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

The weather has turned around since the month started. The constant grey skies and falling rain have changed into far more mild weather, and the sunshine outside is warm and friendly. Oceans of grass are quickly replacing the patches of mud that have dotted the terrain. It's the perfect time for a hunt, and, wanting to take advantage of the sunny day, some of the few pokemon left in the Assasi Barn have left for the day, whether to hunt, gather, or simply explore to their heart's content. Peppy the Growlithe is one of those pokemon. He's been gone all morning, obviously taking his time. Or maybe he's forgotten what he's -supposed- to be doing and has instead decided to just take a walk? Knowing Peppy, that's not all too unlikely a situation.

It has definitely been a while since this little Charmander has been back here, and a lot has changed. Still, the red barn still offers warmth and protection from the elements, and Scorch has been holed up here for the night. Curled up in a corner near the door on a bed of hay, the Charmander lightly sleeps, looking incredibly peaceful. Having crept into the barn late last night, noone is likely to have noticed him, unless they were awake when he arrived. Now is the time to wake up, or at least it should be.

As usual, Aurora's caring for the puppies while the breadwinner (or in this case, Rattata-winner) of the family goes out to find lunch. The lovely weather has had an effect on the young Growlithe puppies - they seem even more active than usual, and Dakota in particular is curious about where her father's gone, forcing her mother to stop her from dashing out of the barn door a few times. <When your father gets back, and we've eaten, we might go outside,> Aurora replies when Dakota yips an angry question, and this seems to placate the pup. Dusk and Briska are having a rowdy game which involves chasing each other's tails, throwing straw aroung, and occasionally trying to hide behind Karen's sleeping body - though mostly it consists of playfighting, something that Briska's greater bulk is helping him to win. Flame's once again brooding by the wall, though a rather snappy order to Aurora to fetch him lunch earlier resulted in him receiving a quick (though not particularly painful) rap on the nose. All in all, it's been a little more stressful than usual to look after the pups, and Aurora's looking forward to her mate's return.

The day rolls on. Sunlight creeps into the barn though the many holes and cracks in the wall and ceiling, letting those poor pokemon trapped inside the building know just how lovely a day it is that they're missing. It's not a wonder Dakota can't sit still. Just as the sun reaches its highest point, Peppy returns home from his long journey, this time thankfully with a full Rattata in mouth. The Rattata is nice and plump, perhaps from having stuffed himself silly since Spring started, and its evident that Peppy had quite a struggle taking this one down. Little cuts, barely more than nicks and no longer bleeding, are right above his left cheek and down both front leg, which are so muddy the orange is almost entirely hidden. A little blood does trickle down from his mouth, but whether that's from an injury or from the Rattata isn't clear. The Growlithe himself, however, hardly seems to notice his injuries. His face is cheerful, even victorious, behind the Rattata. His green eyes are wide and bright, and his mouth is pulled back into a doggy grin. He breathes heavily through his nose excitedly, as if he just ran a marathon. As he enters, he glances over at his family in the corner, smile just as wide, but doesn't move or speak just yet.

Okay, so Scorch is lazy. With a yawn large enough to swallow a Magikarp whole, the sleepy-head awakens slowly. Blinking at the daylight coming through the partially open door, Scorch pushes himself upright, careful not to set his bed alight in the process. Still blinking, he glances around the barn at the assorted inhabitants. Most of those that were there last night are no longer, having probably only spent the night. That, or they are hunting. At that second, a low growl comes from the lizard's stomach, bringing a look of hunger to his face. <Time to find something nice...> he mutters, memories of yesterday's meal of beef jerky springing to mind. Reluctantly, Scorch gets to his feet and wanders towards the barn door... And almost bumps into the returning Growlithe. <Umm... Sorry!> he hastily mutters, and sidles out of the door on a hunting trip of his own.

