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

Everything is pale grey, veiled by mist. It's warm, humid, and still. In the forest, only the nearest tree branches 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.

Though it's difficult to see the sky through the impending fog over the island, the sun is starting its daily decline. Pokemon currently spending the day outside see the fog change from light grey to dark grey, but there's really not much of a difference. It's humid and stuffy and difficult to breathe, and the wet air makes fur itchy and uncomfortable. Thankfully, this isn't as much of a problem as it was a few hours ago, as creatures across the island are all settling down now for the night. The Growlithe family in the Assisi Barn is no exception, although it's not the five growing pups that are the tired ones - it's the two parents. Aurora is already fast asleep, out like a light, and Peppy is getting there. Though Aurora's only a little brown, Peppy is practically covered from head to toe in slightly damp mud, especially around his neck and chest; very little of his orange-red fur shows through. Needless to say, Peppy's had a long, tiring day, doing whatever the heck he was doing outside, and he can only hope the puppies aren't going to be troublesome.

Watt? July already? You must be 'lion! Bingo! (Saving!)

And if they do wind up being a wee bit too hyper, Soki the Sandslash stands guard to keep them in line. "Stand" is actually context-appropriate for his stance this time; the quill-rat is leaning his bed of nails against the wall, arms folded across his chest (right arm on top, displaying one of his scars), eyes darting back and forth between all the puppies. They've been pretty good so far, but you never know when things will go wrong, so eternal vigilance is demanded. And on that front, Soki's spent the back half of the day asleep for the expressed purpose of taking the night shift.

Everything is pale grey, veiled by mist. It's warm, humid, and still.

Dusk is watching the action, blue eyes flicking from one puppy to the next. She pants slightly, having finished a game of tag before she plopped down beside her mother. Flame is snoozing in his corner, sometimes grunting in his sleep - and more disturbingly, grinning broadly and snickering. And what action is there for Dusk to watch and Flame to sleep through? Dakota, as usual, with Briska and Karen giving the hyper pup a game or two to play. This game is, apparently, Barrel Into Briska. Dakota and Karen each take turns running at their slightly-larger-than-average brother, who sits in the straw with a broad, dopey grin on his face. The prize (in this case, gloating rights) goes to the pup who can get closest to Briska and then dodge aside without actually hitting him. Dakota is up next - she dodges easily aside with just a hair's breadth to spare. She laughs, and Briska laughs as well, loudly and gleefully. He doesn't know why he's laughing, but if Dakota is happy, then why shouldn't he be?

Though the puppies are playing a game, it's not a particularly loud or violent one, so Peppy doesn't have any problems. He watches them with lazy eyes half blurry, half closed, his tail occasionally giving a swish-swish of light interest when one of the girls dances to the side to avoid their brother. He is vaguely aware of Soki's presence, and here and there he looks over at the Sandslash, just to make sure he's keeping guard. It's not because Peppy's having doubts about Soki and wondering if he's keeping sufficient watch; it's because Peppy is trying to figure out whether or not it's okay to go asleep. The mud has started to cake over his fur by now, and it's becoming more and more uncomfortable by a minute.

Soki's fighter reflexes catch the fact that Peppy's looking at him, and accordingly the Sandslash returns the gaze. No other part than his head moves, however, and rather than striking up a conversation, Soki instead returns his attention to the children. If he were to talk to Peppy, then neither of them would be paying attention, and Murphy's Law On Child Control mandates than any children left unsupervised for the slightest instant will proceed to create trouble. Besides, Soki doesn't want to miss an instant of their games; there may be a worthy fighter among them... but, at this point, that's little more than a pipe dream.

Watt? July already? You must be 'lion! Bingo! (Saving!)

Murphy who? Murphy what? Why would any sort of law like that apply to the angelic children of the gregarious Peppy and the kind Aurora? The game goes on without a hitch. Karen sighs and rushes at Briska, who stares at her with blank eyes and grinning mouth. And then - woosh! She dodges to the side! It's not quite as graceful as Dusk, but nor are her movements as jerky and energetic as those of Dakota's. Karen frowns in thought as she tries to determine who got closer and, therefor, who won the match. Eventually she looks to Dakota, hoping her sister managed to determine the victor...only to see that Dakota is ready to run full-tilt towards her brother again, and...well, Karen's not going to ask Briska. He likely needs all his concentration to simply sit still. Briska gives a little chuckle at the determined expression on Dakota's face, but he does little else. Dakota runs and dodges. See? Perfectly harmless.

