Contents:
Aurora
Obvious exits:
East <E> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Cache Creek.
Southwest <SW> leads to Commerce Road - Route 7: Trader Way.

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west. The wind is gusty. In the forest, fiery red, gold, and orange leaves rustle and blow past you, swirling in the wind. While at the coast, the sea is a warm blue, reflecting the saved warmth from the summer, and the waves are gentle.

It's the day wanderers live for.

A few feet or so behind Peppy is Aurora, her expression determined as she manages to keep at roughly the same pace as her mate. The weather is perfect, not just for Peppy, but probably for all other Growlithes as well, and Aurora's cheerful comment of, <I wonder where that Pikachu went...> shows her mood - it may be the middle of the day, and she may be a little tired and rather hungry, but it's wonderful weather and she's going to enjoy it.

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

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west. The wind is gusty.

Peppy seems considerably unaware of the fact that he's moving too fast for the poor female, as he sort of nods distractedly, replying with a soft, <Yeah.> The wind blows into the pup's face, pushing the white fur on his cheeks back into his skin. It's a little bit more difficult to force one's way against the wind, but Peppy, though a little slow, doesn't seem to be struggling. Turning his head as he responds, he glances at her face, a mixture of content and seriousness all mixed into one, and the pup beams a smile at her. <You know what?> he barks, slowing down his pace ever-so-slightly. His head rotates a little further until he's peering behind Aurora. <Except for when I went to the farm when it was snowing, this is the farthest I've been from your... the den since you... we started making it.> A pause. He glances back to see her expression. <I haven't hunted out this far.> His voice, thankfully, isn't scared or anything - merely speculative.

<It's quite a way away, though,> Aurora replies, still struggling a little to keep up. <And there were a lot of berries growing near us to start with, and... ooof.> Aurora grimaces for a moment, and slows down. <I just got kicked again,> she adds by way of explanation, a little grin on her face. <It's okay now.>

Bink! Peppy doesn't only slow down - he stops right in mid-step, one paw hovering in the air, and then he actually -backtracks- until he's right by her side, half of his face worried and concerned, the other curious and full of wonder. His tail displays even another emotion - excitement - as it wags back and forth with spirit. <Are you okay?> he asks quietly, struggling to keep his eyes on Aurora's face. They keep flickering back to her belly. It must feel really weird to have puppies inside of you, the pup distractedly thinks to himself. <Do you need to stop? Sleep? Eat? Just rest?> There's a little pause, and, a little worried, Peppy asks, <Um... need me to carry you?> ... Well, that's a silly question.

Aurora shakes her head, starting to walk forward again and doing her best to match the pace that Peppy was keeping earlier. <I'm okay, don't worry,> she replies, adding, <Although maybe in a few hours we should find some food, and somewhere to rest for the night.> Her stomach rumbles a little, and she shakes her head again. <Let's keep on going.>

Aurora goes on ahead a little, and Peppy just sort of watches her for a couple seconds, wondering how he should reply. He's not even going to bother with an '<Are you sure?>' because she always is. After Aurora matches his old pace, Peppy breaks into a lightly quick trot, catching up to his mate after a couple of moments. <I think,> the pup woofs gently, slowing his steps down to meet Aurora's. <There might be more Rattatas up here. I think...> He closes his eyes (though continues walking) and takes a couple quick sniffs, before blinking them back open. <... I can smell them in the wind.> He's not completely lying - he does catch the slightest hint here and there - but for the most part, he's just saying that to give the female (and maybe even himself) something to look forward to. Peppy licks his chops a little at the thought. Mm, Rattata!

The sun shines overhead, bracketed by puffy fair weather clouds.

There's another grin from Aurora as she nods a little to Peppy. <I hope there are - that one you brought home was delicious,> she replies, her step with perhaps a little more spring in it after being reminded of the Rattata meal. Amazing what the mention of good food can do to people. <Do you remember which way we go once we're past the big city... Saffron, isn't it?> she asks, turning her head a little to try to see Peppy without slowing down.

