Flight 2: The little songstress

Hiccup groaned slightly as he felt something poke against his side. He was really tired and didn't feel like getting up yet, so he did what anyone would do and turned away from whoever was poking him. But it didn't take long before the poking started once more.

He tried to ignore it, he really did, but after a few minutes he really couldn't ignore it any longer. He rolled away from wherever it came from and groggily stood up, rubbing his eyes to wake up. "Happy now? I'm up." He muttered. Still sleepy he stood up and stretched, it was only after a few more morning rituals that he finally felt confident enough not to fall asleep while he was standing.

Only a few yards away he could see Toothless watching him with a smirk on his face. It had always annoyed him how much influence the dragon held over him. They'd established the relationship of taking care of one another a long time ago but even so it still annoyed him at times that the dragon was so protective of him. Anything that could harm Toothless would want to have a say in, even if that included his day to day health. It was because of this that his dragon actually regulated Hiccup's sleeping patterns sometimes! Or forced him to eat like he did last night. Really it could be so annoying, yet.. to him it was home. Toothless would worry over him just as Hiccup would over the dragon.

He childishly stuck out his tongue to the dragon and blatantly ignored him. The fire had gone out overnight and he really wasn't all that hungry yet. For a minute he took in a bit more of his surrounding before he had a good idea of something to do. It would get rid of his sleepiness and be fun at the same time. The temperatures sure were high enough.

"Hey Toothless?" The dragon turned his head back to the human before tilting it adorably in question. "Wanna go for a swim bud?" He accompanied the question by a gesture of his thumb pointing towards the lake over his shoulder as he faced the dragon. Toothless seemed to be contemplating on what to do before he jumped abruptly past the boy towards the lake. Halfway his pursuit he turned motioning for Hiccup to follow before making his way for the lake once more.

Hiccup stood there for a few moments before he finally registered what had just happened. A grin spread on his face before following the dragon out onto the field. It'd been so long since he'd last swum and the water actually sparkled here. He really hoped they would be able to stay for a while, it would be amazing to explore this place. The lake in front of them was impossibly clear and started about two hundred meter in front of him. From there on it continued on for a long time as one could barely see the other side. Behind him was a forest which slowly made their way up the mountains. The forests too began about two hundred meter behind him. But the most spectacular thing was to his side. There the forest suddenly moved over the field and didn't stop until it reached the side of the lake. A few hundred meter across the bank there was an abrupt change in scenery as a cliff stood proudly to the side of the water. It was an amazing view which he'd love to explore later. But for now swimming came first... or so he thought. His eyes widened as he noticed something. Without another moment he stopped running and tried to calm his breathing so that he could concentrate better.

(Cue Meloetta's dazzling recital - relic song)

Softly but surely he could hear a faint sound from the distance, it was calm and relaxing and for a moment he wondered why Toothless hadn't noticed it yet. He turned to look at the lake and saw his dragon relaxing, he was repeatedly diving into the deep and catching as many fish as he could. Probably to eat again. Hiccup couldn't keep his eyes on the dragon for very long as his attention was once more pulled towards the soft melody spreading out from the woods. He felt hypnotized and utterly relaxed by it. Compelled to find out exactly what it was he changed his course for the forest that grew on the side of the lake. As he moved along he could slowly hear the voice getting stronger and stronger but not in any way less beautiful. In Fact he found it mesmerizing and even nostalgic, though he couldn't figure out that last bit. He recognized each and every feeling that the song brought to the surface inside of him except for that last one. Had he heard this song before? And if so why couldn't he remember? Quickly he noticed his feet were leading him towards the sound despite him having been so distracted.

It didn't take long for him to reach what he'd been looking for. In front of him was another open field but it was a small one. He could easily reach the opposite side in a few seconds if he ran but nonetheless it was a beautiful place. In the middle was a rock on which a small figure sat. He kept himself hidden leaning against a tree and listened to her as she finished singing her song.

She was very small but very graceful as she sat on the rock. He could easily see she was a Pokémon but nonetheless she was very cute. She had a very feminine form with musical bar-style streaks in her almost sea green hair. Her arms resembled quarter notes, and her pupil-less eyes almost seemed to take the form that whole notes took on. Her entire appearance was entirely attributed to music, though that wasn't too hard to figure out, considering the singing and all.

