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

Chilly rain falls from a grey sky. It's bleak and raw. The wind blows from the east. In the forest, raindrops patter against the leaves, and glisten like silver beads on their fiery vermillion and gold surfaces. The wet tree trunks have darkened from grey to brown. While at the coast, the sea matches the miserable grey sky as the rain splashes down onto its white-capped waves.

Oh, heck. It's another one of those days - the days that don't appeal to any emotions at all, unless annoyance is considered an emotion these days. Sunny and warm days play upon happiness and joy, and even grey and dismal days have their own depressing, thoughtful moods. A cold rainstorm, however, doesn't inspire much thought in the victim out in it, except 'I-am-so-cold-I-am-so-wet-I-can't-believe-I'm-out-here-in-weather-like-this'. But as Peppy repeatedly told himself as he psyched himself to march out into the rain this morning, rain doesn't somehow magically fill hungry and helpless bellies, and so he's out there, getting muddy, getting soaked, and hopefully getting dinner for his family. He hasn't been gone as long as he usually is on hunts even on a sunny day, so it's probably not going to be a while until he returns. ... Not that anybody else in the barn is looking forward to the return of a soaked and muddy Growlithe. Mud tracks and wet fur smell, anyone?

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Well, there's at least one pokemon in the barn who's looking forward to Peppy's return, and she's pacing back and forward with as much of her attention as she can spare on the door to the barn. The rest of her attention is on the pups, who have decided that now that their father's gone out hunting, it's the perfect time to try out a new game that involves a lot of running around and hiding in straw and behind each other. At the moment, they look like they're attempting to see how many Growlithes one can fit into one bale of straw, and the result looks more than a little cramped - assorted tails, legs and the odd ear are sticking out of the bale, though the giggles coming from that direction indicate that it's not as painful as it might look. Still, despite the pups' amusing antics, Peppy's lateness is making Aurora worry a little, and the looks she casts at the door are getting more and more wild-eyed and frantic.

It should come as no surprise that Peppy does eventually (not too long after little Dusk gets shoved out of that bale of hay and scrambles back in) make his way back to the barn, because, after all, what Peppy lacks in strength, intelligence, and dexterity, he makes up for with pure dumb luck. The door begins to creak open, pushed by the Growlithe's head, which he presses into the wooden door at the forehead. Not a particularly effective method, especially since he's got a Rattata in his mouth (three cheers!), but whatever works. Usually Peppy has no problem opening the door and popping right in, but apparently the mud collecting right outside the door is posing something of a problem, and the door creaks open vveerryy sslloowwllyy, and by the time Peppy has opened up a hole wide enough for him to squeeze through, a good sized puddle has collected near the entrance. Oh, good going, Peppy! He doesn't seem particularly miffed, however. Forgetting to close the door behind him, Peppy drops the Rattata, pants twice, and woofs semi-loudly in the general direction of his family's corner, <Wow, it's so much warmer in here!>

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By this time, Aurora's getting very worried indeed, not least because there's been no noise for a while apart from the rain beating on the roof and the quiet sounds of the other inhabitants of the barn. Because of this, the creaking of the door comes as quite a shock, and she takes a hurried step back before she actually pays attention to what's made the noise. Of course, it only takes a few seconds before her panicked expression changes to one of relief, and as soon as she spots the familiar fur colour (albeit rather mud-splotched) of the pokemon trying to get into the barn, she dashes over to the door, towards her mate. Of course, she waits until he's deposited the Rattata on the floor and got his breath back, but once he's done that she leans over towards him, trying to give him an extended nuzzle on the cheek, and murmuring, <Thank goodness you're safe, Peppy.>

Peppy doesn't see Aurora march on over to him; he assumes, because she tends to stay far away from water (and, therefore, him, at least until he gets decently dry), that she's still in the corner, waiting for him to dry off. Therefore, when he finally whips his head up and removes the tuft from in front of his eyes and sees his mate standing there right next to him, he looks slightly surprised. He opens his mouth, likely to ask if Aurora knows he's all wet (somehow forgetting that she, unlike him, is actually not bad at picking up at obvious hints, such as "water dripping from fur"), but more likely than not Aurora will have approached him and nuzzled him softly before he can get a single word around. His initial confusion melts away into love and joy inside, and suddenly those raindrops clinging to his fur don't seem so cold anymore. He'll nuzzle Aurora affectionately back, growing lovingly and softly as he oftentimes does. He will, however, pull back when Aurora has had enough nuzzling a damp cloth, instead of stepping forward and nuzzling her once again as he normally might. Sheesh, he's really scared about getting poor Aurora wet, isn't he?