Aurora turns from disentangling Dakota from her leg after a game of "Hide and Seek" between the pups, and smiles as she sees Peppy, her smile increasing as she sees the feast he's brought back for them. <Well done, dear,> she says in way of greeting, and turns fully to face Peppy - thankfully Dakota's not clinging to her leg any more, or the puppy might get mildly squashed. The pride on Aurora's face changes to concern as she looks Peppy over and notices the nicks and scratches on his cheek, and the blood... <Are you okay? You haven't hurt yourself anywhere, have you? Please say you haven't done what I did when I went hunting...> she says frantically, and sounds rather more worried by Peppy's injuries than she might normally be. Well, caring for five healthy, growing and rather demanding puppies can take its toll...

Scorch goes pretty much entirely ignored, most likely unintentionally, as Peppy neither speaks to or moves out of the way for the Charmander. Poor little guy. Aurora's greeting makes Peppy's cheeks puff up even further, and his tail goes off like a rocket. Peppy turns his head to look at her, grins toothily, and sets the Rattata down right in front of her. As Aurora's tone becomes more concerned, however, and Peppy becomes... not disappointed or depressed, but, rather, curious. <Hurt myself?> Peppy cocks his head for a moment, before slowly peering down at his legs. He rubs his pads around a few times as if to see it from all different angles, even though with the exception of the cuts, it's all the same thing - a big stick of mud. <... Oh,> he woofs softly, as though this comes to him as some sort of a surprise. <I think I did.> He pauses for a second or two before perking right back up. His ears go erect with his stance. <But he was a really tough one! And he wanted to fight! So I fought him!> Sounds logical. Aurora may have to shut him up before he goes into detail, for her sake and the puppies' sake, for if she doesn't he probably will.

The sky is blue and cloudless, the sunlight is bright, and a cool wind blows from the northwest.

Aurora nods as she listens to Peppy start off on his effusive rant about how the hunt went, but before he's managed to get any further, Dakota comes dashing up, barrelling past her mother and heading on a collision course with Peppy's left foreleg. She's barking loudly, and so enthusiastically that the meaning of her barks can only be guessed at - something about <Dad's back!>, from what's comprehensible. Dusk peers out from behind Aurora's back legs a little while later, apparently a little scared by her larger sister's excessive enthusiasm.

If there's anything that can stop Peppy's nauseous testosterone-induced expelling of something nobody (except Flame, maybe) really wants to hear, it's little Dakota's excited welcome. Peppy stops right in the middle of his sentence, pauses for a second, and snaps his trap shut. He looks into Aurora's eyes for a moment, his head lowering slightly perhaps as a sign of apology, before glancing over at Dakota, grinning at her hyper nature. <Yes, he is!> Peppy woofs back to Dakota, his older, deeper voice a sharp contrast to Dakota's high-pitched yips and yaps. <Are you hungry? It's a really big Rattata, there's plenty to go around.> As he speaks, the Growlithe's head slowly shifts over to one of his other daughters - little Dusk, who keeps peering at Dakota nervously. Instead of speaking to her, he instead glances up at Aurora, back to Dusk, and up at Aurora again. <Is she hiding behind you? Playing a game?> He becomes quieter as he speaks, just to make sure he's not accidentally revealing her hiding spot in case she is playing.

What's that smell? Candylion? Better save be-Ooo, pretty colors! (Delet-er, saving!)

Now that Dakota's sitting still, her mad barking slows to something that can be understood, and she eagerly tells her father, <You were outside, weren't you? Mum said that we could go outside to look around when we'd had food, and now you're back we can eat!> Her tail wags eagerly as she turns her attention quickly from Peppy to the Rattata on the floor, and without being asked or told she leans over and starts to gnaw at one of the rodent's legs. Dusk grins a little as Peppy sees her, and trots over to her father at a more reasonable pace than Dakota did, woofing a happy, <Hello, dad!> in greeting.

