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

Heavy rain pours from dark grey clouds, propelled by a furious east wind. In the forest, gusts of wind tear through the tree limbs and howl around rocks. While at the coast, the grey ocean lashes at the coast angrily as the summer storm pelts the waves.

(look Aurora)

An agile and playful Growlithe with a fuzzy but unkempt off-white mane, tail and chest, and with the black stripes on her back and legs blending into her mussed red fur seamlessly - with the addition of a few burrs (it seems that she's been rolling in long grass). Bright eyes and ears ever-alert for danger, a nose that could detect a Water Pokemon very well (though probably only at close range), and strong jaws ready to bite if a threat is sensed, although they've recently been more accustomed to eating plants. Her legs are short yet wirey, and seem to have been built for running. At two-and-a-half feet tall, this Growlithe may not seem imposing, but she's ready to hold her own in a battle.

(look Peppy)

A fully grown but still young Growlithe, Peppy is not large; in fact, he looks like he'd weigh a little less than a Growlithe's norm of 50 pounds.

It's raining again.

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

When it rains, there are several things a pokemon can do - and for fire types, the safest option is often "hide". Which, in a way, is what Aurora's doing at the moment - she's tucked away in her den, though this time she's not dozing as she usually does. The Growlithe has backed as far into her den as she can, and her ears are pressed back almost to her head as she listens to the rain.

See, Peppy can easily locate Aurora's den when it's nice and clear and sunny outside. Even when it's just a little rainy or foggy, he still doesn't have much problem. However, when it comes to weather like this... It's hard to see more than a few yards ahead, and catching a scent isn't all too useful - that would involve lowering your head, and lowering your head would involve getting a muzzleful of fresh and disgusting mud. Mm, mm. So Peppy's basically stuck. With a little sigh, the pup begins to plop through the muck, kicking and splashing up the mud with every step, getting himself rather messy in the process. He's actually doing a great job of getting closer to the den, as he's heading right in the correct position... He just sort of doesn't have any clue in the world that he is.

Unfortunately, Aurora isn't being much help. Crouched in the den, ears pressed against her scalp, the Growlithe appears almost ready to flee - except, in this weather, fleeing would probably do more harm than good. So all she can do is stare out at the rain with an unhappy expression and whimper every so often.

Plop, plop, plop. Peppy bit by bit makes his way through the swamp that they call Route 7, stopping every two minutes or so to just shake himself dry. It really doesn't do much good - three seconds after shaking himself dry, he gets every bit as wet once again. He's almost getting used to it. "Grrrrrrrr," he growls to himself out of the side of his mouth, his teeth clenched so hard it's a wonder they don't break. <I am never...> Step, step. <Going...> Step, step. <To find...> Step, step, -stop-. <... The den?> Could a four-legged creature actually do that standing up, Peppy would rub his eyes. About ten feet away is Aurora's den - or at least *a* den. It smells like a Aurora's den, looks like Aurora's den, is in about the same place as Aurora's den would be... but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. <Um,> the dripping wet pup woofs, approaching with a little caution. <Is anybody in there?>

At the sound of a voice, Aurora backs up even further, her hind paws slipping slightly as they hit the back wall of the den. This seems to bring her slightly to her senses, and her ears raise slightly as she calls out hesitantly, <I'm in here. But I'm not coming outside, okay?> She sniffs at the air, and even though it's wet, the other puppy is rather close to the den. Close enough, at least, for Aurora to add, <...Peppy? What are you doing outside in this weather?>

Heavy rain pours from dark grey clouds, propelled by a furious east wind.

There are so many ways Peppy can reply to that question. 'Suffering' is a funny one, and 'Drowning' would work too, as would 'Getting lost'. Peppy isn't quite the wit master, however, so his reply to Aurora is only a miserable, but very relieved, little, <I couldn't find the den. I looked all day yesterday, too, but it's too dark to see very much.> The pup pauses for a second, and whimpers a quiet, <It's really muddy out here. Muddy and -wet-.> Yes, 'muddy' tends to suggest it's wet, and vice versa. <Is it... um, uh.> It sort of hits Peppy that no pokemon in his or her right mind would willingly invite a 'muddy and wet' Growlithe into their den. His voice dropping a few pitches, sounding a lot less hopeful, <... I guess I can't come in, can I?> Awww, poor little pup. Poor disgusting, muddy, dirty, dripping wet pup, but poor pup all the same.

