Stone-na Fleck's Change

-The Beginning- Matsuri the sandshrew and Stone-na Fleck the cubone have just crossed paths. Matsuri tells Stone-na Fleck of how she arrived at Lake Eerie.

The news of humans near by upset the cubone. "Badda' things, humans. Make'a slave offa' alla' us! Other day, many brave'a pok�mon fighta'-slay badda' human thing an mean'a slave he keep." Stone-na Fleck growled low in his voice, " Badda' human have'a shiny stick. Much badda'-harm come'a from it. "

Stone-na Fleck looked at the young sandshrew and shook his head slowly, "Much sorry, but I norra' can help rescue family-kin. No'a pokemon I know can."
The cubone decided he needed to continue moving and find a way into the Underground. "I go'a to firsta' home-place. You go'a too if you wanna." he left it up to her.

"oooh I really really hate those humans!! Why do they do this?! What is the purpose?--" Matsuri dug her claws into the ground...She looked up "Well.. I have no place to go, so I might as well follow.." Matsuri sighed, looking back once again. "I know there must be some way...just some way" Matsuri walked beside Stone-na Fleck "So...where is your home at??"

"Home'a place deep'a dark unner'ground place. Lotsa' tougha' strong pokemon there. Have'a be careful. I gorra' there to finda' good'a bone-na club ann'a getta' bigger-strong. You'a traina' hard wid me anna' betcha' getta' bigga' strong 'nuff to save'a family-kin." Stone-na Fleck smiled at the sandshrew and motioned for her to follow.

Stone-na Fleck moved around on all fours, something his kind rarely did. It was slow and somewhat awkward for him to travel by. His nose was close to the ground sniffing and searching for the scent of his homeworld. A hint of the underground river , or the musky sweet scent of the fungus that he favored. Even the smell of a paras would have made him happy. The cubone had a one track mind. He had to get to the underground and find a new weapon! The solar eclipse disturbed the cubone from his trek. "Uppa'world getta dark! Badda' badda' thing happen, I think. Betta' hurry-go finda' unnerground way."

Stone-na Fleck had cought scent of something familliar. Zubat scat! There were allways tons of Zubat around the places where his homeworld gave way to the land above it. He followed the pungent scent to a fissure in the side of an ordinary looking bouder. The deep cuts and weathering of the stone told Stone-na Fleck this rock was once part of the underground. The cubone squeezed hard through the tight crevass and sniffed down the incline. He carefully took a few steps..... but not carefully enough!

The cubone slid down the slick cavern floor halfhazardly spinning and tumbling untill his head met with a verticle wall. He looked around, unsure of where he was exactly, but he knew it was home.

"Platety-mouse comin' 'long?" Stone-na Fleck called out to the sanshrew he thought was with him. The cubone decided he would wait a few minutes for the ground-rodent to catch up. If she did not show up soon , however, he would continue on his way. The need to find a new weapon was strong in him. Stone-na Fleck listened long for an answer. When he was satisfied none would come, he moved deeper into the cavern entrance to the Underground.

Caution was an old hat for the native homecomer as he slid quietly through a forest of staligmites. His nose noted the end of the Zubat territory and the beginning of fresher air. He paused a long moment to inhail the air flowing from deeper in the ancient maze. Stone-na Fleck listened to the slow , but steadily moving air, hoping to catch the sound of the underground river. No sound was detected that could be separated from the thin low whistling breath of the underground. Stone-na Fleck grunted. This task was going to take longer than he would like. Stone-na Fleck pushed further into the cave.

~*~

Red Fang hissed his displeasure, "Not only did that damn growlithe slip away , I've lost those nidoran!"

The dark Nyura stalked across his favorite hunting grounds, keeping his senses open for the first sign of potential prey. His foot fall was silent as stars.

~*~

"Wherra likkle sisssa' kin?" Garnet questioned his elder two brothers, " Sspossa' keepa' her safe'a near! Mother-kin have'a our tails iffa' Wulfenite getta' hurt!"

"Sspossa' be yourra' turn to keepa' eye-watch onna her, Malachite!" the middle brother, Pyrite prodded the half sleeping eldest brother.

"Mmmmgggrr...." Malachite growled lazily. Pyrite and Garnet looked at eachother. If they didn't go find thier young sister, there was going to be trouble.

