The Harshness of Winter (tragedy)

My first attempt at writing a tragedy, so be gentle with your critiques...
WARNING: The beginning of this story contains blood and slight graphic imagery. You have been warned.

​The Harshness Of Winter
A Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver Fan Fiction
By Derald Snyder

Several years before Ethan embarked on his Pokémon journey...

Pryce gritted his teeth, his bad leg protesting as he hobbled along as fast as he could through the caverns of the Ice Path, his ears buzzing with the sounds of primal Pokémon roars and human screams... Finally, he reached his destination, just in time to see a man get thrown across the chamber and slam hard into the wall, before collapsing in a bloody heap... The culprit, a raging Piloswine, bleated before charging the downed man...
"Dewgong, attack!" Pryce yelled as he threw out a Pokéball. The aquatic Pokémon materialized in an instant, promptly assaulting the wild boar with a Surf attack, the Piloswine crying out in shock as it lost it's footing, squealing as it was washed down a large hole to the lower levels...
Pryce nodded to himself. (That'll do for now,) he thought as he knelt down beside the wounded man. Unfortunately, as he looked over the Piloswine's victim, his years of experience with wild/rabid Pokémon assaults told him the man was not long for this world...
"C...Clair..." the man gasped out suddenly.
"Shhh, don't talk," Pryce ordered as he tried to comfort the man in his final moments. "Save your strength..."
His advice went unheeded. "M...My... daugh...ter... where is... she... Clair......" The man then went limp as his last breath left him.
The Mahogany gym leader shook his head sadly. (What a senseless waste of life...) Looking around, his heart sank as he saw two more victims- A lady lying against an icy stalagmite, the back of her skull crushed, and another man on the ground nearby, his chest caved in- most likely from the Piloswine trampling him. Pryce ran a hand through his mostly-white hair, still tinged with brown, before punching the cave wall in frustration. (Curse my old body, I wasn't fast enough...)
He was roused from his self-flagellation by his Pokémon's barking. "What it is it, Dewgong?" Turning he saw a young girl with light-blue hair in a ponytail, lying unmoving on the floor. Running over to her, Pryce lifted her up and turned her over, seeing her bosom gently rising and falling. (She's still alive...!) There was some blood on her head, but the wound didn't appear to be fatal...
"Dewgong, return! Go, Mamoswine!" As soon as the large mammoth materialized, Pryce heaved the girl onto its back, before climbing on himself. "This girl needs a doctor! To Blackthorn, quickly!" The Twin Tusk Pokémon reared up and galloped off as fast as it's feet could carry it, using it's tusks to smash through any ice formations in the way...

