Obvious exits:
North <N> leads to Saffron Road - Route 6: Saffron Approach.
South <S> leads to Saffron Road - Route 6: Rest Area.

Dana arrives from Saffron Highway - Route 6: Saffron Approach.
Dana has arrived.

Rix emerges from her pokeball!
Rix has arrived.

Everything is grey, veiled by mist. It's chilly and the air feels damp. There is no wind. In the forest, only the nearest tree branches, half-bereft of leaves, show their full color; more distant trees and branches are colorless and indistinct in the pallid grey fog, looking ghostly and not quite real. While at the coast, the sea is sluggish and grey as fog lays on its surface like a thick wet blanket.

Yech.

The weather isn't particularily hospitable to humans either, especially those who prefer the opposite end of the spectrum. Dana's only advantage on this cold, grey day is her familiarity with the path she walks. It's the same one she set foot on to begin her pokemon journey, and the one she uses to return to her home every month or so. Her Caterpie, Munch, rests on her shoulder as she meanders along. Rix the Tigrynx has also been loosed on the area, free to wander as she pleases.

Stalking casually ahead of her trainer, Rix surveys the area and chatters under her breath at the offensive weather. With a twitch of her ear and an occasional pause to lick at a patch of damp fur, the large feline leads the way to wherever it is the trio is going. The past months have been good to her. Her coat is a thick and glossy orange with black bar stripes and a pair of black ears crowning her head. Rix's lean body ripples with muscle and her kinked tail bobs and waggles as she walks in a silent commentary. The Tigrynx wears a slight smirk, tiny fangs protruding from beneath the smiling lips. Hasn't it been said that one should never trust a smiling cat?

If only Peppy could have half of the navigational skills that Dana currently possesses, he'd probably be nice and safe back at where he and his mate decided to retire for the night. But alas, Peppy's five brain cells don't allow for something as complex are "ability to make it out of an empty room", and as a result, the pup continues to wander aimlessly, just hoping he'll pick up Aurora's scent eventually. Pad pad pad drop sniff sniff "Grr!" lift pad pad pad drop sniff sniff... sniff? Okay, he doesn't smell a Rattata, and he doesn't smell a Growlithe, but he does smell... a something. The something is considerably familiar, but more in the "I've-smelled-this-before-but-forgotten-what-it-is" kind of familiar. The scent he's picked up is Rix's, hence why it's not completely foreign to him, but it's been too long. "Lithe?" Now permanently keeps his muzzle near the ground, Peppy follows his nose (wherever it goes!), tracing the way towards the Tigrynx. Now where has he smelled this before?

The trainer, as practically always, is completely oblivious to her surroundings. Professors may have lectured her before, and real life has certainly reminded her that such reliance on pokemon is foolish, but Dana persists. Ah, youth. At least today she has a good set of senses leading her along the road. Munch, ever reliable translator and pal to Rix chirps nonsense at the big cat in between huge bites of autumn leaf. His culinary critique is the final step towards lulling Dana into a contented stroll, her eyes tilted skywards.

Rix stops to shake her right front paw in disdain. Humidity could be so oppressive to those wearing fur coats. The smirk widens a bit as she listens to her bug playmate babbling between bites. <You got lousy taste, but good reasoning,> the feline comments offhandedly as she picks up the pace once again. Her maturity level has improved, but it is clear from her swishing stride that she is still a little head strong and prideful. Her delicate pink nose wrinkles as she sniffs the air around her. Scents don't travel far in weather like this, but the ones near by hang in the air, intense for the sniffing. A small noise behind the team draws her attention. She continues walking, pretending to ignore the noise for now. She slows until she finds herself in the rear, then, with a quick pivot on her haunches and a burst of speed, she bounds down the path and leaps into the bushes sending a small Rattata running.