Man, Soki has a good eye on these kids. Even when the Sandslash turns his gaze to meet Peppy's, he goes right back to watching the children. Hot dog. Wonder if he'd mind if Peppy just took a quick nap... Unfortunately for the hapless pup, something inside of Peppy just tells him that it's not fair to leave this job to Soki alone to this difficult job, and even though the dog is already half asleep, he forces himself to keep his eyes open and on his puppies. What a lazy father he is.

Soki's gaze never leaves the kids, as he has something to say to them. It's not quite as complex as his full line of thought, but, <Someone's going to get hurt if you play that long enough,> said in the deep monotone that Soki tends to use when warning the puppies of something, gets the point across. What Soki's really thinking is how the urge to outdo the competition is going to bring them closer and closer to Briska's face, until someone slips up and noses get dented. Talking out of the side of his mouth, Soki informs Peppy, <We might have an object lesson in paying attention to the warnings of one's elders soon.>

Watt? July already? You must be 'lion! Bingo! (Saving!)

Briska can pay attention to two things at once. Oh, not all the time, and not very well, but he can. How else can he move his paws in the correct order when he walks, or think about pouncing on his sister as he trots towards her? Right now he's concentrating sitting still, but his mind is also slipping to...the thought that it's very boring to sit still. The pup's attention diminishes as Karen comes rushing at him. He looks to his left. He looks to his right. He glances at his paws, at Peppy, at Soki, at Aurora, at Dusk and finally at Karen who, by her upraised tail, seems to consider herself the winner of this round. And...Soki speaks. The three pups look over at the Sandslash. <'Kay,> Dakota woofs with no concern, sending her sister a quick glare as she scuttles forward to beat her record. <Hmm..> murmurs Karen, glancing at her brother and sister, clearly mulling the idea over. Briska, meanwhile, is grateful for an excuse to do something other than sit. <Oh!> he says in slight surprise, having forgotten Soki was there. <Soki Sandslash,> he says cheerfully, glancing to his sisters and adding, <That Soki Sandslash,> for their benefit. As if they could forget that when that's the only thing Briska has ever called Soki.

When Soki speaks up, Peppy's ears perk slightly, though he still lies there on his stomach, eyes disinterested. It's like he's making a weak attempt to appear alive and is failing miserably. <Huh?> Peppy woofs in response, raising his head enough to detach his mouth from his front paws. <Oh... uh, yeah, maybe... they're just playing a game, though, and not hurting anybody.> Peppy, apparently, doesn't think that a game could possibly end up hurting somebody. What a dumb dog. When Briska goes off on his Soki Sandslash kick, dad can't help but grin slightly, his tail now perking up and waggling back and forth. How can he help it? Briska's so cute when he does that.. no matter how many times he does it, over and over again.

Soki looks at Peppy and shakes his head in disagreement. <I'm not saying they'd try to hurt anyone, I'm saying all it would take would be one slipping paw to make one of them crash into Briska and get them both hurt. They've been warned, though, and if they get hurt after that they'll understand what the warning was for,> he explains. <But, I suppose we'll have to wait and see what happens.> With that, Soki returns his gaze to children at play to see if his prediction comes about. What with Briska distracted, we could have and accident for causes other than the competition.

As much as their dad loves it, Briska's sisters don't seem to find the Soki Sandslash bit so cute; one or two of them roll their eyes at their brother in exasperation, though there's no real meanness, as these are the nice pups of the litter. Karen, meanwhile, comes to a decision, being the level-headed and rather responsible pup she is. <Hey, Dakota!> she calls to her sister, who in running at Briska with paws a-pounding and fur streaming out behind her. Dakota turns to look at Karen. <Huh?> she calls back. <No more game!> Karen replies. <Awwww!> Dakota whines, sending a sulky glare at her sibling. Briska doesn't pay much attention to this - he's still peering at Soki, his tail beginning to wag. Maybe Soki will stop the game and he can do something really fun!

Watt? July already? You must be 'lion! Bingo! (Saving!)