A few hours later...
The girl's eyes slowly opened, her head throbbing. (Where am I...?) The last thing she remembered was training in the Ice Path with her family... As her vision cleared, she saw the visage of Blackthorn's local doctor.
"Clair...?" the doctor asked. "Clair, can you hear me?"
"Doctor...?" Clair groaned. (Wait, am I back home...? What happened...? Did I fall or something...?)
"How are you feeling?" the doctor inquired.
The young girl put a hand to her head. "Ow... my head hurts..." Looking around, she saw Pryce, her grandfather, and her cousin Lance standing to her right. "Grandpa? Lance? What's going on? Where's Daddy? And Auntie and Uncle?"
"You and your family were attacked by a wild Piloswine," Pryce began. "I managed to save you and bring you back here..."
"Wh-what?!" Clair gasped. "I don't remember that! I'd know if something like that happened!"
"Clair," the doctor cut in. "You took a blow to the head... it's only natural you wouldn't remember the attack. In fact, you probably never will."
"Th-then what happened?" the bluenette demanded. "Where's Daddy and the others?!" The doctor did not respond, but only looked over at the others in the room. Clair followed his lead, before realizing how extremely sad her grandfather looked, fear welling up...
"My grandchild," the elder began, "I am so sorry..."
Clair's expression turned to one of horror. "No... NO! NO! You're wrong! You're lying! It can't be true, it CAN'T be...!" She was interrupted as her cousin Lance climbed up onto the bed by her side.
"Clair," he began, tears in his eyes, "I lost my mom and dad too..." He then embraced his cousin as she started sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder... He then looked over at his grandfather and Pryce, nodding to them, even as tears streamed down his own face...
The two men understood, stepping out of the room and leaving the two cousins alone, the doctor following and closing the door behind them.
"If it's any consolation," the doctor stated, "At least Clair will make a full recovery, physically speaking..."
Pryce nodded, before turning to the Dragon Den elder. "I wish there was more I could have done. Had I only been a little faster..."
The elder shook his head. "You did what you could, Pryce... you can't blame yourself. And I *am* grateful you managed to rescue my granddaughter, at least..."
"...So, what will happen with her now?" The gym leader inquired.
"I will take her and Lance into my house, and raise them in my children's place," The elder responded. "Fortunately, Lance has already shown maturity beyond his years... it is Clair that I worry about, especially now..."
"I assume her mother has already passed?" Pryce guessed.
"Died in childbirth," the doctor confirmed. "Despite my best efforts, I couldn't save her, only the child... Of course, I was fresh out of medical school, but still..."
"My son never blamed you," The elder reassured him. "In fact, I remember that he would sometimes joke that the reason his daughter had such a temper was because she never had a woman to tame the dragon's fire within her..." The corners of his lips turned upward slightly at this.
Pryce also chuckled, before stating, "Well, I suppose for now, I should go back to the Ice Path and see if I can discreetly retrieve the bodies your sons and daughter... Also, we need to do something about that Piloswine. Clearly it was not in its right mind... their kind does not usually attack humans so viciously..."
The elder nodded. "I shall leave it to you then, Pryce. May the dragon spirit of Blackthorn watch over you."

--------------------

Lance and his grandfather entered the funeral home, the future dragon master holding the elder's hand tightly. The elder had eschewed his usual robes for a formal suit and tie, Lance himself similarly dressed. They signed their names to the roster, before heading into the room where their relatives' bodies were resting...
"Grandpa?" Lance spoke up. "How come Clair's not with us?"
The old man looked down at him. "I don't think she would handle it very well. I fear part of her is still in denial..."
The young redhead just nodded as they approached Clair's father's casket first. Lance climbed a small set of steps set next to the body, so he could get a better look... Though Clair had gotten her hair color from her mother, it was clear she'd inherited several facial features from her father, his face almost as handsome as Clair was beautiful, or would be when she grew up...
"Uncle..." the young boy began. "Look... you... you don't hafta worry. Me an' Grandpa are gonna take care of cousin Clair for you... Just... say hi to Auntie for us, OK? I'm sure she'll be happy to hear about Clair..." Unable to think of anything else to say, he simply climbed down, he and his grandfather walking to the next casket... "Grandpa, why is Mom's casket closed?"
The elder hesitated, as he tried to find the right words. "Her injuries... were too gruesome to show to children. Instead, Lance, you should focus on how your mother looked in life, for that is likely how she appears in the afterlife..."
Lance bit his lip, before nodding... the elder could tell he was trying to hold the tears back. "I understand, Grandpa... Let's go see Dad then." The old man nodded as they made their way over to the next casket, which was open. Lance's father lay inside, his light brown hair spiked in the same way as his son's, his hands gently clasped over his chest...
"Grandpa?" the young boy asked, "Dad's chest doesn't look right... it's too... flat?"
"That's... because that rabid Piloswine stomped on his chest," the elder answered.
Lance nodded. "Oh, and it killed his heart... that's why he died... Mom told me no one can live if their heart's not beating..." He briefly glanced back at the closed casket, before returning his gaze to his father.
"Dad..." he began. "I'm... I'm gonna be OK. Grandpa's gonna take care of me and cousin Clair..." He took a deep breath. "And... I'm not gonna give up. I'm gonna be a Dragon Master, Dad... I'll be even better than you... I'll be the greatest Dragon Master ever! You'll see...!"
"Shhh, pipe down," the elder gently chastised his grandson. "Everyone in the building can hear you..."
"S-sorry..." Lance hiccuped, as he stepped down. "Grandpa, I... I gotta go to the bathroom..." It was getting harder and harder for him to not cry his eyes out...
"OK, let's go," the elder nodded, escorting the little boy away from the caskets...