~*~

Stone-na Fleck the cubone had wandered untill he reached a familliar pass in the many corridors that rippled through the underground. He sighed with relief and continued to search for the underground river.

~*~

Wulfenite stared at the odd carvings in the crystal lined walls of the ancient temple. She knew that the creatures responsible for carving the beautiful scenes of pokemon had recently killed and so was in no danger of being discovered.

The marrowak had only recently evolved a few days ago. Now her mother wanted her to be mated to some strange pokemon she never met or knew anything about. Wulfenite looked at another panel, and found a picture of 3 marrowak brothers fighting a very strange looking cubone. She laughed, for her brothers never fought weak pokemon.

~*~

Stone-na Fleck found himself near the place where he had seen the remains of his elder sister's mask. Only a few splintered shards remained there, and would not serve as a good replacement for his mask when he evolved. The reminder of the change he would soon face made him itch under his mask.

~*~

Malachite grudgingly followed behind his two younger brothers in search of thier sister. In all honesty, he didn't care if they found her or not.

He had grown quite tired of thier mother's oddness in inssisting Wulfenite be married to the strange pokemon. Hadn't he been the one hunting and killing thier kind off? Did his mother really think there could be peace through an arranged mating?

~*~

Stone-na Fleck felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and nearly bumped into the sleek black furred Red-Fang.

"Sso, you've returned?" The Nyura purred..

"Who arra' you-be?" Stone-e leck felt as if he knew the beast from somewhere.

"Don't you remember your uncle?" Red-Fang attempted to smile -nicely-, "Your sister was a good friend of mine."

"Darka-cat know'a bigga' sissser?" Stone-na Fleck asked, a little surprised.

"Yes ... real shame what happened to her. That horrible Shitake did her in." Red-Fang began the groundwork for a web of lies.

"Bigga' fungus-bugg'a killa' bigga' sissser?" Stone-na Fleck growled, "Killa' bigga' fungus bugga' then!"

"Shitake's gone too... the guardian twins destroyed everything from the sacred stone to the two monarchs, Shitake and Warui Oni." Red-Fang informed matter-of factly.

"Norra' getta' venge forra' bigga' sissser.." Stone-na Fleck growled angrily.

"Well , no. But you can always use what is left behind." The nyura purred.

"Lika' what?" Stone-na Fleck asked flatly. He was beginning to get annoyed.

"I notice .. you have no weapon. The claws of a Kabutops would make a fine weapon for such a brave and strong warrior, like yourself." Red-Fang stroked the cubone's ego.

Stone-na Fleck nodded. Indeed , he did need a weapon, and he felt that he was a strong and brave warrior. "Wherra' place of Kabutops?"

"I'm glad you asked.." Red Fang purred and proceeded to lead the young cubone to the mass grave.

Stone-na Fleck paused as he followed the Nyura down the path leading past the chamber where he had first met Achikochi. He remembered the lesson she had given him there about the meaning of friendship. The cubone thought back harder to the time his older sister had given him warnings about the dark type pokemon.

"Why'a you helpa' me? .... Wassa' you wantin' back?" He asked the dark cat.

"Ahh, yes. You are wise to ask me. Thing is , I do need a small favor from you" Red- Fang admitted.

"Well? Wassa' you wantn'?" Stone-na Fleck crossed his arms suspiciously.

"Heh heh .. you see, I'm in a little bind , my warrior friend. I had told a very powerful marrowak leader... uh , I think she may be a relitive of yours ... but that's not the point.. I had told her I knew the secret of cubone evolution .. but I don't ." Red-Fang explained.

"Why'a darka' cat tella' lying words?" Stone-na Fleck took two steps away , incase the cat decided to try something.

"There's another one ... a young pretty one, her daughter you see. I want to ,be mates with her. But the Marrawak says I have to learn the secret of her people .. and I have to .. evolve" Red-Fang made himself to be as sincere as possible.

"Ah! Love'a thing issa' strange'a power! Make'a any beast doing strange'a silly things." Stone-na Fleck relaxed. Surely someone who only wanted to be with the one they loved couldn't be harmful. "Howwa' canna I helpa' you'a out?"

"Just let me be near you.. to watch when you evolve...so I can learn how." Red-Fang answered.

