This is a story I wrote a while ago. I was planning on continuing it, but sort of quit on it after finishing this first chapter. I might continue it if I get enough support. I really only decided to upload this because 1) I thought it might help me transition to fics other than Mario and 2) I thought it was decent enough. Anyways, please tell me what you think. Enjoy!

Snowflakes

The cool winds of winter had settled down once more all across the kingdom, ravaging the land and sending any Pokemon it came across scurrying into their homes for shelter. Only a few walked the streets at this time of year. Mostly just doctors making house calls, carpenters fixing roofs, bearing the cold in order to make some meager earnings, and those without homes, wandering the streets with nowhere else to go, their constant hunger their only companion.

But among them was a servant girl. The young Mawile walked the streets alone and silently, seemingly unfazed by the freezing weather. She stared straight ahead and showed no emotion, her cold indifference rivaling the chill of the wind. No one approached her or even glanced at her, and, when they walked by, moved to the other side of the street. No one could blame them, though. She looked quite intimidating.

She ignored them and turned her thoughts to other things. It had snowed gently for the first few weeks, but a blizzard had hit the castle town hard, enveloping it in it's cool embrace. It had finally settled down, revealing that the whole town had been buried beneath pure white snow. But that was alright with her. She loved the snow. It always reminded her of Seth.

She quickly shook her head and emptied the thoughts from her mind. She couldn't be thinking about him now. She had to concentrate on what she was doing. If she got absorbed in her thoughts, she would walk along blindly. Then when she would be pulled out of her thoughts, she would find herself lost. That wouldn't help anybody, except the vicious gangs that preyed on unwary pedestrians.

A short while later she arrived at her destination, a small bakery. She stepped inside and was instantly overwhelmed by wondrous scents.

Fresh baguettes filled the tiny shop with their mouthwatering aroma. Pies and pastries were neatly arranged in the narrow display case at the counter.

But that was the only neat and tidy part of the shop.

Recipes and lists of ingredients were strewn about the store carelessly. A precariously perched pile of pies sat on a windowsill, threatening to fall off and splat on the ground whenever a breeze flew in. Whisks, mixing bowls, and other baking items lay all over the place, seemingly placed deliberately, but then forgotten.

While many would find this hectic scene unsightly, the Mawile found it comforting and inviting.

As if on cue, a Baltoy darted out from the back of the shop wearing a tiny apron covered in flour. He bobbled toward the counter, wielding a rolling pin.

"Ah, Claudia! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?" he asked.

"Hello Mr. Claymore. I've come for the baked goods that are to be for the Princess's Christmas party." she stated.

"Oh, of course! The Missus just finished preparing them! I'll be right back." he said before dashing away into the chaotic kitchen.

Claudia let an almost imperceptible smile break across her lips. This bakery was by far one of her favorite places in town. No other baker could match the quality of Mister and Misses Claymore's bread, and the couple always treated her like any other Pokemon, contrasting greatly to the dirty looks and hateful rumors she received from most everybody else.

Really, nothing was wrong with Claudia. She looked completely normal except for her eyes. The right was a crimson red, common for a Mawile. But the other was a dark, coal black. No one had ever seen something like it before, so of course they feared it. They made up stories about how she was a witch or that she could curse someone with her red eye and show them the hour of their death with the black one. They were all false of course, but everyone still steered clear of her, preferring to speak ill of her behind her back, but not even daring to glance at her in person. She learned to cope with it at a young age, building up a wall of indifference and solitude in order to keep things from getting to her. Only one person had truly been able to break through it, forming an unbreakable bond with her.

"Here you are. Will that be all, Miss?" came the voice of Mr. Claymore, dragging her out of her thoughts as he handed her a tower of boxes filled to the brim with bread.

"Yes. Thank you, sir. The Princess will be most grateful for your service."

"Always so formal, eh? You can lighten up around me! Quit being so apathetic." he said amiably.

She smiled, but it wasn't genuine. Just a mask that she wore. While she liked that Mr. and Mrs. Claymore treat her well, she was extremely cautious by nature and avoided trusting people.

"Of course. My apologies. I'll try to remember that in the future. Thank you once again for the food."

"Anytime. I hope the Princess considers enlisting our services in the future."

Claudia paid him, gave him an obligatory bow, and walked out the door, already missing the fantastic scents of the bakery.