Aurora grins slightly, in spite of the rain and her fear of said wet stuff, and her ears prick up slightly more as she takes a step or two forwards and to the side to make room for the other Growlithe. <If you shake off as much water as you can, then dash right in, it shouldn't be so bad,> she replies. <And with two of us in here, it should be warm enough for you to dry off fairly quickly.> Aurora, ever the optimist.

Peppy gives off a little sigh and a nod in reply to Aurora. <Yeah, I und...> And then it kind of hits him. No, she didn't say, "<Eugh, gross! Get outta here and don't dirty up my den!>" As a matter of fact, she almost seemed to welcome him in. With a grateful little <Thank you!>, Peppy takes a couple steps back so as to not hit Aurora with the water (like he's done once or twice before) he's about to fling. He shakes himself vigorously, and though the pup, of course, doesn't get completely dry, he actually does a fairly good job of it, though now his fur's a little more floofy than usual. Acting quickly so as to not get much more wet, Peppy springs off of the ground to dash the whole four steps to the den - but he doesn't consider one thing - mud. After only a step or two, Peppy loses his balance, and, with a little "Lithe!" of surprise, goes sliding into the den. This wouldn't be that bad, except that he's on a crash course towards Aurora. Curse his clumsiness. Let's hope the dry pup can get out of the way!

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

Aurora could indeed get out of the way - with a lot more room and time to maneuver. As it is, she blinks at the furball that comes sliding towards her, and has enough time for about two steps before Peppy hits. The female pup is winded slightly as the other Growlithe knocks into her, and tumbles over, in a position that Peppy's likely to trip over if he's not very careful.

Torrential rains fall at mid-day, driven by raging winds.

Bam! This is... not... quite good. You don't tackle the pup that just very selflessly allowed you to stay in her den when it's dripping like a waterfall from the sky. This is Peppy's prominent thought (well, that and 'This is -really- going to hurt when I crash!') as he bashes into Aurora (that gets a very big 'ack' in Peppy's book) and proceeds to stumble right over her, pretty much going tails-over-head as his cheek smashes into the ground. At least he didn't slide into the wall. Slightly tangled with the other pup, Peppy's first reaction is to... ... woof. <Ow.>

After a little bit of struggling - and stepping on one or two body parts that might elicit a yelp from Peppy - Aurora manages to get herself free of the heap of Growlithe, and shakes herself off slightly to try to get rid of the dampness she's picked up from Peppy. <Are you okay?> she woofs quietly to the other pup, her tail wagging slightly in concern.

Crunch. "Grro-owlithe!" Smush. "Gro-o-o-o-ow!" Smash. "Lithe!" Aurora stepping on Peppy + smashed cheek = great pain. <I'm okay,> the pup mutters, clenching his teeth to keep from muttering the truth, that he's in incredible pain in four different places. He's lying spread out on the floor, seemingly making no efforts to get up quite yet. <It only...> The pup pauses for a moment, blinking in surprise at a realization, and quickly pops up to four legs - bumping his head on the ceiling. Bonk! <Owww! Th...> Pause. He then remembers what he got up for in the first place. Giving Aurora a fearful little glance, his ears and tail lowering submissively, he woofs quietly, <I am so sorry, I really, really didn't mean to do that, are you all right, are you hurt?> This is all launched rapid-fire at Aurora, and Peppy seems to forget the fact that he himself is in pain. In five places.

Aurora shakes her head as she tries to follow Peppy's questions, then lowers her head a little. <I'm okay, but... I'm really sorry, did I hurt you when I tried to get off you? I didn't mean to, I just thought you'd rather not be... um...> The Growlithe blushes slightly, and with a little cough she changes the subject. <Anyway, it's nice and dry in here, so you should be okay.>

Wincing a little from the bump on his head, the mud permanently enscribed into his cheek, and the three other aching joints and bones, Peppy still manages to woof a semi-cheerful, <I'm fine, it doesn't really hurt.> Compared to what? Being dunked in acid? <I was just afraid that when I bashed into you...> He starts to trail off, but thankfully Aurora offers a topic change, one Peppy readily jumps on. <Yeah, it's really nice to get out of the rain. I... thought it would stop by now, but it seems to be even worse.> A little pause. Peppy sinks down to the floor of the den, woofing a quiet, <I almost wish it would stop.> ... Uh, almost?