"Oh , thassa' easy thing to do! Keepa' nearra' me anna' watcha' look." Stone-na Flek nodded in agreement.

Red-Fang smiled. His plan was in motion, and his hope of ruling the underground rose.

~*~ Elsewhere deep beneath Lake Eerie ~*~

"Lemme' go'a !" Wulfenite snarled at her brothers.

"Canna' letta' go, Take'a you back to home'a place!" Malachite snapped at his sister.

"Thinka' you hotta' shot! Thinka' you bigga' badda' tougha' warrior cause'a mask'a wear!" Wulfenite growled.

"Justa' jealous-kin! Brother-kins have'a sacred maska's. Sisser kin only hav'a granna'-mother's maska' ta wear." Garnet accused.

"Yeah! Norra' special 'bouta' sissser-kin's mask" Pyrite agreed.

The young female marrowak was hauled back to her home, to be better guarded.

~*~

Red-Fang tapped his claws impatiently. He had wandered for hours with the cubone and seen nothing to betray the secret of thier evolution! They were nearing the sacred chambers of the crystal temple.

"This is the place where the Assassins used to meditate," Red-Fang muttered," Why are we here?"

"Seeing place to finda' if destiny issa' here." Stone-na Fleck semed instinctvely drawn to one carved collum of stone. Red-Fang stepped up to view it.

A carved progression of events intrigued the cubone. At the bottom was a cubone, not much unlike himself. As he scanned upward, the path of time seemed to move in two directions, as if parrallel events would happen. He couldn't make much more out of it. "Mussa' notta' be mine" Stone-na Fleck shook his head.

Red-Fang looked around a bit longer. Maby the secret he sought could be found here.

Stone-na Fleck itched his face under the mask. It was starting to feel really tight.

Red-Fang growled at the image before him. A cubone-looking pokemon slaying a sneasle. *Pah! No cubone could ever get stronger than a sneasle!* he grumbled to himself.

Stone-na Fleck whimpered and sat down, to scratch at his mask with a hind-foot. The itching was getting intollerable!

"What's wrong with you ?" Red-Fang asked cautiosly, and took a few steps away from the cubone. What if the cubone had some strange up-lander sickness? " You aren't sick are you?"

"Norra' sick-bad. Have'a nasty itcha' bad. Bone'a-mask feela' tight." Stone-na Fleck shook his head feircely.

"Maby you should get new one?" Red-Fang sugested.

"Have'a to fighta' bigga' marrowak to getta' nodder bone'a-mask. " the cubone said flatly. It was one of the things his sister had told him when he was a tiny tot.

"Oh .. I know where there are some marrowaks," Red-Fang smiled. *This must be part of the evolution process!* he noted to himself.

"Take'a me to dissa' place. Gotta' battle bigga marrowak soon." Stone-na Fleck asked with impatience. The itching was egging him into a state of rage.

"Follow me" Red-Fang nodded hastily.

Red-Fang had led Stone-na Fleck through several deep caverns and hundreds of winding passages, across two parts of the underground river to reach the home of the Marrowak tribe.

"I can't go with you ... but I will be here when you return." the sneasle pointed to the honeycombed colum that served as the main nest for the marrowaks.

"I gorra fighta' bigga-strongest marrowak ana' getta bigga' mask, you see!" Stone-na Fleck nodded eagerly as he scratched his face once more.

"I'm counting on it", the sneasle grinned.

Stone-na Fleck sauntered into the center of the marrowak home with a head full of steam and a bit of a chip on his shoulders. The overly anxious cubone swaggered to a group of his evolved form and poked one firmly in the arm. "Werra' bigga'-biggest marrawak?!" He spoke in a demanding tone,"I fighta' 'im or 'er anna' make'm make'a me da bigga'-biggest mask!"

The marrowaks looked down thier snouts at the cubone. He was sizable, but he lacked even the simplest of weapons! They burst out laughing.

"Little flecka' boy have'a funny words!"

"Have'a no bone-na club anna still wanna' fighta' slay!"