Peppy is silent for a few moments, for the simple reason that... well... he doesn't quite remember what a Saffron is. He knows a Celadon, and he knows that, uh, that town with all the water, but Saffron is something of a new word to him. <No... not really,> the pup admits, sheepishly glancing at the side away from Aurora. <I was a little lost in the snow,> he continues, <When I was going with the Pikachu, I found a Rattata, and he told us where to go.> The sides of Peppy's mouth twitch a little as he glances back at Aurora, and, giving an amused little "Lithe", he adds, <Though I guess we can't do that now if we're hungry.> He opens his mouth as if he has something to say - maybe something like '<If I had to take a guess...>' - but he pauses for a second, perhaps giving his mate a moment to speak up.

<I think... I think I remember how to get there. I spent some time there with my trainer, and maybe I can find the way.> She grins again, and says, <And we could always ask another pokemon. Something that's big enough for us not to eat, but not so big as to be scary. We'll find our way.> Let's hope they do...

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

Peppy only nods his head gently as an initial response, before turning his head so as to look straight into the wind. His eyes squeeze a little more shut as dust and leaves fly into his face. Okay, so perhaps the weather isn't quite so perfect as the pup first thought. Only a couple of moments pass before Peppy speaks up again. <I'm, uh.> He pauses. Great start, Peppy! <Uh, glad to be, um, making this trip, you know, not alone, but with you.> His eyes turn to the side, away from Aurora. Looks like even after weeks of being with her, he's still a little shy. <I mean, not because you're really smart and because I'd get lost, but because... um...> His head declines further down, down, until he's glancing right at the ground. He sort of trails into nothingness. That really didn't come out as well as he had hoped it would.

Aurora blushes at the compliments, and shakes her head a little. <You're smart too - you can hunt well, remember? And you built the den with me, too. But... what were you going to say?> Her ears prick up a little, and her tail wags eagerly. <It's nice to be coming on this trip with you, you know. I appreciate it a lot.>

Peppy's head actually sinks down even further as Aurora speaks, making him look rather silly as he continues to keep up his pace. Peppy's often proud of himself over the tiniest little things, and the things he comes up with in his head make perfect sense to him - but even he knows that he's not quite the smartest pup in the litter. That doesn't mean Aurora can't make him feel better - if not a little embarrassed, too - by saying he does have a shred of intelligence. <I... just... you know,> Peppy growls gently, his voice barely even audible over the wind. Turning his eyes to Aurora (though his head is declined - he's looking mostly at her moving paws), he mumbles, though she should be able to hear, <I'm glad we're making this trip... together. Last time I went, I was...> There's a pause here, maybe as Peppy tries to collect his thoughts or catch a little breath. His head is slowly rising. <I was so sure next time I went to the farm I'd be all alone, but now there's you and...> The pup's pace slows considerably, though he continues walking (well, it's more like a trudge now). <... So much has changed since Patch...> Almost involuntarily, Peppy's pace almost slows to a crawl as he glances behind him. The two are too far from Celadon to possibly see it from this distance, of course, but that's undoubtedly what he's thinking of.

<It's okay. I thought I'd be making the trip to the farm alone, too.> Aurora looks up, and though her attention's turned towards the distant but almost visible city of Saffron, it's a fair bet that her thoughts are similar to Peppy's. The Growlithe sighs a bit, and then she grins suddenly. <If Karen could see me now, I bet she'd be really happy. At what had happened to me, and at how we'd managed to survive in the wild. Wouldn't Patch be happy to see you enjoying yourself?>

Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west. The wind is gusty.

Peppy breaks his attention away from Celadon after a few seconds of peering at it longingly, turning his head up to Aurora. He heads into a trot to catch up with her, matching his pace up with hers yet again. His ear perks a little bit when Aurora's pitch jumps slightly, and he takes a glance at her as she speaks. Patch... hm. Patch proud of him? This makes Peppy blink gently - to this day, he still isn't sure why he's now a wild pokemon, no longer safe in the confines of Celadon City. Not that he regrets it, but... He takes a glance at the other Growlithe, his eyes straying from the tip of her tail to the end of her muzzle. His tail wags excitedly. The only thing stopping him from touching her, nuzzling her, just physically loving her, is the fact that her face seems so determined to keep on moving. Maybe the reason Patch... With a gentle smile, Peppy woofs a quiet reply. <Yeah. ... Yeah, I think she'd be very happy for me.> And with that, Peppy adjusts his focus on the path ahead, half of his attention deep inside his thoughts and the other half lost in the wind.