Peppy woofs a gruffy comment in reply to Soki, shifting his tired eyes back to the puppies. He's not really in the mood to talk much right now, especially since it's all pessimistic and won't ever happen. C'mon, the pups aren't so clumsy they run into each other, are they? ... Apparently they are. Crash! Peppy jolts up when he sees Briska go stumbling from the full-powered force of Dakota's tackle, and his eyes widen a bit. <Whoa!> he yips, hopping up to his paws, tail suddenly jittery and shaky. He isn't quite sure if this is one of those "dear-goodness-get-help-ASAP" situations or one of those "poor-guy-he'll-be-okay" situations. His pace slow and steady, his eyes wide, his mouth tightly shut, Peppy approaches Briska verrrry slowly, looking for signs of blood, listening for signs of whimpering or crying.

The Sandslash, too, is off the wall and on the scene of the crash. The first question on his mind is, <Are you okay, Briska?> Hopefully that'll get a response, at least, if not a positive one. Soki's nerves have been steeled by foresight, unlike Peppy's, thus he turns to Dakota and says, <It's okay.> The young are built sturdy, and a head-on won't have killed Briska. At the very worst something will have broken, and in all likelihood it's just going to cause a bruise. That's why "It's okay..." Dakota honestly didn't know what she was doing.

Heck, Dakota isn't an enraged Vulpix. Briska blinks a few times, glances around to make sure that yes, he actually is on the floor, looks at Dakota, who somehow put him on the floor, and then rolls on to his feet. Dakota quickly steps off and lets her brother up. <Sorry, Briska!> she yips worriedly, apparently not having taken Soki's words to heart. <Uh-huh,> the larger puppy says as he gets to his feet, shaking himself all over. His voice is deep, but not in an attempt to sound overly-macho; that's simply how Briska speaks now that puppyhood is falling away from all of the pups. <Wanna play, Dakota?> asks Karen, eager to keep her sister from feeling sorry for herself. <Sure!> replies the hyper one, bounding over to her sis. <Gotcher ear!> she yaps with, sure enough, Karen's ear in her mouth. ..Yeah, no worries on that front. Briska gives his father a small smile as Peppy approaches. Poppa's coming to say 'hi!' Yay! Briska is growing well, and is now just a tad taller than Peppy, though he still has to gain a Growlithe's traditional weight. Whether Briska notices this isn't clear, but he hasn't said anything on the topic of how big he is. Maybe he just can't find the words.

Watt? July already? You must be 'lion! Bingo! (Saving!)

Peppy does not and probably never will see Briska as bigger than him, because all Peppy knows is that it was only right before winter that the pup was inches off the ground. As such, Peppy doesn't feel particularly silly looking Briska over for bumps and bruises, squeezing his eyes tight at the pokemon who's darn close to his mirror image. <Good,> he woofs at last, cheerfully enough, raising his green eyes to meet Briska's. <I don't think anything's hurt. Are you all right, Briska? Is there anywhere where it really hurts?> Once more, Peppy looks over Briska's body, as though he doesn't trust Briska no matter what his response may be. There's gotta be some bump, somewhere, and Peppy's gonna find it if it's the last thing he does!

Soki peers around. The collision's aftermath was better than expected... so much so that there practically isn't anything wrong. The other puppies are still playing, Briska's fine... so much for the caretaking tonight! Feeling certain that all is well, the Sandslash returns to his post and resumes the exact same pose he had before... arms folded, back to the wall, and eyeing those under his guard carefully. Peppy's concern for Briska goes largely ignored; he won't find anything serious if Soki's knows his injuries, and as a fighter, he should.

When Poppa pronounces him well, Briska's rubbery black lips stretch into a grin. <Gooooood,> he echoes quietly and deeply, rolling the word over his tongue. Peppy will find that his son's coat is thick, if a little mussed, with some straw sticking out of his back and sides. Even the spot where Navarone had bitten him has filled in nicely. There doesn't seem to be any bump. <Brrrr...iska, no...hurt,> the canine eventually says, puzzling over his words even as he says them. <Briska no hurt,> he repeats more confidently, giving a little nod of satisfaction. <Soki Sandslash, Briska no hurt,> he adds, looking to, of all people, Soki. Briska then snickers, lowering his head slightly as he gives a little huff of laughter. The kid sure seems to enjoy bringing Soki in to these little conversations. Maybe he actually noticed that Soki was talking about 'hurt' before the collision, and is amused by the thought that Soki predicted this? Or maybe he just likes to laugh at Soki's funny, funny name?

Everything is pale grey, veiled by mist. It's warm, humid, and still.

