Sewaddle and Caterpie

Weaving was a relaxing hobby. Silvia the Sewaddle was getting particularly good at pine needle rugs, making them with neat straight edges and a smooth surface. One by one, she would take the needles and pull them over and under needles in a set pattern, then push them in neatly and secure them with a bit of silk. She was supposed to be learning to sew with leaves and silk, as the leaf clothes that her mother had made for her at her hatching were getting old. But it was winter; there would only be a few suitable leaves around.

And those leaves grew on a tree that was some distance from her home. Getting there… outside of her home could be frightening. Silvia could remember taking a walk in the woods one time; something with a huge toothy face and no visible body had jumped at her from the trees above. Later, it turned out to only be one of her Caterpie neighbors trying to have some fun. The fright was too much, though. Silvia preferred to stay home, where it was safe.

Since home was in the base of a pine tree, it was easy to get needles to weave with. But although she was getting better with using them, they were tough and straight. Not good for making clothes with. But they did make nice rugs.

Silvia made the finishing touches on the rug and looked it over. Neat and straight. Looking around, she wondered where to put it. Her little home was already covered with pine needle rugs, all over the floor, hanging on the wall, rolled up in a corner pile… for the moment, she dragged it over to the pile of needle rugs she used for a bed and decided to settle down for the night. Curling up on that stack, she pulled the leafy hood over her head and closed her eyes.

Moments later, there was a sound as something thumped against one of the rugs. Silvia jerked herself out of falling asleep and got up quickly. It was a piece of wood from the tree. Looking up, she saw a green Pokemon, small like herself. He was standing on the wall with no trouble, wearing a red felt hat with a white fur rim and pom-pom. With one foot, he held onto a lare brown bag that seemed like it had something heavy in it.

The Caterpie looked over at her. "Oh, sorry Miss Silvia. Didn't mean to disturb you." He hopped off the wall and flipped so that he landed right-side up on the floor. "Merry Christmas!"

"What are you doing sneaking into my house?" she asked, angered but alarmed. If he could get in, then who else could? Through the windows, she could only see the dark night, which could hide anything.

"Now don't you worry," he said, setting down his sack and opening it. "I'm just here to deliver some presents. I knew you were going to be up late, but I've got a lot to be doing."

"Why?" This had to be some trick.

He flipped his head so that the tip of his hat shifted back. "Because I'm Santa Claus, of course. I have to take a smaller form to visit tiny houses like yours." He smiled and winked.

Silvia pulled her leaves tighter in, hearing a fait tear as she did so. "How do you expect me to believe that? You're that Caterpie who lives in the really mossy oak, Ben wasn't it?"

"I'm not, and that was Benji you're thinking of," the Caterpie said. "I know it must sound strange, Miss Silvia, but it's true. Where here you are, your Christmas presents, two in one." He pulled out a leafy green sack that was smaller than his own, but looked like she could carry it easily even with a lot in it. As it wasn't made of leaves, it would last for a good long while. Something was inside that sack. "Just don't be opening the sack until the morning, all right?"

"Er, okay," she said. Still concerned about how he'd done it, she asked, "But how'd you get in here? I lock the door when it turns dark."

"Magic," he said. Looking at the floor and smiling, he said, "Say, your hot pads are pretty nice. They smell lovely."

"Thanks, but they're rugs," she said.

The Caterpie laughed. "Ah yes, have to remember the scale I'm at. I think I could spare something else for you in exchange for a few of these rugs. May I have three of them?"

At first, she was reluctant. Even if this was really Santa Claus, they were her rugs. Then again, she had so many of them, and a whole winter to make more. Silvia nodded. "Okay, if you like them that much."

"I love them. Let's see… this ought to do nicely. Here you are." He pulled out a small yellow box that was tied up with green ribbon. "The thing that lies inside this will help you have courage. But it's another one to not open until morning, or it won't work for you."

"Something that will give me courage?" she asked, curious. She wasn't sure if anything could. There was so much out there that was dangerous; Pokemon could get hurt in many ways and it was safer to stay at home and weave. But then, if she had the courage to go out further again, she could have the materials to make much more than just needle rugs.

"Certainly." The Caterpie took three of the rolled up ones and placed them in his sack. "I'd best be on my way. Again, merry Christmas and have a good next year!" He then vanished on the spot, leaving behind only the three presents.

Silvia felt startled at seeing that. Had it really been Santa Clause, or was it some trick of that Benji? She looked at the sack and the box, but any curiosity was drowned out by her suspicions and fear. Curling back up on her bed, she closed her eyes and hoped those things might be gone in the morning.

The presents hadn't been gone in the morning, but the sunlight coming in through the window had reassured her enough that she opened the gifts. As her only two Christmas gifts (at least until her Leavanny mother could make it here for a visit), she could feel a little excited if wary. Inside the cloth sack, there was a reddish-brown stone that gave off strong warmth. The Heat Rock had made things less chilly to wake up to, she realized. It would make her home nice and cozy as well as safe.

And inside the box tied up with a ribbon, there had been a white collar with a little bow. It was exactly the right size to sit between her head and abdomen segments. Would it really make her brave? Silvia decided to try it out. She gathered up many of her pine needle rugs, put them in the sack, then carried it outside. With the collar around her, she headed out to give presents to her neighbors.

Many of them were surprised to see her. "I had just about forgotten that you lived around her too," a female Caterpie said. "Sorry I don't have any presents, but thank you for this rug. It's so nice and will look pretty in my house."

"You're welcome," she said, bowing her head. She still felt bashful, but here she was, in the scary outside talking with people. The collar seemed to be working. There was just one particular Pokemon she had to find. "Do you know where Benji lives exactly?"

"Oh yeah, he's in an old hole several feet off the ground in that tree. Can you climb up that way?"

Looking at the tree, she saw that it had rough bark. "I think I can make it. Thank you and merry Christmas." She then headed up the tree, carrying her sack up with her.

Once up there, she found him, the one who had scared her with that mask. "I thought you'd moved away after that," Benji said. "Look, I'm real sorry about that. I didn't think you'd scare that badly."

"It was scary," she said. "But if you're sorry, then I forgive you. Did you come by my house yesterday?"

He looked surprised. "What're you talking about? It was freezing last night and I didn't want to set foot outside my hole."

Silvia believed him then too, as there was no sign of the red hat, the large sack, or the needle rugs in his home. "Oh, it's nothing," she said. "Here, I brought you a present." She gave him the last pine needle rug that she had brought with her.

After accepting his thanks and saying goodbye, Silvia left his tree and headed out for the one tree that would properly have leaves at this time, one of the ginkgoes that was in the forest. She only told her mother about her encounter with the Santa Claus Caterpie, as she wouldn't have believed it if she heard it. By the time that she saw him again, she had learned that her courage wasn't from that collar, but from herself.

…

Caterpie Leaf Green entry: Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls.

Sewaddle Black entry: Leavanny dress it in clothes they made for it when it hatched. It hides its head in its hood while it is sleeping.

Caterpie makes for a nice Santa. It can crawl down chimneys just fine and escape notice most of the time. Merry Christmas!

Edit: Santa Caterpie wasn't supposed to be shiny.