"Betta' he donna' even know'a way to getta' bigga' strong!" Stone-na Fleck felt his face burn red hot under the tightness of his child's mask. His eyes stung as much as his pride. He snarled at them. "I issa'na Fleck! issa' called Stone-na" he paused. The word 'Fleck' was a word for children, not for a warrior like he. He thought of Achi, Tachi and thier kits. Remebering the one he had helped to name, he quickly recovered his bravido and the words to back it up, " Fist! I issa' tougha' tougha' strong warrior lika' my bigga' Poppa anna smarta' fast thinker lika' my twinkle-Mamma! Saya' badda' things 'bouta'me an yourra' saya' badda' things bouta' them! " Stone-na Fleck was nearly roaring with anger and the need to show he was indeed a strong and powerful opponent. "I gorra secret place anna' getta gooda' strong bone-na club. Try'a be nice n' easy, but now'a yourra'getta' beatta' badda'-much when I getta' back!" The fuming cubone pushed past the growing number of curious onlookers, all of whom found his ranting to be humerous.

"Imagine datta' notta' so smatta' Flecka' thinka' he tougha' tougha' one when he norra' even have'a bone-na club to battle-fight with!" the marrowak Stone-na Fleck had poked laughed out so the exitting cubone could hear it loud and clear.

~*~

Red-Fang was suprised the cubone had come back so soon. "You lost?" he asked in a tone of voice which could be interpreted as 'I can't believe it's over so soon?!'.

"Wherra' place to finding gone'a assassins?" Stone-na Fleck snarled from under his mask. Red-Fang grinned, " This way.... you going to teach them a lesson?"

The cubone only glared coldly at the sneasle, "Getta' gooda' bone-na weapon anna denna' teacha' alla' marrowaks bigga'lesson.."

Red-Fang paused for the cubone to scratch yet again. He sighed and tapped his claws impaitently.

Stone-na Fleck scratched and rubbed against the ground. It felt as if his face was being scqueezed tighter beneath. Growing up was becoming unbearable. He got back up and looked at the waiting sneasle. "Lucky yourra' never hava' dissa' problem!"

Red-Fang nodded. Scratching at one's face every hundred yards or so -would- be a terrible hinderance. "I hope you will be cured of this soon. Let's keep moving now, shall we?"

Stone-na Fleck nodded and followed the Sneasle down along the underground's river, past a point in the ceiling where it had recently been cracked wide open. The cubone smiled, but had no ideal why he suddenly thought of Achi.

The pair made thier way to the rubble strewn remains of the sacred stone's chamber.

"They died here." Red-Fang anounced.

Stone-na Fleck nodded. The mountain of stone and dust seemed to call to him. Inside lay the weapon he would defeat the marrowaks with. He climbed up the mound part way and began to dig. Stone-na Fleck clawed and pushed stone and rock out of his way, tunneling into pockets between larger boulders. A dank, musky odor met the cubone's nose as he found the first larger chamber. The smell of fungus and dry rot filled the area around the first body Stone-na Fleck found. A pair of dull, colapsing eyes adorned the bottom of a large mushy fungus cap. Hollowed out shells of pincers and legs lay beneath. Stone-na Fleck snorted and continued to dig past it and further back into the filled cavern.

The musky smell of the dead parasect was slowly replaced by a fouler perfume. A dense cloud of burnt odor permiated the chamber where the remains of the houndoom lay. Strangely, his body was nothing but dry bone. Open soccets stared darkly over a cruel grinning smile. Stone-na Fleck shuddered, unable to help feeling they were watching him. The cubone continued his tunneling into the chamber.

Stone-na Fleck grunted and puffed in the dusky air down the shaft he had bored into the rubbled mass. A filmy sweat coated his body which now itched to no end. He paused to scratch against a rough broken stone but found no relief. He felt a terrible pain begin to surface from his bones. His evolution energy swelled just under the surface of his skin. The cubone worked faster and harder to unearth what he hoped would be Kabutops remains.

In the next sealed chamber, the cubone found a chunk of what was once the Sacred Stone. Even in its small form, it seemd to posses power. The pull of energies still hummed sweetly from within. Stone-na Fleck smiled as he listened to the ancient song of the stone. He might bring back this piece to the nidorina and ootachi who had been so kind to foster him.