Aurora nods, and sinks down to a more comfortable position, her paws in front of her. <I wish the rain would stop, too...> She nods again, then lies down, head on paws, for a few moments, before something makes her sit up straight again, head rising sharply as she turns to look at Peppy. <Almost? What's any good about rain?>

Peppy only gives Aurora a light little nod in reply to her first little statement as he glances out at the rain, his tail giving an agitated little wag as he starts to think about... something. Probably burgers, or sleeping, or eating burgers while sleeping. He doesn't get very far into his thoughts, however, because only a few seconds later, he's met with a very, very hard to answer question. <What?> he woofs, somewhat surprised, his tail giving another agitated wag - this one a little more forceful.

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

Heavy rain pours from dark grey clouds, propelled by a furious east wind.

<You said you almost wished it'd stop. Doesn't that mean that there's something good about it not stopping?> Usually, Aurora doesn't get this involved in an argument - or involved in arguments at all - but the driving rain appears to have made the pup more irritable than usual. <There's nothing good about rain!>

Peppy is almost completely silent for a moment, so quiet that the sound of his breathing can't even be heard. His paws scrape into the dirt on the ground, but they make no noise. After a few seconds, he starts to come back to life - but this time his breathing's a little deeper. Not that it matters to the pup - he can hardly hear it over his heartbeat. Peppy tenses up a little, not realizing that he doesn't feel pain in five different places anymore. <Well...> he woofs quietly, very quietly. Turning his head to the side, he makes it a point to look up at the sky, and definitely not at the female. <It... it means I...> He swallows, still making sure to not look at Aurora. <... I can come here.> He pauses for a moment. <And be with you... until the rain stops.> Clenching his teeth shut, Peppy visibly winces. There it is; the point of no return.

Aurora blinks once, twice, then nods slowly. <I... yeah. I see what you mean.> She glances over at Peppy, then looks down at her paws. <Well, you, er... you don't have to wait until it rains, you know. I mean, the den's large enough for two, and you could...> Aurora's blushing again, and she looks a little harder at her paws. <You could stay here, you know. It's nice having company, and it'd mean you wouldn't get lost trying to find it again.>

Is it possible for somebody else a few feet away to hear your heart beat? Because Peppy thinks that his is so loud that it must be audible to Aurora. Peppy's entire body just seems very tense and wobbly, as though he's just going to melt into a puddle on the floor at any given second. Even though he's fighting it, even though he told himself he wouldn't - he turns his head and takes a glance at Aurora. <You get... lonely... too?> This is very unusual. The expected woofs of disgust and rejection don't come. The pup's now breathing like he ran a marathon, even though he's trying his very best to hold it in. <I, uh, I really, really shouldn't, I mean, not all the time... I mean, not...> He can't manage anything more, anything else just comes out as nonsensical "growls" and "lithes" that really don't mean anything. Aww.

Aurora nods quickly, and replies, <Yeah, I... it's nice having somewhere to stay, you know. But it's also nice having... someone to stay there with. And, if you want to... do you want to stay here?> she says quickly. <If you don't want to stay here, that's okay.>

Peppy's reply is quiet, but positive - and isn't that the part that matters most? <I'd...> Out of the corners of his mouth, a little doggie grin appears. <... Like that.> The pup gives one tiny little tailwag. It's small, but it's got all sorts of emotions mixed in there - lots of anxiety and nervousness, but throw a little optimistism and relief in there, too. So there it is. As of yet, his heart has not been yanked out his ribcage and stomped upon, yes, that's a very good thing. Peppy slinks down to the ground, resting his tummy and chest on the muddy ground, and sets his head onto his paws. He doesn't seem to have it in him to say anything else... except an extremely quiet, almost inaudible little <Thank you> in Aurora's direction. <For everything.>

Aurora grins, and blushes faintly. <It's... you're welcome. You've helped me a lot, especially with this den and with hunting, and... this is the least I can do. Maybe we should try to dig out the den a bit more, to give us both some more room... although it might wait until the weather's better.> Aurora's bad mood seems to have evaporated after Peppy's surprising statement, and at the moment her expression is a lot softer, and closer to how it's been during better weather.