The thought was strengthened by the jewel on her forehead and a black headpiece that seems to be shaped like a treble clef, it also looked to be an attached microphone such as one often used by singers. She wore a small black dress with a sash around the middle.

Even as she finished Hiccup didn't move away from his position, he was entirely relaxed and enjoyed every minute of it. His eyes had closed of their own accord as he seeped in the energy from around him. Ooh man that sounded so sappy! But it was honestly how he felt and it seemed he wasn't the only to think so. Pokemon from around the forest had gone quiet just to hear the small figure sing. Even after she finished it was almost eerily quiet. The peace didn't last long though as Hiccup felt something shift under his feet. He realized almost immediately what was going on but he was too late to stop it as a twig cracked from under his feet. He cringed as that small action produced a sound that echoed throughout the nearby forest. As expected it didn't go unnoticed as the small figure immediately turned to face him.

He almost felt guilty when he saw the small singer's expression, he didn't know what he'd done wrong but he didn't want to see such an expression on anyone's face. The little Pokemon actually seemed to be on the verge of crying as if he was the most scary thing on the planet! And he was probably one of the most pathetic looking humans on the planet. His family and home village had even called him a toothpick when he was younger! That was how small and thin he was. Then again his village was an exception but even outside he was less than average, some people had even called him cute, but he'd rejected that. He would be anything but cute! He still had pride as a man, no matter how little there may be.

He tried to make an innocent gesture and say something to calm her down but anything he did only seemed to send her into panic. He really wanted to help her but nothing seemed to help. He even started to become slightly amused as he watched the little figure. She seemed to have forgotten entirely that there was such an option as fleeing. She had floated behind the rock on which she was singing and positioned herself so that she could see him. But after his first attempt to placate her she was send into a hissy fit and was mumbling and pacing or floating in circles. She no longer took notice of what he was saying but anything he did would only panic her more. Eventually he did the only thing he thought he could do and sat himself against a tree further away so as not to scare her too much and wait.

It seemed to work though after a few minutes she was still fussing and floating but a little less erratically and with a little less panic. Hiccup had a lot of patience but with another desire bottling itself up inside of him he couldn't keep a hold of it. Reaching quietly for his waist bag he slowly pulled out his sketchbook. He couldn't reach the coloring pencils because they were hidden under everything else but if he could make a sketch then everything else could come later. He opened his sketch book revealing it to be full of all kinds of Pokemon, all kinds; from big to small, scary to cute and normal to legendary. The most reoccurring one though were the ones of his partner Toothless. There were so many of him in lots of different positions, each and every one of them had the most amazing colors.

From the same bag he quietly grabbed his pencil and moved them both onto his lap. A few moments later when his pencil touched a free page in his sketching book he lost sight of all his surroundings. It was a bad habit Hiccup had developed from his earlier years. It was something he did to escape reality when everything became too much for him. He really should have done something about it but with Toothless always there to warn him or protect he didn't really have a reason to. This time though it seemed to work in his favor.

Recent studies suggest that wild animals and Pokemon alike have the capabilities to instinctively know when something or someone shows an interest in them. Whether this is with malicious intent or not, they will notice. As such when Meloetta finally managed to calm down enough to actually think and process her surroundings she noticed that his attention had been averted. At first the option of fleeing finally presented itself in her mind but with the calm she now had, came another feeling, curiosity. She had never met a human before, at least not one that didn't chase her or try to capture her, yet this human didn't even seem to be interested!

Meloetta slowly peeked out from behind her rock and watched the small human sit against the tree. Now that she got a better look she noticed that every now and then he would glance up to look at her general position. Never though did he focus specifically on her, it was as if he was trying to grasp something in the surroundings. She continued to watch as time around them passed slowly.

Hiccup himself though only had one thing on his mind and that was to draw. He was trying to capture Meloetta from when she was singing and everything was still peaceful. He could remember every minute detail but sometimes something would slip in his mind and he would glance up to get a better and more complete picture. He was so incredibly focused that he didn't even notice when that little figure he was drawing decided to take the next step in sating her curiosity. Slowly the small singer floated to where he was sitting. She did it in a very slow and cautious way, when she was so close she could almost touch him she moved around him and positioned herself behind the tree he was leaning against. Slowly she floated up and tried to peek from over his shoulder.