The problem with Rix's scent is that she's entirely familiar and at the same time entirely unplacable. As he marches along, Peppy tries to run individuals through his head. The pup is at least able to narrow it down to some mammal-like pokemon choices, but all of these are discarded as he goes through them. Streetwind? Nope. Navarone? Nah. Aurora? ... Now that's just silly. As the Growlithe begins to come up behind Dana - quite unintentionally - he also starts to catch a bit of her own scent, and this can't help but confuse him even further. Peppy comes to a gradual halt, though he remains standing on all four paws. His face bewildered, his tail drooping from confusion, and his ears little flaps on the sides of his fuzzy head, the fire-dog peers as hard into the fog as he can, as if he's trying to see what in the world he's catching the aroma of. Being a very colorblind Growlithe in the middle of the fog is not a very good pokemon to be, however, and the most the canine can detect is some faint movement far into the mist. His curiosity taking a hold - hey, if the scent is slightly familiar, it can't be that bad, right? - he lifts his head to the sky and howls a quick, "Grooooowlithe?" <Who's out there?>

Dana's foot hangs in midair as the howl sounds. She's unable to help the twitch of her hand, nor the sudden ripple of muscle up and down her back. As she recognizes the howl for what it is (namely, not the hunting cry of some kind of horrible death-dealing creature from beyond the grave), she silently chides herself for being so foolish. The step is completed, and she pivots, one thumb hooking in her pocket, skittering over the smooth surfaces of her pokeballs. "Rix?" she calls into the fog, suddenly acutely aware of the fact that she's lost sight of the cat. Her query is echoed by the bug on her shoulder. <Rix? Who's there?>

Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)

As the howl echoes through the mist, Rix lets the Rattata scamper away down the path. The rodent scampers for its life, calling assorted curses at the large feline from over its shoulder. The large cat slinks into a low trot, making it a habit never to answer anyone she couldn't see. It just wasn't a trick that an experienced hunter would fall for. Her gate is slow and steady, claws flexing and relaxing so as to make as little noise as possible as. She sniffs carefully at the air, not ground tracking. Finally, the smell hits her. Peppy is not the only one to recognize the scent of a long lost memory. The Tigrynx's thoughts immediately begin to sort through the stacks of memories and scents. The feline finally decides that in this case, an answer is appropriate. <I am!> she mrowls in a half growl, half proclamation. Leave it to a feline to answer a question so thoroughly.

Peppy sometimes boggles the mind. He just howled out a question into the middle of a fog, and still somehow he misses Dana's reply. If he had, his face would be awfully different than what it is right now - a perplexed look of bewilderment and insatiable curiosity. Peppy's muzzle drops to the path once again, and he sniff! sniff! sniffs his way along, quickly approaching Dana. He's not moving very fast, nor does he look, with his bushy tail wagging and his fur all fluffy from the mists of the enivornment, overly threatening. The trainer probably has nothing to worry about - but having said that, a dancing Clefairy could scare somebody if she approaches them in the middle of a dark fog. The Growlithe goes come to a complete and total stop, however, his paw remaining suspended in the air as Peppy pauses in mid-step. ... ... The voice and the scent match up. His paw drops to the ground, and the pup seems to suddenly sag considerably - though not from depression or because he's disappointed. <... Rix?> he whimpers softly into the cloud, slowly glancing around him, peering into the fog, halfway nervous, halfway immensely interested. His growls are still quiet: <Rix, is that you?> Hey, he remembers -her- name - can't say the same for almost everybody else he's met.

The trusty flashlight is out now, though the hand holding it may not be entirely steady. Munch tries to piece together the bits of conversation he's hearing through the oppressive fog, passing them on to Dana as she takes up a familiar pattern of motion. Step, pause, look left, right, up, down, ahead, then repeat. She doesn't call out for Rix again, though. She trusts in the Tigrynx's instincts. As she moves haltingly towards the source of the muffled whines and growls, she withdraws another pokeball, activating it behind her back so the flare of red doesn't show as much. A moment later, a Vulpix pads to the trainer's side, peering inquisitively at the fog ahead. "Something ahead, Tiff," Dana murmurs, taking a slightly longer step than she intended. "Careful."