All of Dakota's words come rapid-fire at Peppy, almost all in one great big breath. She's getting better by the day, but her words still aren't as perfectly clear as Aurora's or Peppy's. The poor adult Growlithe can only smile helplessly at the little puppy, pretty much uncomprehending. He breathes a sigh of relief as the "conversation" comes to a close as Dakota starts to munch away. Turning away, he expects to say something to Aurora, but a little voice comes to him from below. His head tilts downward, perplexed, though a look of warmth comes over his face as he peers right into the face of Dusk, who peers right back with her eyes shining. He lowers his head a little more - not down to the ground or anything, but enough to give Dusk a half-nuzzle half-nudge-to-the-Rattata. <Hey, Dusk. Go ahead n' eat, okay? There's plenty for you.> He pauses for a second, whether Dusk nuzzles him back or not, before raising his head. He peers up at his forehead deep in thought, and his face scrunches up slightly. <... I forgot to tell you. I think. Did I tell you what Flame did?>

It is at this point that the Charmander returns to the barn, with a pleased look on his face. In his hands is the shape of a Pidgey, albeit mostly burned. It seems to be a huge meal for a Charmander, but Scorch doesn't seem to care. This victory shows he is getting back into the swing of things properly, and since the year's fruit won't be around for a while, he will have to improve his hunting skills in order to survive. Scorch flashes a cheesy grin at the other occupants of the barn, apparently very proud of his accomplishment. If no one disturbs him, he will return to his spot in the corner of the barn.

Dusk nuzzles back happily, then heads over to the Rattata, finding a more tender patch than Dakota initially did, and settling down to eating some nice Rattata flesh. Briska and Karen come up to the Rattata after a little while as well, both of them stopping to greet their returning father with a wagging tail and a woofed hello before starting on their food. Once the four of them have started eating, Aurora looks at Peppy and shakes her head a little. <I don't think you've told me... I don't know what you're going to tell me, though, until you tell me, so...> She grins a little, and then finishes, <So you'd better tell me, just to make sure. He was misbehaving a bit when you went out, and didn't want to wait for you to get back, so I told him to be quiet. What is it?>

Even as Aurora speaks to him, Peppy can't help but look down at the little puppies as they march by, saying hi to dad in the process. When Peppy looks back up at Aurora, he's smiling broadly, and it only gets bigger as he looks up and sees Aurora herself grinning. <He was misbehaving? Really? He... well, uh, one or two nights ago... maybe three, I don't remember.> He glances down at the wooden floor and shakes his head vigorously. His senses detect something new in the barn, and, perhaps just in case it's a threat, Peppy peers over at the door just in time to see the newly arrived Charmander waddle over into his corner. <... I got mad at him for being mean to Briska, but... but he wasn't!> His head jerks up quickly, and he head-gestures towards the black puppy in the corner, almost worrying. <He was actually playing! With Briska! And Dusk and Briska told me he wasn't being bad!> He woofs this rather loudly, as though this is entirely unbelievable and unprecedented. But hey - from if Aurora's point of view is like Peppy's, it very well may be.

Munching on his catch, Scorch only listens in on the affairs of the Growlithe family. His mother taught him it is rude to interrupt, and this Charmander holds his mother in the highest regard. The Pidgey definitely tastes good, after the mostly bland tastes of the food he has been eating until recently. Still, the whole thing proves to be too much for Scorch to manage, and he can only eat about half of the meat. Looking at the puppies, then at the mauled Pidgey in his hands, he gets up and wanders over towards the family. <Umm... Here you are. I can't eat the rest,> Scorch says, as friendly as possible, placing the carcass on the floor near the puppies. <If you like Pidgey, that is,> he adds.

Aurora's expecting another report of bad behaviour from Flame, so Peppy's news makes her smile widely, and pause to think before she replies, <That's really good to hear. We shouldn't be hard on him - he is trying his best, after all, and he's being good.> Aurora's reply is fairly loud as well - not so much because she's incredulous like Peppy, but because a glance at Flame's reaction to Peppy showed that the pup's fairly calm expression became annoyed as usual at Peppy's tone of voice. Hopefully, Aurora's reply isn't quite as... unflattering to the dark-furred pup as Peppy's original statement. It's a little while before Aurora notices Scorch, and she manages to miss his first words altogether, only catching the news that it's a Pidgey. <...This is for us?> she asks the Charmander, and smiles gratefully. <Thank you. The puppies eat so much, it's going to be very helpful... are you sure you don't want it?>

Even Peppy is able to pick up the fact that Aurora is relieved, and his only broadens his smile. <I think he just needs to get us..-> Scorch makes enough noise to attract Peppy's attention, and the pup remains quiet long enough to jerk his head in that direction. Those parental instincts kick in, and Peppy almost immediately turns to head off the Charmander. Thankfully, the lizard is quick enough to speak, and once the little guy makes it obvious that he's not here to pick off one of the puppies for desert, Peppy's tense position relaxes, and he exhales out of his nose. Aurora, thankfully, doesn't overreact and lose her cool, so he lets her do all the speaking. All Peppy offers Scorch is a somewhat thankful but also somewhat nervous grin. Almost involuntarily, his eyes keep flickering back to the puppies, but they seem all too absorbed into the Rattata and pay the Charmander little notice.

