one thing she got from him. <You want to hunt?> Now it's Peppy replying in rhetorical questions. He slowly, almost cautiously, gazes down at Aurora's sleeping form, and regards it for a moment before woofing to Dusk, still looking at his mate, <It won't be long now. You're getting bigger and stronger every day...> Now his scouring eyes shift over to Dusk, and he squints slightly as he watches her, comparing her to the mental image he has of her just a few months ago. A light smile forms on his face. <As soon as I can find somebody to watch over your siblings while we take you hunting, we'll hunt until you can't hunt anymore. All right?>

<Yeah yeah!> the little female yips quietly, circling happily and then rushing towards her father. The puppy prances in front of him, tail wagging and attempts to shower his face in doggy kisses. <I can't wait!> she adds, doing yet another circle. Perhaps there is something wrong with her? After a moment's elation, the puppy frowns. <I'm bored,> she says, flopping to her haunches miserably and looking up at Peppy with those big sapphires. Ok dad, what you got now, hmm? Having one child at a time is bad enough, but five different ones as different as night and day has to be an incredible challenge.

A port in a storm, a home away from home. We're (saved)!

Peppy can't help but chuckle to himself at his daughter's excursion to the top of the hill only to tumble a minute later into a valley of boredom. <Remember, my daughter,> he woofs, his voice deeping ever-so-slightly. He always does this when he's saying something he finds wise. <You can't go out and abuse it, though. You can't...> He glances to the top of the rafters, where a mother Pidgey cares for one of her newborn children, barely a couple days old. <... Just hunt whatever moves, or whatever you feel like. You have to be very responsible with the skills we're going to teach you. Hunt only if you have to, and remember that your safety is more important than an easy dinner.> All of this is delivered proudly and happily, as though Peppy has been rehearsing this for weeks or months. He now looks down at Dusk, smiling broadly. Little does he know she's probably distracted. Or asleep.

Fair weather clouds sail across the blue sky, propelled by light breezes from the west. It's warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and the air is clear and dry.

Surprisingly enough, the puppy is sitting calmly and listening as if her life depended on this talk. Clever, she follows her father's gaze up to the nest. The little canine doesn't understand hunting yet; what hunting really is. It is a sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice. One creature must die to feed another, or perhaps a few others. For one so young to understand death and what it means, now that is too much for even a clever Growlithe puppy. It is likely that even Flame in all his cruelness, doesn't truly know what death and true pain are. <I just want to be like you,> the puppy adds with a wag and a doggy grin. Boy, even with that different coloration, she resembles Peppy a little. <And to be outside,> she adds, looking back at the door longingly.

The fact that Peppy's words (at least, so it seems) were absorbed by his daughter causes his bright smile to pull up even further, and her first comment makes the proud father's heart swell. And perhaps Peppy himself has only a small idea of what death is - the perception of knowing death is something essential for the lives of him and his family, an inevitability, unavoidable. But even Peppy, in all his blind naivity and thick headedness, realize that being a killer is not necessarily being needlessly cruel. Perhaps that's just something experience can teach. <Well, you'll get your chance soon enough, Dusk,> he assures her with a slight nod, following her gaze to the door. <But for now, you should worry about other things, like not being asleep when you're supposed to!> And with that, Peppy crouches very slightly, and, whether Dusk is looking or not, leans forward, extends a paw, and attempts to push Dusk over with it! By no means is he going to be particularly rough or mean, but he's certainly applying some force to it, and it's Dusk's reaction time that'll determine whether she can avoid getting knocked over or not!

The quick little puppy has grown in her agility and her grace, yet a surprise attack by the fatherly type is just not expected. Dusk squeaks and begins to jump aside, but she can't get far enough out of the way to avoid that large paw. The smallest Growlithe is sent into a roll by the strength of her papa's push and she sprawls, allowing herself to come to a stop belly up and tail wagging sheepishly. Is that not the cutest thing, or what? <Yah got me!> she states the obvious, pawing at the air and then covering her eyes with one paw in mock shame.

Peppy, apparently, doesn't know his own strength - that, or greatly overestimates his daughter. "Grow!" he barks in surprise (not too loudly, however) and prances forward a few steps, muzzle low to the ground, hoping he didn't injure her. Her voice sounds cheerful and healthy enough, however, and the ever worried father exhales a sigh of relief. Paranoia, thy name is Peppy. <One day you'll be big enough to knock me over!> the larger Growlithe exclaims, not without a tint of disbelief in his voice. She's so tiny, even compared to her siblings... but then, Peppy isn't exactly the biggest guy on the block himself. <But until you are big enough to do that, you'll just have to stay my little puppy.> Peppy now leans forward, and, if Dusk allows, he'll attempt to give her a gentle little nuzzle - not a big, passionate one, but just a little 'I love you' gesture. Apparently, Peppy does think that's the cutest thing.