Swadloon and Swoobat

It was a fine autumn evening when the forest was just beginning to show signs of shifting to its more colorful form. Some overeager trees were already bright yellow or orange, while others were barely starting to turn. As the sun rays still pierced through the lush canopy, there was still a large amount of activity from the local Pokemon. It was the time to prepare nests and food stores for winter.

And leaf piles if one was a Swadloon. One such Pokemon was in a maple tree, nipping off one small branch. Then he grabbed it and pulled it close to examine the eight leaves it held. They were all still green. Feeling his stomach murmur, he wondered if he should eat them or preserve them for later use. The various leaf stashes he had around these trees were getting stuffed with leaves that he had put a coating on, so that they stayed green and pliable through the winter. As the leaves were turning, it was almost time to stop gathering; other-colored leaves wouldn't keep as well as green. He had to have loads of leaves to get through winter, though.

As the breeze kicked up, the Swadloon shivered. It was going to be a cold night. In that case, it was better to add these leaves to his current cloak. Maybe eating one. As he ate the first one, he started spinning up some silk to sew with. Then he carefully pulled the other seven leaves off the branch and began stitching them in place.

A group of Pokemon flew by. He thought at first that it was a bunch of Woobats, which was odd enough. But as he looked up on hearing music, he noticed that there were a few Swoobats as well. Sometimes the Woobats would appear during the night, flying out from their cave homes to hunt insects, and even Bug Pokemon like himself. They were something to be cautious of, although a show of strength was often enough to drive them to hunt something weaker. However, he recalled some Pokemon saying that it was a troubling omen to see Swoobats flying around singing.

He didn't remember why that was so. Because of that, he figured it had to be some silly rumor. The Swadloon relaxed and went back to his sewing. He even whistled a little as he thought on how snug he'd be with this cloak of leaves around him.

Once he got done with that, he walked along the branch to find some leaves to preserve and take back to one of his stashes. One leaf pile wasn't as stuffed as the others, so he could take a branch there to work. Before he could find a set of leaves he liked, two of the Swoobats flew into his tree, chasing one another. "Oh hey, this is good," one said, causing them both to start hovering in the maple tree's branches. "Good evening, snack!"

The Swadloon huffed and shook his leaf cloak. "I'm not going to be your snack."

"That's fine, because I don't like snacks with attitude," the other Swoobat said. "Can't take the heat." Then she laughed.

"Now there's no need to be sassy," the first Swoobat, apparently a male, said. He swung his tail and made a bouncy mid-air dance. "I was just playing around with this lovely lady and I said that all Pokemon had to agree that she was beautiful. She says I'm just toying with her, but I'm right, right? You think she's beautiful too. Say it!"

The Swadloon looked at the female Swoobat and thought about it. Her dark blue fur was in remarkably nice shape despite being naturally fluffy. Instead of going at all angles like the male's fur, hers flowed in neat lines and was free of knots and mats. And she looked healthy, as far as the Swadloon could tell. But it didn't feel natural saying that something that might hunt him for food was beautiful.

However, he didn't feel too concerned about being eaten. "It's not really my place to say, but if I may, you are like a lovely angel of the dark," the Swadloon sang. Sang? His eyes widened as he continued, "Though I would really like to ask, why must I sing for this task?"

The male Swoobat laughed and flew closer to him. "Don't question the music! Come on and move it! Everyone come in on my mark and we'll sing to my angel of the dark."

At that call, a bunch of Pokemon popped into the maple tree and joined in on the spontaneous musical number. There were other Swadloons who had dried seed pods to shake or curled leaves to use as woodwinds. A Simisage had some rocks to bang to keep the beat while a grouping of Pidoves became a chorus. For a moment, the Swadloon wondered if everyone had gone nutty. But as the male Swoobat began crooning, it was hard to resist joining in the song with a smile.

"It's been a wonder that you've joined us," the Swadloon sang, just singing whatever came into his head. "And it would be a blessing if you didn't eat us. But you are quite the sight to see, with fur the color of the midnight sea. I really don't know how to sing, but your looks make we want to take wing. O lovely angel of the night, I shall ever more remember this sight."

And then the dancing began. Neither the first Swadloon nor the other participants knew what to do, but they found themselves hopping from branch to branch, kicking legs, turning around, and swaying in well-timed precision. But the most active dancer had to be the male Swoobat, careening around and doing tricks despite the limited space he had to work with between the branches. He flew around the female Swoobat, eventually getting her to giggle and dance around in the air with him. Their happiness was infectious, leaving the other Pokemon to not care anymore and just keep dancing or playing their instruments.

"You silly and sneaky smarmy bat," the female cooed in teasing tones. "You make a good show of that. But I must know: how long would you stay by my side? Or would you go fly off after one of the others after this night?"

"Lovely angel, I will stay as long as you like," the male said, letting go of the song. The other Pokemon looked around puzzled, then headed off to what they had been doing before. "Now what of the snack? You may take him."

The Swadloon, looked around, still in a happy daze. Why had the music gone away? That had been kind of fun. Perhaps he needed to sing and dance more often.

The female Swoobat looked at the Swadloon, then flew out of the tree. "Let him be; he gave us an entertaining distraction. You may have proven your power, but you still need to prove your worth."

"But I will stay with you!" the male Swoobat said, taking off after her.

A couple minutes later, the Swadloon was able to clear his head from the weird musical feeling. It was getting dark and the temperature was falling. "So that's why they say to avoid the singing Swoobats, because you might end up having to sing along to save your life." He shivered at recalling how he had been, too happy to avoid being eaten. But with that danger past, he had to focus on the coming danger of cold and the winter. The Swadloon kept checking over the tree for leaves to add to his cloak or stashes.

But now any time he heard a song coming close, he went to hide.

…

Swadloon White entry: It protects itself from the cold by wrapping up in leaves. It stays on the move, eating leaves in forests.

Swoobat White entry: Anyone who comes into contact with the ultrasonic waves emitted by a courting male experiences a positive mood shift.

Got to be careful around those predators that can call on random musical numbers to confuse you.