Rix's tail launches into motion, waggling this way and that as the feline hears her own name. For a moment, she almost bounds back to Dana in her excitement. The Tigrynx runs a few steps toward Dana, mouth open but no words coming out, then she bounds in the opposite direct toward the voice that is now calling to her. She skids to a hault in front of the Vulpix and then spins back around. <ME! Rix is me!> she affirms, her brain finally processing that a canine howl plus the scent plus her name must equalPeppy! Ears flattened to her head and green eyes wide and bright, the ecstatic cat flies out of the fog as fast as her four paws can carry her. Her whiskers are extended carefully and she navigates through the darkness and the fog guided now by excitement as well as a hunters' instinct. Launching herself into the air, 70 pounds of orange furry is aimed in the general direction of the dislocated canine voice.

The thought of Peppy being a threat to anything that isn't a helpless burger is enough to crack a smile over, but the mist definitely creates an illusion over the pup - any pokemon, most especially a fire-breathing sharp-toothed howling Growlithe, is something to be concerned over. Peppy's completely ignorant to this fact, however - to himself, all he is is a fuzzy, hungry pup trying to make his way back to his mate. Make that a -confused- fuzzy, hungry pup. Having just been yowled at (her! Rix is her!), Peppy's uncertain. Heck, worried. The striped canine glances around nervously, whimpering yet another, quieter, <... Ri... Rix? Is th- oooomph!> "Groooowl!" A large furry bullet smashes right into the poor pup's side, causing him to go crashing the ground and sliding across the dirt, bumping, tumbling, stumbling until finally landing on his back, a familiar feline face pinning him down. The pup growls, whimpers, struggles, squiggles, and squirms... for about a second and a half. Reason takes over quickly enough. It's Rix. It's a friend. Peppy's not about to get chewed to pieces. With that, the green-eyed pup simply peers up at the larger female pokemon, panting (but not loudly), otherwise totally silent.

Yeah, this girl is utterly oblivious. Despite Munch and Tiff's best efforts to keep her on track, Dana's now wandered even further from Rix and her pal. The trainer's flashlight flickers over the grassland near the road as she silently searches for her pokemon and the source of the sound.

Dana has disconnected.

Rix grins toothily down at her pokepup pal with glittering eyes. Many months have gone by and her life has changed so much. What would he have to say for her knew life? What has been going on in his? The feline can't seem to find the words, but one single tear drips carefully from her right eye. Her friend and hero, a canine, but someone she liked more than almost any other creature? 'More than Munch?' her subconscious asks. <I dunno,> she answers in a whisper. 'More than Dana?' it prods again. <But I> she mutters again, shaking her head, ears still flat against her skull. <I missed you,> is finally all that she can say to the Growlithe as she sits there in the midst of the fog.

Peppy is still a little shaken up - rightfully so, he's just practically had a heart attack, and rightfully so. Still, even now, trapped in a position that would make the average Growlithe mortified with shame, Peppy doesn't necessarily feel weak. His paws dangling lifeless in the air, his breathing becoming more and more normal, the canine pokemon glances up at his old friend as the memories come rolling back. The time at the farm... where she scared him... but then he saved her... the Arcanine... the drowning... <It... really is you?> Peppy half-questions very quietly, as though he himself can't exactly believe it. <But you've... and I've, we've...> His gaze turns to the side to avoid Rix's own - a gesture that looks very deliberate thanks to his awkward position on his back. His tail would be wagging if he wasn't crushing it. <You've missed so much...> he half-mumbles, half-growls.

Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)

Rix sighs a little and removes her bulk from the pounced canine. She adjusts herself into a seated position head held high. While this is definitely the same Tigrynx, a lot has changed about her since Peppy last set eyes on her. Before she was thin, weak and scruffy from struggles with trainers and hunting. Now both well cared for, and a successful hunter when she needed to be, Rix looks in good form. Her ears flick from down to up and then down again. They are the only part of her that moves. Even her normally twitchy tail is held limp and still as she decides what to make of this situation.

The misty light dims slightly.