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As enjoyable as the affectionate nuzzle is, it doesn't take too long for Aurora to realise that Peppy's fur is really quite wet, and it only takes a little longer for her to realise that she's now getting rather wet, too. The prospect of getting some food is also an enticing one, and so the nuzzle comes to an end as Aurora backs off as well, and looks down at the Rattata with an approving eye. <Wow, that's really quite a big catch,> she says, respect in her voice as she looks the Rattata over - it really is quite large, though not quite enough for a family of seven, five of which are still growing pups. Then again, what is? Peppy can't exactly go out and catch passing Ponytas for supper. Still, it's an impressive result to a hunt as it is, and Aurora grins at Peppy. <I'm sure the pups will be coming along to grab it in a minute. Once, er, they've finished their game.> She waves a paw over at the bale, where Briska's feet appear to be tangled up with Dusk's tail, someone's ear is twitching violently, and the whole bale seems to be in great danger of falling over at any moment.

And Peppy, with his face fur all damp and sagging and his eyes tired, gives Aurora no doubt the brightest smile she's seen all day after she gives her comment on his day's hunt. <He wasn't an easy one to take down,> he exclaims, partially boasting but mostly just full of his usual enthusiasm. <But he slipped on the mud, and that was my chance!> Never minding the fact that Peppy himself slipped twice, which would explain the mud caking on his chest... Aurora doesn't need to hear about that. He opens his mouth, probably to tell even more of this "story", but Aurora directs his attention over to the crazy kids, and the sight of random furry body parts sticking out from the hay twitching and wriggling is enough to make Peppy raise a paw to his mouth and snicker into it slightly. <I don't even want to know what game this is,> he woofs under his breath good-naturedly, shaking his head as he gets up and turns around, walking a few feet away from Aurora so as to shake himself dry without giving her a shower.

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Chilly rain falls from a grey sky. It's bleak and raw. The wind blows from the east.

Droplets splash in puddles at mid-day.

While she waits patiently for Peppy to divest himself of several pints of rainwater, Aurora looks over at the squirming mass of straw and Growlithes over at the other end of the barn. <Briska tried to explain it to me earlier, but it sounded very confusing,> she tells Peppy as she watches the puppies. <I think it involves hiding, and pretending to not be there. Or it could be pretending to be straw. Half of him was stuck in the straw when he told me... and it wasn't the front half.> There's a surprised yelp from the straw, as a tail pops out, followed by the rest of Dakota, who lands on the ground of the barn with a frustrated bark. She woofs, <No fair, Karen, you pushed me!> and then leaps back into the bale with a happy yelp, wriggling to try to get in as she gets stuck around her middle. Turning to Peppy, Aurora sighs a little, and then smiles as she says, <See what I mean?>

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And after Peppy has shaken free enough water to create a puddle big enough for a Gyarados to live in, he marches right back over to Aurora. He still has that wet-ish look all over him, but at least he's no longer drip-drip-dripping on the floor. He smiles slightly, though perhaps a little uneasily, at Aurora's comment about Briska, but he does not verbally respond. His smile does grow further about Aurora's comment over him being halfway into the straw, as, given the picture of the puppies before him, it's not particularly hard to believe. When Aurora turns to him, he glances at her and gives her a quick smile, though returns his focus to the haystack right after. <Maybe they're trying to see who can get most of his or her body into the hay.> He pauses for a second, and, almost hesitantly, woofs, <It actually looks like fun!> And, probably to Aurora's surprise, Peppy takes a step or two forward in their direction, probably to join in. If four smaller puppies are having trouble fitting in there, how well is a fully grown (not to mention wet!) Growlithe going to join in these reindeer games? Maybe Aurora ought to stop him before he makes a fool out of himself...

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<It does look like fun...> Aurora replies to Peppy with amusement in her voice, as she turns back to watch the puppies. <I don't think they could fit anyone else in there, though, they're all growing to be so big...> The spectacle is still quite funny to watch - paws emerge from the straw and are pulled back in, tails protrude from the bale and wag furiously as their owners attempt to wriggle their way back in, and the occasional yelps of, <Hey, that's my ear!> and <Ow, watch out...> are accompanied by lots of giggling. It's certainly funny enough to distract Aurora from where Peppy's headed at the moment, and from what he's going to do - she and the puppies may have a surprise if the father of the family decides to join in.