A few minutes later...
Lance stepped out of the bathroom, wiping his face with a paper towel. "I'm OK now, Grandpa," he stated as firmly as he could. "I washed all my tears outta my eyes..."
His grandfather chuckled slightly. "It's not a crime to cry, young Lance... especially with a tragedy such as this one..."
"But you're not crying, Grandpa," Lance pointed out.
The elder sighed. "That, dear boy, is because I let my tears flow at night, and they soak into my pillow, so no one else can see them... I did much the same thing when your grandmother left this world, far too soon..." He sat down on a nearby bench, motioning for Lance to sit next to him, which he did.
"But why, Grandpa?" the little redhead inquired. "Why did Mom and Dad and Uncle have to die so soon?"
His grandfather shook his head... he had been dreading this question. "I can't answer that, Lance... Only the powers that be know for sure. All I can say is... life is cruel, life is tough, and most importantly, life is not fair. It never has been. I remember, back when I was gym leader of Blackthorn, how many young trainers learned that lesson the hard way... realizing they just didn't have what it took to get past me, and thus, never realize their dream of going to the Pokémon League..." He shook his head. "Though I never showed it on the outside, it always twisted my heart a little to see that look of despair on their faces..."
"...what about me, Grandpa?" Lance spoke up. "Do I have what it takes...?"
"That remains to be seen. You certainly have potential," the old man pointed out, "And I certainly intend to help you realize that potential, especially now..."
"How about Clair?" the boy pressed. "Does she have po-tent-tial?"
"Your uncle certainly thought so," the elder demurred, "Though, I worry about her headstrong nature... I fear it may get her in trouble one day. She certainly kept her father's hands full," he smirked, "and it will likely be the same for me."
"I'll... I'll do what I can to help. I promise. She's my cousin, after all..."
His grandfather chuckled, "You're a good boy, Lance..." His smile then faded. "But first, she's going to have to come to terms with what happened... that won't be easy..."
"What about that old guy that rescued Clair? That Pryce guy?" Lance proposed. "Could he help, maybe...?"
"Hmmm..." the elder pondered. "Perhaps he could..." It seemed a phone call was in order...