Scorch shakes his head. <No, I've had enough, thank you. I don't eat much normally anyway...> The tone of the Charmander would suggest that he is slightly wary of the larger pair, although he doesn't show it in his body language. Noticing Peppy's reaction however, he takes two steps backwards, away from the puppies, although he watches them with interest. <I'm Scorch, by the way,> the little 'Mander introduces himself, again as taught by his mother as the polite thing to do.

What's that smell? Candylion? Better save be-Ooo, pretty colors! (Delet-er, saving!)

As the Charmander introduces himself, Aurora nods her head politely, replying, <My name's Aurora, and this is Peppy,> indicating Peppy with one of her paws. She looks down at the puppies who are currently guzzling the Rattata, and adds, <These four are Briska, Dusk, Dakota and Karen, and the young one who's having a nap in the corner over there -> she indicates Flame with her paw - <is Flame. I'd tell you who's who in this bundle of puppies, but...> She grins and waves a paw at the puppies in demonstration - in an effort to get to the best part of the Rattata, they've huddled up so closely that it's occasionally impossible to tell where one puppy finishes and another one starts.

The sky is blue and cloudless, the sunlight is bright, and a cool wind blows from the northwest.

Peppy's ear perks up when he realizes Scorch maybe - just maybe - might ever so slightly perhaps just a bit be intimidated. Nervous. Wary. As if Peppy's ego wasn't pumped up enough already. A devious thought stretches through the pup's mind, and when he gives Scorch a good looking over, he grins very slightly. <Nice to meet you, Scorch.> After the pleasantries, Peppy... yawns. And it's a very wide yawn, too, right at Scorch... revealing all his sparkly white teeth, especially his -really- sharp looking canines perfect for tearing apart all sorts of things. He does make sure to do this only after Aurora is finished speaking, careful to not interrupt her; anything she has to say outways his teasing any day. When he snaps his jaw shut, he grins slightly at Scorch, his eyebrows furrowing just a little bit. It's obvious he doesn't mean any harm and doesn't even expect the Charmander to be particularly scared, but it's still a rude thing to do nonetheless.

Scorch cocks his head to one side as he follows Aurora's paw, taking in the new names one at a time. It doesn't matter for the moment that he can't distinguish between the puppies, as if they decide to talk to the Charmander, they will probably have to remind him of their names anyway. <Are these all yours? They're a bit... small, aren't they? Will they get as big as you eventually?> Scorch asks innocently, directing the questions between both parents. <If I get any more Pidgeys I can't eat, I'll give them to you, if you like. I need to practice hunting anyway.> Scorch watches warily again, as Peppy shows off his tonsils, and those sharp teeth that put his own to shame. He's not scared as such, and he won't be unless a move is made against him, but it pays to be cautious.

<They're small now, but that's because they're very young. When they get older, they'll get bigger. Then they'll be able to hunt as well as their father can, and bring their own food home,> Aurora replies, sounding rather proud as she talks, both of the puppies and their father. Scorch's offer of further Pidgeys is also well received - Aurora smiles again, not showing her sharp canine teeth (unlike a certain other Growlithe), and nods, replying, <That's very kind of you. Is there anything we can do to help you in return?>

When Scorch doesn't seem particularly worried (what was Peppy expecting? A gasp of horror? Cringing? Running and hiding?), the Growlithe frowns slightly, though he perks right back up when Aurora compliments him. <They're going to be really, really great hunters, too!> Peppy notes to the Charmander, nodding a couple times as though he firmly and entirely believes this. <Even better than me,> he tacks on after Aurora, nod-nod-nodding again. His own pride in his pack is also quite evident. Scorch's offer only now sinks in (he was a little too busy pretending he's something to be feared to actually really listen to the Charmander), and Peppy rears back his head a bit, glancing over at Aurora. Now his ego comes in conflict with his stomach: should he feel bad for not hunting more? Or should he feel grateful that now he'll have a higher chance in being left with a full stomach? "Grr... rrr..." he growls to himself as he ponders over this conflict, peering down at his paws as he does.