A brittle creak filled Stone-na Flecks ears with a strange feeling. He reached up to scratch under mask again. A large piece fell off from the side of the skull mask. Stone-na Fleck gasped. It seemed his body would evolve before he could fight a marrowak. Stone-na Fleck scraped and dug harder, going deeper into the cavern. The cubone felt a sudden, horrific pain in his paw. He had sliced it open on the weapon he sought to unearth. Cautiosly, the cubone uncovered the sharp scicle that belonged to a once living Kabutops. When most of the blade was exposed, Stone-na Fleck grabbed it on the dull side and pulled. The scyth popped out with little resistance. Stone-na Fleck examined his new weapon, pleased that it seemed to fit him so naturally.

"Bigga' sharp bone-ne club make'a alla marrowaks bigga' sorry for make'a laugh-fun at me." Stone-na Fleck brandished the weapon with a few flicks and parries. Compleatly satisfied, the cubone turned back down the tunnel to leave.

Stone-na Fleck was suddenly gripped with a tightness in his chest. The cubone on his way out, he had brushed past the houndoom skull, his bloodied paw leaving a touch of crimson on the mocking grin of death on the hollowed skull. The sensation was like fear, pain and helplessess all at once. He closed his eyes and tried to take another step away from the pile of fire cleaned bones. Fear gripped him tighter.

"Why I 'safraid of dead'a thing?" he pondered inside his mind.

"Because I'm not dead" a brittle whisp voice of darkness crept into Stone-na Fleck's mind. It carried a hint of mocking laughter.

Stone-na Fleck heart jumped up into his throat and raced at a million beats a second. The scent of evil grew stronger, masking all of the cubone's senses. In mere moments, he found himself feeling all alone in a deep black void... all alone save for the naked laughing evil skull of the houndoom.

Angry he was afraid of a seemingly lifeless object, the cubone shook himself from the grip of fear on his heart. His palms sweat and bled onto the gound. He would have to face the skull if he was to get over the rediculous fear in his heart. Stone-na Fleck gulped and took a deep breath. He jumped up and spun around.

"Boo!" the same voice of the evil beyond mocked him through the frozen grinning teeth.

"Wharra you want'a wid me?" Stone-na Fleck demanded angrily.

"Only to help... " the skull sighed, a puff of dust stirred where breath once flowed from it.

"I gotta' good'a strong bone-na club, no needa' deada' thing's help." Stone-na Fleck growled defensively.

"You won't win with that. I already know this." the evil voice smoothly poured into the cubone's listening ears and clouded his eyes with a vision of losing battle after battle with the marrowaks.

"Dissa' wrong. I bigga' stronga' tougha' tougha' warrior, like'a my Bigga'-poppa! I win'a lotsa' fights and beata' alla' marrowaks with dis bone-na club." Stone-na Fleck shook his head, trying to rid it of the dark voice.

"If you say so .... but that sneasle you're with is lying to you." the voice tried a new angle to keep the cubone's intrest.

"Whatta' you know'about Dark'a cat?" Stone-na Fleck asked with baited intrest.

"I know that he is the one who killed your marrowak sibbling. I was the one who ordered it." the voice laughed in a roar of triumph.

Bitter tears slid down the cubone's face. "I killa' darka' cat... make'a him suffa' longa slow!" the cubone snarled wth rage.

"You can't defeat the sneasle. His ice attacks will over power you like so many other marrowaks in the past." the darkness snickered.

"I thinka' you knowa' secret... tella me how I getta' 'venge" the cubone pointed his weapon over the skull, " Tella' me or I smasha' skull!"

"The secret lies in your evolution.... do you want to know -that- secret?" the darkness purred smoothly, like a numbing poison secreted by a deadly nidoran spine, it had cracked through the vital barriers of the cubone's mind.

Stone-na Fleck was nearly under the dark spell. He nodded to the skull and listened.

"The secret of your evolution is as natural as death! Ever since the first of your kind donned a skull of his mother, cubones have evolved to marrowaks." the houndoom's evil essence filtered further into the cubone's mind. "There are even a few skulls of other pokemon that can be used to gain thier powers. The leader of the marrowaks has the skull of thier first ancestor,taking with her all the knowledge of the ages. Her sons each wear diffent skulls. One has a charizards and has power of fire, one has a feraligatr's skull and the power over ce and water, the third wears the skull of an ampharos and gained the power over electric attacks."

"How'a dat helpa me?" Stone-na Fleck snorted. There were no pokemon of those types for him to battle down here.

"Put -my- skull over your face... I am dark and fire. My power will be yours." the darkness responded.