And hey, Peppy stands unopposed! In response to Aurora's comment about no more room in the haystack, he simply looks over his shoulder and gives her a reassuring wink before turning back to the straw and marching up to it. The pups are making their assorted noises and such, and Peppy has to raise his voice slightly to make sure he gets heard. <Uh... hey, guys!> he woofs, partially uncertainly, tail swishing back and forth anxiously. One by one, fuzzy heads pop out from different parts of the haystack, some higher than others. All the fighting has stopped. Having gotten their attention, Peppy clears his throat and asks, cheerfully enough, <You mind if I play too?> What Peppy expects is a bunch of cheerful nods and enthusiastic affirmatives. As it stands, only Briska seems to light up with excitement at the thought. The three girls exchanged semi-worried glances, and it's Karen who first has to speak up to dad. <Uh... I think you're too big, dad.> <Yeah,> woofs Dakota, right next to her. <And wet!> They grin uneasily up at him, acting well enough, but even Peppy can pick up on the semi-subtle hints, his fatherly intuition cutting through their masks like a knife - they just don't want to be seen playing puppy games with their father. They've grown up. <Oh,> Peppy woofs, trying to hide his dismay. <Well, all right then. Uh... dinner's, uh, it's out, if you're hungry.> He makes a half-hearted gesture to the Rattata, to which Briska yips enthusiastically and dives out of the haystack, making a beeline towards it. The girls hesitantly follow their brother's example, leaving poor Peppy to stare aimlessly at the pile of hay, hardly moving.

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Oh. The game has stopped. Aurora sighs a little as the pups head for the Rattata and leave the straw bale abandoned and mostly falling apart, but grins a little as she watches them start on their food. She hasn't quite caught the conversation between Peppy and the girls, so is a little surprised by Peppy's reaction to the pups heading for their food - her face puzzled, she pads over towards Peppy and stops by his side, asking, <What's wrong? Did they say something about the food? Did someone get hurt?>

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Chilly rain falls from a grey sky. It's bleak and raw. The wind blows from the east.

Bits of straw float down from the top of the stack and flutter on by Peppy. A couple of pieces of straw land on his muzzle, wiggling slightly before a wind creeps through the wooden walls and blows them aside. He doesn't seem to notice them. He's staring at the haystack, hard, as though there's something incredibly fascinating about it, as though it holds some sort of interest, as if he peers hard enough he'll bore a hole in it. When Aurora steps up beside him, Peppy's ear flicks, and he quickly turns to her, smiling as though nothing is wrong. No signs of crying, no signs of strain in his voice or face... <Oh, no, everything's fine!> he assures her with a genuine nod. <Guess they're more interested in eating than playing their game anyway.> He turns around to face the four rapscallions as they chow down, grinning slightly as he does. ... Aurora may be able to pick out that he's actually smiling more than usual, which could be a tip-off in itself.

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Aurora does indeed pick up on the smile, though if it's a sign that he's actually really, really sad then she doesn't realise it at all. No, this Growlithe isn't too good at figuring out "subtext" or "pretending to be one thing and actually being another". So, of course, she returns the broad smile, and nods happily. <That's good. I was worried that someone would have trodden on someone else's tail, or ears, or that they'd be so exhausted that they wouldn't eat...> Speaking of eating, Aurora glances over at the ravenous puppies... who are gathered around what looks like it may have been a Rattata, long long ago. Her face falls a little. <They do eat quickly, don't they?> she says. <Maybe I should go and hunt for another one for us...>

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As has been established before, sometimes Peppy drops obvious hints and puts up easily detectable facades, in hopes that Aurora will see right through him and they can talk about what's troubling him. This time, however, Peppy truthfully and to the core doesn't want Aurora to know how upset he feels over something like this, and therefore keeps up his smile to the best of his ability. <Nah, they're tough tykes,> he woofs, turning his head to look at the female Growlithe with a twinkle in his eye. <They playfight so much, something like this wouldn't hurt them at all.> The twinkle fades slightly at Aurora's next comment, and, furrowing his eyebrows, Peppy lets out an ungraceful <Huh?> He turns to the Rattata... or what's left of it. He blinks, flicks his eyes to the corner, and turns back to the leftover bones, teeth bared. <Flame didn't even get to have any,> he notes sullenly. <Or us, for that matter.> He turns to Aurora when she volunteers to hunt, his face scrunched up in confusion. <It's... I think it's still raining hard out there...>

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<It's still raining...> repeats Aurora, as she looks over at the barn door, which has been open all this time and letting a fair amount of cold wet air in. And there's more cold and wet where that came from, of course. <It is... kind of wet out there...> She takes a step in the direction of the door, and then stops, her body quivering a little as she stares at the rain outside. <Um. I'm not sure about this...> She turns her head to Peppy, not saying anything, but the pleading expression on her head should be enough to let him know that she really, really doesn't want to go out in this weather.

If Peppy was a two legged creature, he would no doubt have saluted by now. <No problem!> he woofs to his mate cheerfully, canting his head slightly as he walks up beside her. <I can go. It's...> He squints slightly as he looks out into the darkness brought about by the blackish-grey sky, and comes to the conclusion that <It's not too dark yet, so I'll be able to see just fine.> It's not like any sun is making its way through those clouds or anything, so it's virtually impossible to tell. Supposing the female doesn't have a complaint or some statement that would stop Peppy from going, he'll lean over, give Aurora an affectionate (but thankfully not overly sloppy or long) lick on the cheek if she allows, nuzzle her in the same spot, and plod on out into the rain at a brisk pace for the second hunt of the day.