On her way back to the castle she spotted a Houndour huddled in an alleyway. He was obviously homeless. His belly was shrunken so much that his ribs were showing. Patches of fur were missing, revealing his skin beneath, which looked badly bruised and cut. A gash ran across his head and ended near his chin, no doubt a battle wound he had acquired for a bit of food or money.

She said nothing to him as she handed him a half a loaf of bread.

The Houndour took it hastily and looked straight into her eyes, something that many were often too afraid to risk.

"Bless you, kind maiden. Words cannot express my gratitude." he said in a raspy voice. She could barely understand him due to his lack of teeth. The ones he did have were cracked and black.

He then immediately began to devour it.

Eat it before another takes it. That rule was always imprinted in a street urchin's mind from the very beginning of their miserable existence.

She turned away and strode off, pitying the Pokemon.

His eyes had been full of so much gratitude.

She still remembered what it was like to starve, to fight for what little you still had, take anything you could get. To be just like him.

She could never forget something like that. Once somebody lived that life, they could never forget something like that.

Involuntarily, she was pulled into her memories, of the times she used to fight for her life just to see tomorrow.

7Z7Z7Z7

Claudia grunted as the larger Pokemon knocked her to the ground. He laughed and prepared for another attack.

"I thought you were supposed to be a demon! Well? where are you hiding your strength, girl?" the Shiftry barked, the stench of alcohol wafting from his mouth.

He was obviously drunk and had no idea what he was doing, or he wouldn't have picked a fight with her. Everyone avoided her like the plague, even the tougher gangs.

She didn't think he would last very long, though. He was slow and unsteady, but sober enough to land a few hits on her. Soon she would knock him unconscious and the three stale loaves of bread he had would belong to her.

He lunged forward but she whirled around him and swept him off of his feet. The oaf landed in the snow with a slight crunch. He quickly hopped back up, nearly falling down again, and was ready.

"Is that the best you've got, lass? If so, just give up now. I can still forgive you if you come back to my hut with me. I'll take care of you just as long as you do whatever I say!" he slurred.

Claudia barely heard him over the sound of the crowd that had gathered around them. Rugged peasants jeered and cursed at her, spit flying into the snow. The stench of their hot sweat permeated the air, heating it up even though it was mid December. Some even made bets on who would win, almost all of them on her. But none openly expressed their support for her. They remained silent or insulted her anyway.

The Shiftry barked at someone in the audience and they brought forward a canteen. He snatched it from them, took a swig of dirty water, and tossed it to the side.

"Aren't you gonna say somethin'? I've been waiting to hear that pretty little voice of yours. They say it's as cold and piercing as an icicle, yet it sounds like the song of a siren."

She kept her face void of any emotion, any sign that he was getting to her, making her weaker. In reality, she was incredibly disgusted by the Shiftry's behavior. He was sexually harassing a ten year old girl and trying to kill her at the same time, and the men around him were egging him on. It was repulsive, but she didn't let it show.

She spun and smacked him with her horns. He stumbled back and slipped in the ice, landing with a sharp crack on the stones.

The crowd went into a frenzy. Supporters of the Grass/Dark Pokemon rushed forward to help him up, but he waved them off.

He stood up, slipped, and got up again. When he regained his balance he shouted gruffly, "You bitch! You're not getting out of this now! I suppose I'll beat you into submission and chain you up as my slave."

The Mawile just stared at him as she prepared to deliver the final blow. She was done toying with him and was ready to leave.

But the Shiftry's next words stopped her in her tracks.

"It's a miracle you're still alive today. If I were your father, I would have thrown you off a cliff instead of dealing with the embarrassment of having a witch for a kid."

Claudia was used to the insults, but she cursed herself for letting him get to her for even a fraction of a second. She brushed away her anger and prepared to attack, but her enemy wasn't finished yet.

"Speaking of your parents, what happened to your father anyway? Didn't he abandon you when you were just five years old? After that he just up and disappeared, huh? A smart move that was. Having a cursed bastard child was one mistake he didn't want to repeat. So he threw away the broken one and moved on to try again. Hahahaha!"

Claudia tensed as a wave of sudden rage swept throughout her body. She saw the Shiftry snicker, a smirk spreading across his face as he realized that he struck a nerve.

