May heard about the plan to hit the boardwalk and then do some trick or treating, and jumped on it happily. With training in the marching band complete, she decided that even though she lacked a real costume this year (it was busy! she had been needed at the shop for a big memorial service in town) she'd be easily able to 'dress up' in her tree form. There was always the risk that she'd remain that way longer than intended, or suddenly take root for a night as a 200 foot tall 'monster' tree... But she had a good feeling about it this time.
Her brown skin was faintly bark-like, her mop of braided head-hair tinged with vivid chlorophyll greens. True, it was a little tough to walk through a crowd, but when her other friends were there they helped clear the path. She could pull in those big roots into hoof-toes in order to ride the fun house cart and take a nice relaxing trip in the ferris wheel. May liked the variety of looks she got, first because people all assumed it was just a costume - they didn't suddenly judge her for being 'not Human really' (there were still pockets of skin-siders who just hated fur-siders, and Retros among the furry community that thought trying to be too skin-like was just as bad as being one...), and secondly because she just absolutely enjoyed being the center of attention.
The group could actually play games around her, even when she was rooted by accident. In fact they liked doing so because it kept her spirits up while she was unable to leave the spot. They helped grab her homework assignments, though she could usually still type on her laptop or phone if a test was being held. Unskippable cut-scenes was what she called this, she 'had' to just sit there... feeling the dirt around her hooves and legs permeate her 'roots', any spare rocks being gently wrapped into her wool. She always came out of that state with more dirt than she started, and had grooming picks and brushes on hand for just those occasions.
She had been warned by her grandmother, some day, that state would be permanent, it'd been like this forever, it would be like this forever, for her line. May wondered what her distant ancestors had done, to deserve such a fate. But they told stories sometimes, about how more than a thousand years before, children wandered from their parents and got lost in woods... that became their final resting place... It was a spooky tale! She should tell it to the others! It was Halloween, after all, so maybe there would be a good opportunity when they went to gather candy!
Kala and Ken, May and Mica and Fletcher all struck out to the boardwalk and had their fun, and while May's younger flock were being taken around her local neighborhood by another of their many siblings (and cousins, both sides of her family had a zillion kids in every generation... it was a wonder they didn't have their own town by now), she was allowed to head off with her school mates.
She got to have a Hopper to herself, when they took the journey from the boardwalk into the town proper, because... well, roots and stray vines. Heck, if she were faster in this form, she could have carried them all! Alas, that trip would have taken all night. So instead, they took out their pillowcases (she had a king-size one, she was no fool, she loved candy and people always gave so much!) after a quick trip behind a number of bipedal dragons who charged by the mile and cheered them on when they reached the neighborhoods. Ripe for the picking, the candy dropped like apples from an orchard - sometimes literal apples, including that one really good house that always gave out freshly made cinnamon candy apples wrapped in celophane.
They smelled so good, almost everyone in the group took a few minutes before they continued on, to enjoy those apples on the stick. And Ken passed his bow-wand over everyone to clean them up, they'd be all sticky otherwise. The sun hadn't even set when they were on their third block, but now the other kids were in force - they'd have to compete with herds of elementary schoolers and preschoolers and folks bringing their infants around for their very first Halloween.
Of course, if there was a 'good' house folks always tried to double back to it... This group couldn't get away with that - they were all old enough and distinct enough that they'd easily be recognized for a double dip. Camera flashes and laughter followed them, they were a great group!
** Continued in other pages!! **
While at this weird place, May felt a little nudge, a bit of a nibble... And turned to see a very small turtle... wait, no, it ... was a turtle dragon? Like others had discovered their flitters or floaters or whatever else, this small creature had found her! "You're as cute as a button," she said, and realized that made the perfect name for him. Button could be found perched on her shoulder or nestled in her dreadlocks, but she always knew just where he was. She'd never let harm come to this tiny little friend!
Zekiran
May Nadim