Hiccup slowly looked over his drawing and nodded before slowly releasing the concentration he'd build up. It only took him another minute before he realized what had happened. He let out a long sigh of frustration and slit his eyes in annoyance. Did he seriously have to do this every time he became obsessed with something? Well at least he was satisfied with the results. Slowly he turned his head to look back towards the rock in the clearing. He wanted to know if that Pokemon was still there, he doubted it though. Who knows how long it'd been since he started to draw. He didn't have to wonder long though as a small picturesque face came into sight the moment he turned his head. With not more than a scant distance between them he stared into her small eyes before finally realizing what he was looking at.

"Ah!?" Without another moment he almost crawled backwards in surprise, away from the equally surprised eyes of the other. His sketch book and pencil had fallen off his lap in the process and landed on the ground by the tree. It was only a few meters further away that he realized it was the little singers face he was looking at and not something dangerous. He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves.

Meloetta too had been taken by surprise. For the last half hour she'd been carefully watching the boy as he seemed to make a picture of her singing out of thin air. She was mesmerized by the drawing, it was absolutely gorgeous. She's seen herself plenty of times when she went to the lake but this was different. Sure it felt odd but she'd never seen herself when she was singing and it was nice to know. Eventually though the boy finished and she herself hadn't really been paying attention. Too mesmerized by the drawing it wasn't until much too late that she and the boy noticed each other. On instinct she hid her body behind to tree as the boy scattered away in panic. She watched him for a few minutes as he pulled himself together and tried to calm his breath before her attention was once more pulled away to the piece of paper with her figure on it.

Curiously but cautiously she floated her way to the sketch book and picked it up. Before the boy could try to do anything she floated back behind the tree keeping an eye on him. When Meloetta finally felt safe enough she looked towards the piece of paper. It was pretty and every detail was depicted wonderfully but that wasn't what had her interest now. Oh no she had seen herself for the last half hour. No now she wanted to know what else that boy's talent had brought and she flipped to the next page. She continued to move through the little booklet before she stopped at a particular one. In that single drawing the boy and some kind of dragon-type, maybe another Pokemon? were depicted. The both of them were arguing about some kind of fish the dragon-type seemed to have. She could almost feel the love and trust radiating from them for each other. It continued on in every picture with the dragon and she stopped extra-long with each one. Eventually she reached the first drawing in the booklet and looked at it. She could feel a smile on her face and felt at peace. In the drawing she could see the boy and his dragon-type but both of them were asleep. It was at night and around a campfire but she could see the snow so it must be cold. The dragon-type was curled around the boy to keep him warm while the boy hugged him around the neck only a blanket there to keep the rest warm. She almost felt jealous seeing the trust and love they held for one another.

"So you like my pictures?" The voice was abrupt that she didn't notice it at all until now. The pictures had almost hypnotized her. She floated up and was about to bolt but the sketch book fell down from her lap and she wasn't about to leave it. She was about to take an offensive position before something made her change her mind.

Hiccup watched as the little Pokemon seemed to jump of her skin from fright, she dropped his sketch book. He'd seen how she looked at his drawing and it made his heart jump with joy. Recognition was something he'd barely gotten from anyone else than Toothless. He could practically see the longing in the small singers eyes as she dropped the booklet. It didn't take him long before he made his decision and picked it up. Toothless had always said he was too nice but he really didn't mind most of the time. He put up his body in what he thought was a harmless position and held his arms up towards her with his sketch book. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He tried to keep his voice steady and honest. "Soo you liked my drawing?" He tried.

The little girl stayed where she was floating in front of him. Her eyes were wide as they stared at him and the sketch book in his arms. Her eyes were filled with distrust and uncertainty but he could see something else there as well when they glanced to the booklet. It was the same thing he'd seen earlier, longing. "I guess you do. Do you want my sketch book?" If it was possible he could see her eyes get even bigger. It took a while but finally he got a reaction as she nodded in answer.