In one swift motion, Claudia charged her opponent and tackled him to the ground. He was taken aback and grunted in surprise. She quickly straddled him and curled her left hand into a fist. She brought it down and it connected with his face, snapping his head to the left. She formed a fist with her right hand as well and pummeled him with it. She continued unleashing her unbridled wrath, fist after fist slamming into his ugly face. His jaw started bleeding and many of his teeth fell out. His white mane of hair became coated in dirty snow and grime. She felt the adrenaline pulse through her, charging her with more power every second.

Never before had she felt so angry, not even when her father left her. But now all of her suppressed rage was flowing out of her small body through her fists.

She didn't know how long she had beaten the Shiftry, but he was motionless when she stopped. The mob was silent as well.

She got off of him and stepped back a few paces, panting heavily. Several of his advocates rushed to his side and shook him. They called out his name but he didn't stir. It was then that Claudia realized what happened. Even before another Pokemon attempted to take his pulse, she knew he was dead.

A strange sense of relief flooded through her. And she began to laugh. Slowly and softly at first, but it soon reached a crescendo that was audible to all. She was shaking like mad, but she felt wonderful. She knew it was wrong to feel joy in his death, but she just couldn't help herself. She felt pride in knowing that he would never disturb her again, never threaten her again, never try to kidnap her and use her as a sex slave again. She knew that his body would remain stiff and still and she knew that she was the one who caused it.

It felt fantastic.

Claudia had no recollection of leaving the scene. She didn't remember talking to anyone or if she even claimed the food she had fought for. But at some point, she ended up in a shadowy alley.

A tin bucket rested by one wall and she sat on it, still feeling a bit jittery from her battle.

Now that she had calmed down, she couldn't believe what she had done. She had just murdered somebody. Only adults killed each other. She was just ten years old and she had become a murderer.

She felt hot tears stream down her face. Sure, she despised that man and was glad that he could no longer cause her anymore harm, but did she really have to kill him?

'Yes, you did. That persistent oaf would have just kept coming back to torture you if you had let him live. It's a good thing that you killed him.'

Claudia carefully checked her surroundings by doing a careful 360 degrees, just like her father taught her. She saw no one, but she was sure somebody had spoken.

'You should kill more people. That would decrease the number of pests you would have to deal with. And it felt great, didn't it? What better reason is there than that?'

Claudia didn't look for the voice this time. She now knew that it was her voice, within her mind. And that terrified her more than any street thug that could threaten her.

But she knew that murdering people was a horrible thing to do. Even if she was starving and the only thing she could do to get food was to kill people, she shouldn't do it. That's what her father had taught her.

'But daddy isn't here anymore. You're on your own. And the only way that you're going to live is if you do what the adults do. And they kill, without hesitation.'

No. she thought. I don't want to live like that.

'That's the only life you can live at this point. It's kill, or be killed.'

"No, no, no, no, NO! I can't!"

"Are you alright?"

Claudia jumped to her feet and got into a fighting position, ready to attack whoever had managed to sneak up on her.

It was a Sneasel, maybe a year younger than her or so. He seemed to be in good health and was wearing a servant boy's hat. He was carrying a bag full of sweets from a candy shop in town. She could tell from the logo on the bag that it was the one she visited often. She would occasionally stroll by only to stare in the window longingly before being chased away by the superstitious woman who owned the place.

Just looking at the candy was making her hungry.

But she pushed thoughts of hunger out of her head. She tried to look as menacing as possible, but it probably failed due to the fact that she had just been crying her eyes out.

"Are you okay?" the boy repeated. Only one other person had ever asked her that question.

"What do you want?" she snarled, surprised that he hadn't already run away at the sight of her mismatched eyes.

The boy looked puzzled and cocked his head to one side.

"I heard you crying back here and I wondered what was wrong. Why are you crying?"

Claudia lowered her fists. She knew that someone who was a servant and who was this stupid couldn't possibly be too dangerous. What kind of idiot just waltzes into a dark alley in a very dangerous part of the city with food in hand, whether they hear crying or not?

"None of your business. Now scram!" she commanded.

Just then, Claudia's stomach growled very loudly. The Sneasel blinked and his eyes got wide.

"Are you hungry? Do you want some?" he asked, holding the bag of sweets out to her.

Claudia had learned to never accept candy from strangers, so she shook her head. But her stomach growled again, and the temptation of the delicious snacks got the best of her.

She sighed and snatched the bag out of his hands. She then turned and walked away from him, stuffing sweets into her mouth as she went in a very unladylike fashion.