Peppy simply turns his head, resting his cheek upon his paws so that he can look at Aurora as she speaks. He nestles into his paws a little timidly as she thanks him, woofing a gentle little, <It... really... I just did what I wanted to do, and I wanted to help you out.> He gives a shy little smile, and adds, <I knew... you didn't -need- it because you're so smart you would have found a way... but I... wanted to.> The pup takes a quick look around the den, peering first over at Aurora's half, then his own, and gives a tiny little headshake. <I think it's okay, as long as it's just the two of us.> There's a little pause, and the Growlithe nuzzles his head into his paws, really hoping Aurora doesn't read into that.

Aurora gives a small nod, her head close to her paws. <Yeah, it's just the right size for two, although a bit more space might not be a bad idea. Then if we had to go out in the rain, we wouldn't be all squashed up against each other and getting wet...> She puts her head down on her paws, her head angled to look over at Peppy. <Although it's kind of cosy like this. Stays warm for longer. But yeah, it's only really big enough for two. I wasn't planning to invite anyone else in...> There's a long pause, and then a quiet, <Oh.> Looks like Aurora did read into Peppy's words.

Fidgit. Peppy just sort of nods his head slowly at Aurora's points, just waiting, just -waiting- to see how perceptive Aurora is. And just when he thinks he's gotten away with it... there's the "<Oh.>" Peppy quickly cowers into the ground, barking a rather frantic, <I really didn't mean anything by it!> He's even more embarrassed now than he was earlier. <I really, um, didn't... no, uh, yes. Yes, it's just perfect for two Growlithes. ... Maybe a little bit bigger, but not much.> See, there's the downside to being less smart than your average Growlithe - you don't think things out before you say them.

A Meowth kitten starts to chew on the database -- better save, quick! (Saving)

Seems that someone's starting to get used to Peppy's hurried backtracking and excuses - at any rate, Aurora gives a little smile and a nod, and a quiet, <That's okay,> in reply. <It's a nice size at the moment, yeah,> she adds, and then there's a pause for a while, as she just stares past Peppy at the wall of the den. She lifts her head from her paws, and stares studiously at the floor for a moment or too, then tilts her head to regard Peppy out of the corner of one eye. <If you did... you know... if you wanted to be my...> The word "mate" isn't spoken, but from the rest of the conversation, it's there. <...That'd be... I mean, if you wanted that, I'd like that.>

The pup simply nods his head a little somewhat vacantly, glad to see that he escaped unscathed from that entire ordeal. Perhaps it wasn't as obvious as he thought? Or perhaps he just lucked out.

Aurora stares back for a few moments, her expression a mixture of embarrasment and shyness, with a hint of a smile - then she returns to studying the floor of the den in great detail. <I... that's what I said,> she replies quietly. <If you don't want that at all, I understand, and I'll forget I said it. You can... you can stay in the den whenever you like, whatever you decide.> She settles her head on her paws again, her voice muffled by her fur as she continues to talk. <Whatever you decide is fine with me - you're my friend, after all.>

Time just sort of stops. The rain no longer hits the ground. The wind no longer blows into the den. Peppy stops breathing, stops blinking, stops everything as he looks over at Aurora, shaking his head very, very slightly. <I...> He clears his throat - a raspy sound, to say the least - and tries again. <I... really... didn't... I...> How in the world does he do this?

Aurora nods again, with a reassuring little smile. <That's... that's really kind of you,> she replies. <And you are brave. A lot braver than me, anyway, especially being outside in weather like this. I... this afternoon I just didn't want to go out at all, and I still don't. I'm afraid of things, too. But as long as we're not afraid of the same things, we can look after... we can help each other.> She lifts a paw to try to pat Peppy reassuringly on the shoulder, unless he moves away or something similar.

Peppy gives an affirmative little woof, complete with a tiny nod and a gentle smile. <Yeah,> he whimpers softly under his breath, adding, <That's what mates are supposed to do, right?> Aurora's attempt to put a paw on Peppy's shoulder probably will not work. It's not because Peppy moves away, and it's not because he intentionally stops the female - it's because he moves in to give her a gentle nuzzle, rubbing his cheek against hers. Should he succeed, he'll woof a quiet little "Grrowlithe". Its translation? Little short of a slightly hesitant but still passionate <I love you.> Aw.