"Darka' thing make'a trick... " Stone-na Fleck eyeed the eager looking skull with suspicion.

"What harm can I do? I am only a skull of a long dead creature." the darkness laughed.

"I go winna' fights my way with'a dis bone-na club." Stone-na Fleck tried to leave the darkness."I go'a way now."

"You can't leave... and if you fight your sister's murderer, you will die. How dissapointed her restless spirit would be." the dark voice growled.

Stone-na Fleck's mind was invaded with the image of his elder sibling's ghostly figure. Sad hollow eyes stared straight into his core. Stone-ne Fleck gave into his desire to avenge his sister. "Ok... I letta' you helpa' me."

The skull's eyes seemed to brighten with a strange unnatural light for a split instant. Stone-na Fleck picked the houdoom skull up and turned it over. With a rock he smashed the delicate inner bone surfaces leaving only the top outer portions to form a full mask. The cubone removed his old child's mask. He sighed, feeling relief from all the itching. Stone-na Fleck rubbed his face and stretched the skin and muscles out with a yawn. He then placed the skull of the houndoom upon his head. The cubone's body flared white with the exploding energy of evolution. His pulse raced wildly and his breath caught short and tight. He fell to the floor writhing in agony. Something was very wrong!

Stone-na Fleck rolled on the floor of the tunnel he had dug. Pure evil was pouring from the skull down into his nose and mouth. He felt as if he were drowning. He coughed against the invaiding darkness and thrashed his head around hopes of knocking the mask lose. Stone-na Fleck curled into a ball and attempted to kick the skull from his face. Foul evil essense gathered in the pit of his gut, causing rippled cramps. He thrashed more against the rock, brusing his skin. The darkness paralized him, freezing his joints and bones as it further combined with him. He shivered and coughed, nearly vomiting. His world turned darker than the deepest tunnel. Stone-na Fleck sighed. He thought it was over.

Another power trickled in from the houndoom's skull. It started with a focused numbness between the evolving cubone's eyes. The sensation quickly turned to acid heat that traveled through his veins. Stone-na Fleck screamed out in pain. The stench of burning flesh and visions of rotting putrid things boiled like a madness inside the marrowak's head. He picked up the scyth and moved out of the tunnel.

Red-Fang jumped at the sight of an emerging houndoom's head. He relaxed when he saw it was only Stone-na Fleck, but evolved. "Oh, it you! .. You evolved .... how did you do it?"

Stone-na Fleck spit into the dark cat's face. "Murderer! .. -YOU- killed my sister!"

Red-Fang's eye's shot wide open. The marrowak's voice sounded too familliar. The sneasle shivered. His claws sprang from his paws. "You'll never take me... none of your kind ever could!"

Stone-na Fleck sneared from under his mask. He gripped his scyth tighter and narrowed his eyes in grim determination. "Prepare to die!"

The nyura and the marrowak stood silently, sizing each other up. Where Red-fang had experience and adgility, Stone-na Fleck had greater size and strength. The dark cat would have to rely quick thinking if he had any hope of escape.

Stone-na Fleck swung his scyth in an deadly arc. Red-Fang had only a split second to block the blade's deadly intent with his own inborn claws. The two cutting surfaces screeched as they passed. The two pokemon broke apart and slowly circled eachother. Each opponent waited and studied the other's body, hoping to catch the other in a fatal mistake.

"I could freeze you.... chill your bones untill your flesh cracked and shattered." Red-Fang hissed as he stared into the eyes of the determined marrowak.

"I could sear your flesh untill the fat under your skin boiled and spilled into a sticky puddle, then further incinerate you untill nothing but the stench of burning remained!" Stone-na Fleck snarled back darkly.

"You do not posses such power, cub! Fire is known only to one Marrowak!" the sneazle spat.

"Then when I have killed you I will have to kill him. I posses fire!" Stone-na Fleck felt the embers of hell scatter from the skull towards the dark cat. Some of the misdirected sparks singed his flesh. Stone-na Fleck didn't even blink.

Red-Fang jumped back away from the stinging fire dust, then sent forth a crystaline beam. The moisture in the air turned to crisp, jagged shards that sliced microfine wounds across the marrowak's body. Stone-na Fleck flinched to protect his eyes.