Gosh, what's he supposed to tell her? What does she already know? Does she know that he's got a mate? Does she -want- to know? Should he tell her that he hunts now? Did she ever know he didn't? Should he tell her he's going back to where they first met? Is she heading there too? Is that human hers? So many questions bounce around in the poor pup's head, and he seriously lacks the ability to pick and choose properly. After Rix picks herself off of him and plops down on the ground, Peppy rolls over onto his paws, whirls around, and adopts a somewhat similar, if not less graceful, pose, resting upon his haunches. The pup now takes the time to look at Rix's body, not just her face in his own. Wow. She's... filled out. Gotten bigger. Gotten tougher. While Peppy doesn't know it himself, he's not really changed much... Same ol' scar on his muzzle, same ol' extra-bushy tuft on his forehead, and he's just ever so slightly bigger. <You... um...> Sheepishly, the canine glances to the side, his eyes settling upon a rock in the mist. He peers at this with some kind of interest, as though elongated staring will cause it to levitate into the air. <You look like you've gotten tougher. Bigger.> There's a pause. The pup's eyes widen a bit, and frantically he peers back at the feline. <Not that you weren't big and tough before!> he woofs rapid-fire. Oh, Peppy - never wanting to insult.

Rix looks the Growlithe over in turn. He is the same as ever, yet there is an air of difference about him. Perhaps a sense of maturity? Could it be possible? The feline sneezes delicately with a amusement at the pup's comment. <Thanks, I think,> she says, twitching one ear and squinting happily. The feline yawns and then gives a little stretch to show offer her new muscles and two sets of sharp claws. Her same old grin and pointy fangs sit below a pink nose and green eyes that nearly match Peppy's. <I have a human now. I am helping her to search for a friend. She has helped me to improve my skills. I hunt better now,> she states in a continuous chain.

Peppy's social skills were never very impressive. He simply lacks the intellectual capacity necessary for telling stories and asking the proper questions. Still, to his credit, the pup, despite the fact that he's not looking at the Tigrynx, is completely genuine towards his feline friend in his actions and his speech. <It really shows.> And now the dog glances at Rix once more, comparing the Rix Of Today to the Rix Of Then. A big difference. <Only just now I've started hunting. It's really hard, and sometimes I can't find pokemon, but sometimes I do find food. I have to learn how to hunt really well, for th...> Peppy trails off into silence for a moment, his eyes dropping down... down... down to the ground. His tail, however, gives an excited little perk, and after collecting himself for a couple seconds, he glances up at Rix, just barely looking into her own eyes. <I, uh...> His voice has quieted considerably. <I have a mate now...> With a little doggy grin, Peppy displays all these sorts of emotions. Proud, though shy, though glad, though sheepish, and overall wondering what Rix's reaction is going to be. Half of him is really hoping Rix herself found a mate - right now, with Rix so big and tough and trained and Peppy still just... Peppy, the pup would like something that at least holds them to a similar plane.

Twilight deepens the grey of the fog.

Rix's ears lay back to her head again and she ponders this for a moment. Although the process and concept of choosing a mate is nearly just another instinct, the thought has never really occurred to her before, at least not that she has ever recognized. Fully adult, yet still self absorbed, Rix's mind traces back through her various encounters and the smirking face of a male Tigrynx appears in her mind's eye. His smooth, deliberate motions and confident air translate into pictures of a haughty, yet enticing tom. Oh the feelings that had swept through her at the sigh and the smell of him and yet his mockery and snobbery were unbearable. Oh how she hated him and would love to sink booth tooth and claw into that intriguing hidewhen would she see him again? A mate. He had a mate. The feline perks up again, ears erect like the crown they usually are. Rix grins happily at her friend. <A mate,> she samples the words, letting them slip from her tongue lick honey. <Then that is good,> she says after a final assessment. Somehow still not understanding the implications of that. Rix, the amazon Tigrynx. That or just a nave feline that needs a run in with instinct.