--------------------

"Horsea?" Clair's Pokémon called to her, wondering why she'd stopped splashing...
"Oh, sorry, Horsea..." the young girl sighed. "Guess I'm not in the mood to play today..." Recalling Horsea, she stood to her feet and trudged away from the river, back to her house...
When she reached said house, however, the door was locked. That's when she remembered- this wasn't her home anymore. (Because Daddy's... not coming back...) Instead of crying, however, Clair growled and punched the door in frustration. "Why? Why did this happen...?" she whispered. What had she done to deserve this? "I swear, if I ever see that Piloswine again..."
A noise caused her to turn, seeing a Mamoswine walking her way! Fear seized her heart- had the Piloswine somehow evolved and come back for her?!
Then she saw a man walking next to the mammoth, a wave of relief washing over her as she realized this Mamoswine had a trainer. As they approached, however, it dawned on Clair that she knew this man...
"Ah, just the young lady I was looking for," Pryce chuckled as he slowly closed the distance.
"Is that right?" Clair muttered, crossing her arms. "Look, old man, if you're expecting me to say 'thanks' for rescuing me, forget it. And if you came to apologize for not saving Daddy, you can forget that too!"
"I don't expect any gratitude from you," the elder gym leader shook his head. "I don't deserve it."
"Darn straight," Clair agreed.
"...Actually, I have something to show you." Pryce gestured behind his Mamoswine, Clair looking and realizing why the Twin Tusk Pokémon had been walking so slowly- it had been dragging a large cart behind it, its contents covered with a white sheet.
"What's that?" the bluenette asked. Pryce responded by taking one corner of the sheet, then whipping it off to reveal... "A Piloswine...?" Clair slowly approached, before poking at it a few times. "It's not moving..."
"It's dead," Pryce confirmed.
The young girl blinked in confusion as she turned back to the gym leader. "Why are you showing me a dead Piloswine?"
Pryce answered, "Because, my dear, this is the very Piloswine that took the life of your father, and your aunt and uncle." Clair's eyes went wide as she turned back to the unmoving corpse. "It stood no chance against its evolved counterpart..."
"Wh- why'd you kill it?!" Clair demanded.
"Well, first of all," the old man explained, "this one was clearly not in its right mind, possibly even rabid. It was a danger not just to humans, but to other Pokémon living in the Ice Path as well." He shook his head. "It may seem harsh, but that's just how life is sometimes..."
"And the other reason...?" Clair pressed.
"So that your heart would not be forever gripped by the cold darkness of despair and vengeance." Pryce then heaved a sigh. "I know, young Clair, that does not in any way make up for my failure to save the rest of your family... but at least now, you can rest assured that this creature will never do to another family what it did to yours..."
"........." Clair was silent as she stepped closer to the dead Piloswine, before swinging her fist and striking it in the side. "That's for Uncle!" She struck it again. "That's for Auntie!" She then raised her leg and kicked it square in the snout. "And that's for what you did to Daddy!" She tried to shove it with both hands, but only ended up shoving herself away, so she settled for spitting on it instead. Turning back to Pryce, she demanded, "Old man, I want you to take this thing and *bury* it, where no one will *ever* find it! It doesn't deserve to have a grave!"
Pryce chuckled at this. "As you wish, young lady... but do you understand what I was saying earlier?"
"Yeah, you don't want me to be sad, or get revenge, right?" Clair sighed. "And be... gripped by darkness or whatever..." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Fear, anger, aggression... the dark side are they... once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny..."
"I've seen that movie," Pryce nodded. "A timeless classic, for sure..."
"Yeah..." the child bit her lip. "Hey, old man?"
"Yes?"
"I'm... I'm gonna be a Dragon Master... like my father before me." Clair took a deep breath. "But I'm gonna be even better than Daddy... I'll be such a good Dragon Master, even the Ice-types will run away in fear of me!" She looked back up at Pryce. "You just wait and see! ...so you better not die of old age before then, got it?!"
"Oh, don't you worry about that," the gym leader smiled. "I may be old, but I don't believe I'll be surrendering to the cold embrace of death for quite a while yet." His smile widened. "And I certainly look forward to seeing you all grown up, as a powerful and beautiful dragon tamer..."
"Darn straight," Clair grinned.

--------------------

One year later...
The elder watched as Clair walked up, a makeshift cape tied around her neck. "I'm here, Grandpa- er, grandfather."
The old man nodded. "You seem to have made remarkable progress in your training, child. I wish to gauge your strength, so you will battling Lance today." Clair's cousin stood at the other end of the field, arms crossed, a neutral expression on his face.
"Today's the day I beat you," the bluenette declared.
"We'll see about that," Lance retorted, smirking. "Go, Dratini!" The small serpentine Pokémon materialized, coiling into a battle stance. "Let's see how far your Horsea gets today..."
(I am so going to wipe that smirk from your face, cousin,) Clair thought to herself. "Sorry Lance, but you're not facing Horsea today. Pokéball, go!"
Lance's eyes went wide as he saw a nearly identical Dratini appear on Clair's side. "Wh... what?!"
"Surprised?" Clair smirked. "It took me forever, and a lot of Magikarp, but I finally managed to fish one up in Dragon's Den!"
The elder chuckled. "Let this be a reminder to never underestimate your opponent, Lance."
The redhead nodded. "Indeed. Alright, Clair, let's see if yours trained enough to stand against mine!"
"Oh, it will be," Clair grinned as her Dratini coiled up in a similar stance to its counterpart, glaring at its opponent...
"GO!" both trainers cried out. With that, the two Dratini lunged at each other, and battle was joined...
And in the distance, an elderly Ice-type watched, smiling to himself...

~*Fin*~