Red-Fang took the split second of time he had to attack the marrowak. His unsheahed claws set out for a massive slash attack. He cried out in a battle roar. "NyyyyyYYAAAAAAaaarrr!!!"

Stone-na Fleck countered the attack with a turn of his kabutop's claw, his own warcry echoed and drowned out the call of the dark cat. "MMaaaaaaRAAAHhhhhh!!!!!"

The two made another pass at eachother. The sickening sound of flesh ripping from muscle followed by a wet slide of internal organs spillingout onto the cavern floor ended the fight. The battle had ended quickly like the battles of the samurai of ancient Japan.

One warrior remained standing victorious.

Stone-na Fleck wiped the blade of the kabutops off on the still warm body of the Nyura.

Red-Fang's eyes glazed over as quickly as the blood of his body could spill out. He died with a mewling gurgle.

The marrowak stared at his first victory, and his revenge for the deah of his sister. Sweat from his body crept into the slit on his palm, stinging him sharply. Stone-na Fleck looked down at it slightly annoyed. From the quivering hide, the marrowak tore strips to bandage the wound. An idea quickly formed inside the dark warrior's head as he carved the hide to rags. He raised his cutlass-like weapon and brought it down across the dead cat's paws. The sneasle's long claws were separated from its body. Stone-na Fleck tested the edges with a finger. They were nice and sharp, drawing blood with minimal contact. The Marrowak anchored the claws over his wrist and wrapped them tightly with more of the nyura flesh. The end result was a formatable hand weapon and somewhat effective emergency shielding. Stone-na Fleck smiled. He liked the idea of using other pokemon to add to his weapons. He would have to seek and destroy others for his benifit.

Stone-na Fleck marched back towards the Marrowak dwelling with a new and dangerous boldness about him. The energies of pure evil fire had engulfed his soul and poisoned his mind. As the dark warrior rounded the corridor leading to the marrowaks home, a pair of guards attempted to stop him. It was the last thing they would ever do. Stone-na Fleck flicked out the kabutops cutlas and beheaded both marrowaks with hardly any effort or remorse. Other marrowaks saw this , and quickly receeded into thier cavern holes to hide.

Stone-na Fleck pressed onward, into the very heart of the marrowak's dwelling. The silence that met him irritated the dark marrowak. "Cowards! You had no problems picking on a cubone, but you run and hide when that cubone returns a marrowak warrior!"

The deep voice of Stone-na Fleck's accusations echoed back and faded. He grew impatient as he listened for any response. There was nothing.

"I challenge your leader! If no one shows, I will declare this colony -MINE- . You will obey me , or die!" Stone-na Fleck issued his challenge.

There were a few scuttling from the cavern holes. The Marrowak smiled. They were at least responding to him.

~*~*~

Inside the deepest cavern, the three marrowak brothers, thier sister and thier mother were having a hushed and hurried disscusion.

"Bigga' darka' warrior issa' to badda' thing forra' you to handle-fight!" Pyrite hissed at his mother. "You getta' killa'-dead!" Granite agreed.

The marrowak mother looked kindly upon her children. "Issa' my destiny... you hava' get sissser kin far-safe'a here! Notta' make any more worda' dissagree... getta' far'a place now!" The elder marrowak shoved her daughter into the three brother's arms and stamped her foot. There would be no more said, her word was still law. The children of the Marrowak leader left through a secret emergency exit. The Marrowak then picked up her bonemarange and exited the main cavern.

"You darka' one make'a bigga mistake by wanta' challenge'a-fight me. I, Crusha, will winna' battle-fight!" The marrowak answered Stone-na Fleck's chalenge. The voice was familliar, and she recognised the skull of the late Wauri Oni, the houndoom that had terrorized her people."Darka' cur's dead'a spirit musta' be reason cause for badda' warrior." The marrowak assesed.

Stone-na Fleck paused. Crusha, the name seemed familliar to him, but he knew not how. The rage of darkness filled his mind and pushed out his thoughts of recognition. The Dark marrowak gripped his weapon and took a fighting stance.

"I was named Stone-na Fleck ... but you will call me your master before I send you to the realm of death. I have slain the sneasle that plagued you, and I -will- claim this colony ... and soon, rule the underworld! My name is Master Keel'alla, and it will live on in underground for all eternity!"