Peppy, in the meantime, is getting a little worried at the lack of an immediate response. He glances at the Tigrynx, his head cocked curiously, his tail swaying back and forth in a slow and steady rhythm. How strange Rix looks now, thinking about something else! And how ironic that Peppy seems confused over the look on Rix's face, while he himself shared quite a similar halfway-vapid semiconcious state during parts of his own courtship with Aurora! Once she speaks again, Peppy's fuzzy head pops back on straight, and, his tailwag increasing to match his heartbeat, the canine woofs a cheerful, <Very good!> A little quieter, a little more shyly, <We're going to have puppies soon.> And then, even more quietly, so low it's merely a growl. <I really love her a lot...> Aww. Peppy sort of glances to the side once again, though this time it's more firm and he rotates his head further. Why? Simple - though it may be misty and hard to see, he doesn't want to run the risk of Rix seeing his cheeks redden beneath the white fur.

Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)

Fog and darkness shroud the world.

The grin fades off Rix's face and her jaw hangs open as another piece of the puzzle falls into place. She looks at Peppy, looks away, then looks at him again. <Puppies?> she sort of chokes and sputters, going red at the mere thought of her friend having his own family now. Rix's mind flits all the way back to thoughts of her own mother and family. The safety and security there and for a moment, she is far away again. Bing. She returns and beams at Peppy. <Puppies!> she purrs. Little round fuzzy things to bat at and gnawgentlyon. Although the odds of her ever getting to see them seem rather dim at this time. <Sounds wonderful,> she confesses, wishing that someday she might have a family of her own. The other comment on love seems to have been completely lost on her. She likes Dana a lot, and she likes Munch the Caterpie a lot, but love? What is that?

The world is dark and foggy. Everything is half-hidden, nothing clearly seen. It's chilly and the air feels damp. No wind blows.

Half of Peppy wants to ask Rix if she herself is interested in anybody, and the other half already thinks he knows the answer. As ignorant as he may be, even Peppy realizes Rix as something of a loner... but having said that, even the pup himself realizes that he's not exactly mate material himself. So if he can do it... Upon the Tigrynx's initial reaction, Peppy seems to frown a little bit, as though he's so sure he's enraged at him - that, or laughing at the prospect of him actually being a daddy. As she continues, however, it becomes a little more clear for the pup. She's not laughing at him. Peppy's mood fades into a warm doggy smile on his face, and he nods his head energetically a couple of times. <We don't know what to name them... but Aurora's getting bigger now, and she said she can feel them moving, so we know that she really is going to have some.> Poor Peppy - he seems so ignorant of Rix's thoughts, memories, hopes, questions, and dreams. His own mind is about as much a dark hole as is his stomach.

Half of Peppy wants to ask Rix if she herself is interested in anybody, and the other half already thinks he knows the answer. As ignorant as he may be, even Peppy realizes Rix as something of a loner... but having said that, even the pup himself realizes that he's not exactly mate material himself. So if he can do it... Upon the Tigrynx's initial reaction, Peppy seems to frown a little bit, as though he's so sure he's enraged at him - that, or laughing at the prospect of him actually being a daddy. As she continues, however, it becomes a little more clear for the pup. She's not laughing at him. Peppy's mood fades into a warm doggy smile on his face, and he nods his head energetically a couple of times. <We don't know what to name them... but Aurora's getting bigger now, and she said she can feel them moving, so we know that she really is going to have some.> Poor Peppy - he seems so ignorant of Rix's thoughts, memories, hopes, questions, and dreams. His own mind is about as much a dark hole as is his stomach.

Calling Rix a loner would be both correct and yet not. Her newfound friendship with both a bug and a human have seemed to broaden her horizons much more. Feline's are equipped to survive as single entities or to run in prides. It appears that Rix has found a temporary pride and is, for now, content with her place in it. Her eyes squint again and her tail waggles to and fro. Puppies, who knew? What to name puppies? What would she name cubs if she had cubs? The little light bulb above her head seems to flicker for a moment. She did want cubs someday. Her mind wanders some more. <What does it feel like to have cubs in you?> she asks out loud and then chokes and tries to correct that. <Erm, I mean puppies. I mean, maybe it is like a tummy ache? Or having your stomach grow?> Rix flattens her ears and her whiskers droop for a moment in a sigh. <Must not be many others like me out there,> she adds, betraying some of her thoughts.