Scorch looks hopeful at the offer. <Umm... You don't mind if I stay here, do you? I mean, over there...> The Charmander points towards his 'bed' of hay in the corner, glancing between both parent Growlithe. <I... have nowhere to go anymore...> As Scorch speaks, he begins to visibly droop, wilting like a Bellsprout with no water. His head begins to hang forwards, his back slumps and his tail almost touches the floor. What a sorry sight. Is he playing for pity, or is he -that- sad? It's hard to tell.

Aurora's actually a little surprised when Scorch asks for permission to stay in the corner of the barn, and nods in reply. <Of course you can stay. There's a man who comes to bring food to those who're staying in the barn, and I think it's his barn, not ours, so you can stay whever you want... He doesn't come so much now, though. The man whose barn this is, I mean,> she replies, probably not making much sense, and grins before adding, <There's lots of space now that it's spring and people have gone back to their dens and nests.>

Peppy's concentration is a very easy thing to break. His thoughts dissipate right into the air as Scorch puts on his pity show, but instead of crumbling emotionally, Peppy glances over at Aurora, as if uncertain of what to do. He frowns slightly as Aurora mentions "dens", and, turning back to the Charmander, looks him over for a moment. <Aurora's right.> 'As usual' pretty much goes unspoken. <We'd be more than glad to let you stay... though I don't know if we'll be here for much longer. You... might be alone.> Peppy's voice drops in pitch and in sound as he speaks the last part, as if the idea is something horrible and nearly unfathomnable. But no, this isn't Peppy teasing Scorch once again with horrible threats or something. His nose twitches once or twice, almost as though picking up the scent of something that isn't there. Tail swishes. Ear flickers.

<Well, I'm alone anyway...> Scorch looks at the floor once more, but quickly perks up again, as he banishes certain thoughts from his mind. <But thank you! Thank you lots! Erm... I'm going to have a look around out there. Anyone want to come with me?> he asks, pointing outside. Odd. Something fundamental has changed about this Charmander. He used to -like- being on his own, and now he desires companionship. It could be that stage in his life, or it could be because of recent events. Whatever the reason, this lizard isn't likely to settle in one place for long, especially if it means being alone.

What's that smell? Candylion? Better save be-Ooo, pretty colors! (Delet-er, saving!)

Aurora shakes her head, and gestures at the Pidgey with a paw. <I'm going to eat some of this Pidgey you gave us while the puppies finish their meal,> she replies, <but thank you. I hope when we leave to find a new den, you can find someone to stay with as well...> She glances down at the puppies, and then looks back at Scorch, humour in her eyes. <I'd suggest not having too many young at once, though. Five at once is a bit much for two adults to handle, you see...>

As Aurora speaks, Peppy snickers out of his nose, a humorous snorting sound complete with a shining smile. He knows only too well what she means. <Wait until you're ready...> He pauses for a second to recall the name. <Scorch. You can't rush it. You-> His stomach shuts him up; it rumbles and grumbles and practically begs for the delicious Pidgey within scent's range. He peers down at his tummy, glances back up at Scorch, and grins uneasily. <You go on your own. I... think I'm going to follow Aurora's example.> His eyes shift off of the Charmander and slowly - verrrrry slowly - make their way towards the Pidgey. The big Pidgey. The big, delicious, yummy Pidgey. It's only now that Peppy realizes just how hungry he is.

Either Scorch doesn't pick up on the implications of what Aurora suggested, or he doesn't want to think about it. Either way, he avoids the subject, just cocking his head to one side in his own cute manner. <Well, I hope you like it. I'll be back soon!> He bids farewell in the form of a quick wave, before trotting out of the door. Apparently, this little fellow can change his mood very quickly if he wants to...