Crusha's eyes softened. She knew the identity of the dark warrior. Her heart broke as she knew she would have to kill him ... her lost son, or the underground would be lost to evil darkness once again.

Crusha took a firm hold of her weapon and sized up her opponent. Stone-na Fleck had grown up well , and even without the essense of evil, he would have be a difficult pokemon to fight. The marrowak mother had no special moves outside of her type. If she had had possession of the feraligatr skull, she might have had a chance.

Keel'alla stared down the marrowak confronting him. The darknes boiled in his mind, eating away at his memories. He knew somehow, the marrowak was familiar to him, but only pain would surface if he tried to remember. Keel'alla growled... if pain was the only thing he could feel when he tried to remember, then she must have done something bad! The dark warrior's claws squeezed tight over his weapon. He was ready to kill.

Crusha made the first move. With an expert's flick and twist of the wrist, her bonemarang shot out on a collision course wth the dark marrowak. Keel'alla snarled as the weapon scraped his hide. He had misjudged the first attack. He would not make the same mistake twice. Keel'alla thew his sneasle clawed fist out at the marrowak leader. She jumped to one side, but not quckly enough. Crusha yelped in pain and turned on Keel'alla again. She took her boneclub into both hands and swung wth all her might.

A solid crack of bones echoed off the walls of the cavern. Keel'alla gasped for air and tumbled backwards. Crusha contined to attack the dark marrowak with a Rock Throw attack. Keel'alla flinched and covered his eyes. Crusha was becoming more confident and pounded the ground, sending a wave of energy through it towards Keel'alla.

The dark warrior was swept off his feet just as he started to stand again. The energy in the attack knocked the kabutops weapon from his hand. Keel'alla lay on his back, kicking at the air helplessly.

Crusha moved in on the disabled Marrowak to give the final blow. She raised her bone club over her head and prepaired to end the fight. "So'a sorry-sad, sonna' mine." the mother marrowak looked feircely and regretfully into Keel'alla's eyes. "Betta' you go'a die dissa way, dan later when you not know'a thing who you are."

Keel'alla's mind was penatrated briefly. Was this ... his mother? The marrowak was hit with the darkness again. It boiled in his head untill it erased anything he had been thinking and replaced it with more burning pain. Keel'alla saw the marrowak above him, about to finish his existance. He felt a maddening hatred wash over him as his vision tinted red. He brought a fist up and into the marrowak's body. It was the fist bandaged to the sneasle's claws. The sensation from it was a ringing sting from his finger tips to his shoulder. She didn't even scream before dying.

Keel'alla looked surprised. The attack hadn't been a physical one at all. Before him was a frozen marrowak. The dark warrior smiled as he realised the true power all marrowaks must have. They could absorb and use the powers of the bones they carried. His sneasle claw covered fist had produced Ice-Punch. With a sinister grin spread under the evil toothy grimace of the houndoom's skull, Keel'alla picked up his weapon and smashed the frozed pokemon's crystalized body.

"This colony is now -MINE- !!" Keel'alla bellowed out in deep triumph.

The marrowaks of the colony were terrified. Thier old leader had lost, and thier new leader was filled with darkness. The marrowaks slowly began to edge out of the dens and into the center where the dark warrior stood. Keel'alla tapped his claws impatiently against his hips. "Well? Get over here allready!"

The marrowaks scurried over to thier new leader. They were bound by tradion to obey him, for the leader's words were law!

"Now, " Keel'alla started off , " my laws are simple , you will obey me or die! If I say fight, you had better fight. If I say kill, you will kill! If you speak against me , you will die. If you run away , you will die. If you try to challenge me for leadership , you will die!"

Keel'alla paced up and down the sloppy line, lashing the odd marrowak with his taloned paw to show his total authority and dominance. "If any of you want to challenge me for the rule over this colony, step forth and do so NOW!"

Marrowaks tumbled over eachother to get as far from the front of the lines as possible. Keel'alla glared at his new subjects. "Cowards..."

The dark warrior charged through the crowd roaring. The marrowaks scattered back to thier dens. "Haa haaaa!" Keel'alla laughed madly, "Get your rest ... tommorow we move out and conquor the underground!!"

Keel'alla retired to the main shelter in the center of a large pillar at the center of the colony. The dark warrior felt quite satisfied with himself. He had conquored two enemies in one day. Now it was time for a little rest.

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