Peppy nodnodnods in reply to Briska's statement, and replies, <So it doesn't hurt.> He pauses for a second, and repeats it, in a slightly more forceful tone, <It doesn't hurt. You don't hurt.> Ah, the wonderful mechanics of Growlithe grammar. Content to see that his son is not bleeding from a giant wound, Peppy nods slowly, taking a step backwards to get a better look at Briska. He squints slightly, looking him over... but it's evident to see that this time, he's not looking for a bump or bruise. Without explaining why he's scrutenizing the poor pup, Peppy smiles softly, almost sadly, before turning back to Aurora, heading over to the place where he initially came from. Hope the floor's still warm.

Watt? July already? You must be 'lion! Bingo! (Saving!)

Soki nods to Briska as Peppy settles in. <I'm glad you're not hurt, Briska. Go ahead and play with the others,> the Sandslash says, less as a command and more as a subliminal suggestion. After that, he hasn't really got anything else to else to say. The level of interest that Briska shows in his caretaker *is* rather unusual, though... that'll worm its way into Soki's thoughts once everyone else is asleep.

Dusk has by now joined her dark-furred brother in sleep. Karen and Dakota are now playing, though their game requires less energy than the first one, as night is fast approaching. And Briska? <Uh-huh!> he woofs in response to the grammar lesson, his tail giving a few upbeat little wags. He doesn't immediately repeat the words, though, which isn't a good thing in terms of Briska comprehending new terms and phrases. Peppy will need to approach him another time, is all. And as his father looks at him...Briska looks back. His ears lower a tad in uncertainty as Poppa looks him over again, a light frown beginning to tug at his features. Huh? What's all this about? Then Peppy smiles a smile-that-isn't-a-smile turns and walks away. ...Huh? Briska's attention goes to Soki, but it's a bit unwillingly. <Okay,> he replies...and sets about ignoring Soki's commands. <Poppa?> Briska asks, padding towards his father, concern the only emotion on his face. <Briska no hurt,> he repeats. Just in case Peppy missed it.

Ah, back to the ol' lying place... well, actually, by now, Aurora has rolled over right onto his warm spot, so Peppy gets revenge by just adopting her old place. Ha! That'll show her! ... When Briska calls to him and approaches him, Peppy looks up almost nervously, afraid that perhaps Briska isn't healthy after all. Once his son once more assures him that he's not hurt, Peppy smirks slightly, nodding once again. <I know, Briska. Thanks.> Peppy drops down onto the floor, nestling into a cozy spot, before scanning all the puppies. He's quite relieved to see two of them asleep, as the fewer the puppies, the less the hassle, and the sooner it's time to go to sleep!

Soki peers over at Peppy, and reads the fatigue in his eyes. Quillzy already has to stay up for the night and there's only a few left standing, so... <Go ahead and sleep, Peppy,> he says. <I'll keep watch until they're asleep. It's not all that much of a hassle, and you'll need all the rest you can get for tomorrow,> he continues, anticipating the response and answering it preemptively. Even if that wasn't the question on Peppy's mind, it's answered anyway!

Watt? July already? You must be 'lion! Bingo! (Saving!)

...Well, at least that smirk looks sort of normal. Briska stares at his father for a few more seconds, hoping something that might explain that whole staring thing, but nothing comes. The pup gives a soft "Lii..", something like a Growlithian <Huh..>, before turning back. After a few steps he pauses, before looking back at his father, his expression still a little concerned but for the most part inscrutable. <Thanks,> he repeats, in Peppy's exact tone. Who knows why. Maybe he thinks it means 'good-bye'. Or something. A glance is given to Soki as he speaks to Peppy, but Briska files this under the heading of "Things I Don't Have to Pay Attention To," and on Soki's fifth word he's already striding over to his sisters, giving them a soft yip to alert them to his approach. <Hi Briska! You...> yaaaawwwn <wanna join in?> "Owli," Briska wuffs kindly, a smile perking up his features, his tail wooshing from side to side. <Great! Here's what you gotta do...>

Soki doesn't need to tell Peppy twice. <Thanks...> Peppy himself yawns, right as one of the girls does. They both stop yawning right at the same moment, too. <Soki,> Peppy finishes, before letting his head drop onto his paws. And though sleep doesn't come instantly to the fully grown Growlithe, it does come quick and hard, and by the time Soki looks back, Peppy will probably already be lost in dreamland, sprawled out across the floor, thinking about burgers, puppies, Aurora, and other things that make him happy.