"The Spirit of Halloween": Disagreement

On a dim stormy evening, a group of young dragons sat huddled amongst tangles of kelp to protect them from the raging squall above. Although they lived different lives they found themselves here due to the ever so dire conditions hanging above their heads, quite literally in fact. In this inky darkness their only illumination lies atop the brow of Maddox, a descendent of strong swimmers but one still far too young to fight the push and pull of a storm. Protecting them from the brunt of the tempest was the hulking figure of a young Fluke, Sedna. Accompanied by the excitable and self-proclaimed twice the fun in one, sprinkle of smiles Winkle, dancing in small circles just above her head. Among the oldest of the group sat a trio of giant siblings, the amethyst-tinted Tethys and only brother of the three. The ever so kind and warm-spirited Chrysanthe. And the brute Seraphina, who had become quite bored and was looking to make a bit of trouble amongst this rag-tag bunch. She began her tale with the dramatic motions of her two front limbs.

“Listen well o’ siblings of mine, as I bestow upon thee a truly terrifying tale.  And uh, the miscellaneous of course, I suppose you can listen too.” The last comment earned a pout from Chyrsanthe while Tethys smirked as the animosity within the message sailed past the young dragons’ heads. They were all still listening quite intently. Well, everyone except for Winkle.

“Our tale takes place in a forest quite like this one, between the kelp branches that trap and trip up even the best of swimmers. A group of hatchlings (not unlike the ones seated here) finds shelter amongst these treacherous tangles with hope in their hearts. The hope that they won’t be pulled away into the abyss by the swirling currents above and lost to the sea forever. 

Little did they know, the storming ocean was the least of their worries. They were in the center of a dragon graveyard, where a tragedy once occurred. A massacre if you will, that was the result of a gruesome war in years past. Vengeful spirits were said to be tethered in this grove and lay waste to trespassers, those who they believed had wronged them in their previous life, those who had taken from them what they held dear. Those who wished the younglings harm.

As they sat and wondered when they’d be free to swim safely again a whirl of spirits emerged from the wound. Fatal wounds were preserved on their decayed spirits. Spirits who became flesh and let out a shrill cry! Filling the children with terror as they began to tear-”

At the crux of her story, the group was enveloped in darkness. Their light source, the young Maddox, had fallen asleep. The lure atop his head had seemingly done so as well. This left the group unnerved, but our storyteller was furious. 

“Come on! It was getting to the good part. It wasn’t that bad, was it? Well?” She glowered at him while she awaited what must be a perfectly reasonable answer.

With lidded eyes, he looked up at her, and in a sleepy voice replied, “Too many details… was… is pretty… *yawn*...boring.” As he fell back to sleep his lure flashed and a smirk could be seen on his face, plain as day.

“Why you little-!” With a bellow she lunged out at him, fangs and flippers outstretched, ready to wham on him. In one smooth motion, the giant Sedna blocked her rampage. With a muffled thunk Seraphina rebounded off her fuzzy, blubbery hide. All the while this was occurring the energetic Winkle rhymed and sang, swimming around the group members. This particularly annoyed Tethys who tried to grab onto and stop them amidst the chaos. This just left a startled Maddox, who on some level escaped some kind of bloodshed. And the nervous Chrysanthe, not sure who to help, subdue, or calm down.

“EVERYONE STOP! Please?” Chrys looked a bit nervous after her outburst, but she did now hold everyone’s attention.

“I understand everyone is a bit on edge. We’re out of our comfort zones and that’s affecting us but there's no excuse for this,” glancing at her sister, “we really should make a better effort to look out for each other, not find more reasons to fight.” She quickly glanced around and sighed. 

“Maybe somebody else has another story? And, maybe this time around we could be a bit more respectful to the individual telling it.” Seraphina and Maddox gave each other a quick look, but just as quickly looked away. 

“I usually sing, but I can tell a story. It's probably not as riveting as the other, but I’ll do my best.” She shot a wink Seraphina’s way, but it may have been hard to tell as her eyes are opposite each other on her head.

She prefaced with the fact that she isn’t much older than the rest of them are, but she has seen a lot of wonderful things. Moving forests that swam through the oceans as if they were living creatures themselves. Of giant spires that were so tall one couldn’t see their base if they were swimming at the top. Of giant blooming flowers, that one could lie down and sleep in, with petals so soft one might think they were lying down on the finest sand. Of schools of fish, altering their color as they sent messages to each other, each hue with a different meaning. Of pale dragons, who look as though one could see through them, ghostly even perhaps. Through each tale, the younglings had calmed down, and at some point sat huddled together for warmth. 

As her tales concluded the storm began to abate, brightening the sea below. The younglings began to stretch and mill about, no doubt preparing for a long swim to their next destination. 

“Hey, um. If it's all the same to you I’d uh, prefer not to see in strange colors anymore. If you will, Maddox.” Tethys added. Chrysanthe looked on proudly, as her brother’s manners were never the best. Sedna nodded knowingly. 

“Of course, but only because you asked nicely.” Shooting Seraphina a glance. Feeling uncomfortable with all the positivity, she took the opportunity for a bit of teasing. 

“Does it strain your oh so delicate eyes brother? Here let us shade you from it with your bodies” In a dramatic flourish Seraphina loomed over him, shading his eyes with her flippers as he struggled to push her away.

 They continued wrestling among the brambles as the environment took on an ominous red glow. Surprisingly, the most easily distracted among them was the only one who seemed to notice. Noticed the moon had taken on a crimson glow and noticed numerous dark silhouettes in its ghastly glow.