Peppy lifts an eyebrow as Rix mentions 'cubs', but merely shrugs it off as one of those feline-ish things he'll never understand. <I... don't know,> the pup woofs softly, shyly, sheepishly. Half of him is actually embarrassed he doesn't know, while the other half (the -reason- part) realizes that... c'mon, he's the male of the pair. He doesn't know! Still, not totally guilt free, Peppy shifts his position a little, woofing a gentle, <I'm not having them, but Aurora says she's really hungry and sometimes she has trouble walking for too long and sometimes she's just a -little- bit mean but she never stays mean for very long because Aurora's really nice.> Wag, wag. Peppy pauses here to take in a couple deep breaths, his furry chest expanding and deflating, rising and falling, before continuing. <I don't think it would be like a tummy ache,> the Growlithe continues, his tone become slightly more perplexed. <Because having puppies is a good thing, but having a tummy ache is bad.> Three cheers for Peppy logic!

The world is dark and foggy. Everything is half-hidden, nothing clearly seen. It's chilly and the air feels damp. No wind blows. In the forest, the dark shapes of nearby trees loom at you suddenly out of the deep grey fog as you approach them. While at the coast, the dark sea is sluggish and grey as fog lays on its surface like a thick wet blanket.

From somewhere behind them in the fog, the faint call of Dana's voice can be heard calling Rix's name. One black ear tips toward the sound and then returns to its forward position. <Dana is calling me,> she says softly, a hint of sadness creeping into her voice. So much that was left unsaid, so many stories to tell. <I hope that things go will with thepuppies,> the Tigrynx says with a warm smile. She has come full season into adulthood and even tonight was a growing experience for her. Helping her to realize that she is no longer a cub and that knew things await her in life as an adult. Adventures with old and new friends awaited her. <Maybe I will come see you at the end of my mission,> she says with a soft cock of her head. The feline twitches her nose causing the whiskers to make a soft brushing noise and she yawns in a casual manner, most likely meaning that she is relaxed and comfortable. <I am glad we crossed paths, Peppy,> she says in a sing song fashion. Then, with a small head bob, she gracefully gets to her feet and pads away a few steps, pausing to look back over her shoulder with a toothy grin. <I could teach them about sticks,> she says, remembering for the first time in a long time how much she had enjoyed those.

Though no wind blows, Peppy feels something. Maybe it's the reminder that he's got to get back to Aurora. Maybe it's the thought that Rix needs to get back to her trainer. Maybe he's simply starting to get tired. Whatever the case, even as Dana calls, Peppy himself starts to realize that they have to break off the conversation. Rix initiates it, however, making the pup's job that much easier. "Grrrowl," he woofs softly, a timid but certainly not unfriendly farewell, complimented by a gentle nod, a tiny smile, and a twinkle in his green eyes - perhaps the one biggest trait the two otherwise very different pokemon have in common. Well... perhaps the biggest physical trait, at least... <Rix,> Peppy barks quickly, a deep and almost forceful bark that's complimented with his bushy tail swish-swishing. <Remember the farm? Where we first met?> The corners of the pup's mouth perk up even further, and he reveals a couple of his teeth. <That's where Aurora and I are going to live. ... We'll see you there.> It's not even a suggestion, more like a command. And with that, Peppy himself jumps up to all four paws, staying only long enough to hear Rix's reply (should she give one) before venturing off into the mist, hopefully to find his mate before it gets too late.

Snatch your backpack, steal your purse, save the data from this curse! (Psykitt-- eh, Saving)

<Count on it, fuzzy,> Rix retorts over her shoulder, falling back into the pattern of teasing names that she used to use on the Growlithe. With that said, she winks and then gathers herself up, launching into the fog like a rocket. The friends part company, but Rix's heart is lightened and her future seems to have a few new priorities. Not such a bad night to be a pokemon after all.