"I can give it to you if you want, it's just I haven't yet finished the last drawing." With his arm he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He didn't really think about the action but Meloetta seemed to take it as something that was less threatening and relaxed slightly. For the first time Meloetta actually looked at the small boy in front of her rather than his actions. The first thing she noticed were his eyes, they were a bright green. They reminded her of the forest and strangely they made her feel at ease. Other than his eyes he was quite plain but he seemed genuinely kind and didn't carry any malice towards anything. It was that last fact that made her finally release her guard and relax. It seemed to be almost rare to find humans that didn't carry any malice at all. Many didn't intend to do anything with it but even just carrying it made her and most Pokemon feel uneasy in the beginning.

"Meloetta!" She nodded and gave him a small smile. Hiccup returned it twice as big as he realized she wanted him to finish the drawing. Without waiting for another minute he reached into his waist bag for is coloring pencils. It didn't end as he would have liked though as Hiccup's usual clumsiness finally presented itself after a day of absence. As soon as he'd found the pencils he dropped them on the ground. When he tried to pick them up he tripped over a branch on the ground landing with his sketch book on top of his head.

"Aww. Arceus, why does this always happen to me?" He mumbled as he slowly picked himself up from the ground. After wiping all the dirt off his clothing he started to collect all of his pencils. Half a minute later when he'd finally finished searching for all of them he tried to pick up his sketch book only to find it in front of him. Meloetta had picked it up and was now holding it in front of his arms for him to take it. With a smile on his face he took it carefully "Thank you!" He replied earnestly.

That small action seemed to make the world to the Pokemon as her smile grew and she started to float circles around him. "Okay, okay." He smiled as he sat down with the booklet. Within minutes he was once again drawing with incredible amounts of concentration. Meloetta soon joined him in his concentration as she watched.

This time it was only when the sun was high in the sky that he finally came out of his trance. The small singer seemed to break away from it at the exact same moment. Hiccup put away his pencils and examined his work. In the end though he turned to be satisfied with the results and stood up. Meloetta though was slightly drowsy from having sat still the entire time and yawned. "Sorry it took so long Meloetta. I've finished it though." She floated up from where she had been and face the little boy she'd come to know in the last couple of hours. A sweet smile made its way onto her face as he showed her the results. She'd been watching him progress but she was even prettier when seen outside of the shadows surrounding the trees they'd been under. She squealed in delight as he closed the sketch book and handed it to her. Meloetta immediately took it but didn't do so without giving the boy a quick hug around the neck.

Hiccup was surprised as he felt two small arms around his neck. He supposed it was her thanks and smiled to her when she moved away. He was confused though when she kept floating in front of him. "Meloetta!" She said pointing at herself before pointing towards him and tilting her head. Understanding ran through him as he realized what it was she wanted to know. "My name?" A small nod "It's Hiccup." When he said his name it wasn't as if he wasn't expecting the usual reaction but when Meloetta fell to the ground in a laughing fit he couldn't help but feel slightly insulted. Even Pokemon reacted that way to the naming sense of his village? How pathetic was that?

As if sensing the delicate issue the musically inclined girl stopped laughing and floated back in front of him. She forcefully, or as forceful as she could, grabbed his face in her hands forcing him to look at her. "Mel mel la me tameloetta!" She exclaimed loudly with a cross expression. Hiccup though just looked confused for a moment before a metaphorical lightbulb appeared to light up above his head. "Thanks Meloetta, I won't let people put me down because of my name." He gave her a blinding smile one that mirrored his exact feelings. She returned it before picking up the sketch book she'd dropped in her laughing fit.

It was only then that Hiccup finally realized something important and felt the blood drain from his face. "Oh no!" He groaned lightly and hit himself in the face at his stupidity. "La mel?" Meloetta floated next to him who had a curious but worried expression. Worried? Why would she be worried about him? He shoved the thought away for the moment. "Don't worry Meloetta. I just forgot that I left Toothless behind so he must be worried sick. Do you know how many hours I've been here?" He got a negative answer and sighed lightly. He would have to sit through Toothless' lecture once more then. He was about to turn around and make his way back before he felt a small tug on the cuff of his shirt. He turned his head to see Meloetta holding on to his shirt looking away shyly. "Is something wrong?" He asked worriedly. Meloetta though just shook he head before pointing in the direction he was going to go and then towards him and herself. Hiccup smiled gently towards the small singer, "You want to come with me?"

Hiccup was convinced that the smile on her face was worth a thousand of his sketch books.