To her surprise, the boy ran in front of her and tried to take the bag from her.

"Hey! I asked you if you wanted some of them! Not the whole thing! And you didn't even say thanks!" he whined.

Claudia held the bag over his head and watched as he tried to jump up and reach it. She was taller than him by at least three or four inches, so the Sneasel couldn't reach the bag even by hopping up and down.

After a while he gave up and started pouting.

"You owe me another one of those! I needed to deliver those to the castle, and now I can't because you just ate them!"

"You shouldn't offer people things if you're going to go back on your word a moment later. Plus, I'm some homeless stranger in an alleyway. Did you even think this through at all?"

"Oh...um...not really..." he said sheepishly.

"Then it serves you right. You just learned a valuable lesson. You should thank me." she said as she walked back to the bucket and sat on it once again.

The Sneasel ran back up to her, claws raised and shouted, "Fine then! I'll duel you! When I win, you have to buy me another bag just like that one!"

Claudia stared at him for a moment, then gave out a dry, sour laugh. She stood over the boy and put her face inches from his, staring straight into his eyes.

"You are an idiot, aren't you? Let me tell you something, kid. There is no way you would ever defeat me in a fight. Ever. Do you want to know why? Because my life IS fighting. Your life is fetching food, making beds, and being ordered around. Even if you did beat me, I wouldn't be able to pay for your candy, because I have no money. And who says I wouldn't just run and go back on my word?"

For just a moment the Sneasel looked startled and backed away a few steps, but he put on a brave face and put his hand to his chest as if he were about to pledge his loyalty to a lord.

"Because you have to! It's the honorable thing to do!"

In one quick and startling movement, Claudia grabbed the child by the throat and pinned him against the wall.

"HONORABLE thing to do!? When you've lived the life I've been living, honor is thrown away along with courtesy, manners, and everything else that's civil! You don't care about another person, or what they think of you, or how respectful you need to be! You just worry about how you're going to keep that person from taking everything you have left! Once you've lived that life, then you can come back to me and preach about honor! Got it!?"

The boy was frightened to the verge of tears. He sniffled and nodded, then Claudia dropped him.

The two stayed there for a while, the Sneasel shaking and wiping tears off of his face, and Claudia standing rigid with her arms at her side, hands curled up into fists.

Finally, the boy stood up, stared at Claudia, and said, "Thank you."

Claudia was confused. She rarely ever heard those words, and when she did, they were almost never directed at her.

"What?"

"I said thank you. You taught me a lot. I'm not exactly sure what you meant, but I feel a little more appreciative of life now."

Claudia just stared at him. It was weird how fast this kid seemed to change moods. Now he had this goofy smile plastered on his face as opposed to the tears of mortal terror that had been running down his cheeks just a few moments ago.

Claudia narrowed her eyes.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Seth. What's yours?"

"Claudia."

"Okay! Can we be friends?"

Now Claudia was truly taken aback. Did this kid have a disorder or something? Just a moment ago she refused to give him back his belongings, nearly punched his face in, and made him cry. Now he wanted to be friends with her?

Claudia sighed. She had a pounding headache and just wanted this conversation to be done with so she would never have to see him again.

"Sure, whatever. If it will get you to leave me alone."

"Great! So, where do you live?"

Claudia looked at him as if he had just asked her if the city was made out of cheese. "I don't live anywhere. I thought the fact that I was sitting alone in an alleyway, starving, and beat up was a big hint."

"That's not good. Let me think..." he muttered. Seth looked away from her and furrowed his brow. He seemed to be thinking awfully hard.

"Don't hurt yourself." Claudia sneered.

"I've got it! How would you like to be a servant at the castle?" he said happily.

"What?"

"I can help you get a job at the castle! You can live there, and you won't have to be on the streets anymore!"

It sounded like hell and heaven at the same time. Having to work and serve the higher class that she despised so much? No way. But living in a castle, not being hungry, and having a bed to return to every night? That would be nice.

But before she could even answer, Seth was dragging her away.

"This will be so cool! I've never really had a friend before, so being able to see you everyday will be really great!" he ranted, more to himself than her.

Normally Claudia would have knocked the teeth out of anyone who dared to grab her and take her anywhere. But she found that she actually wanted to go with him to the castle. And it wasn't just because of the offer of a home. She actually wanted to be Seth's friend. Why?

He was the only person who had ever looked into her eyes and smiled.