The Green and the Violet

Dancing with the Stars

The sun had already gone down when Chris and Aviva finally made their way back to the Tortuga HQ to join the others at the bonfire. They were in no particular hurry as they leisurely strolled throughout the forest pathway hand in hand, passing towering coconut palms and other tropical flora. Nearing the stretch of beach where the turtle ship was parked, the pair heard the team long before they saw them; the bell-like chimes of a tambourine mingling with the steady beating of drums and the musical strumming of an acoustic guitar.
"...happy ever after in the market place
Desmond lets the children lend a hand
Molly stays at home and does her pretty face
And in the evening she's a singer with the band,"
Stifling the laughter which threatened to bubble from their lips, the Kratt in green and the Wild Kratts inventor immediately recognized the singer to be Martin.
"What song is that?"asked Aviva incredulously, raising an eyebrow at the unfamiliar and whimsical tune.
"Definitely Obladi Oblada by the Beatles."answered Chris with a chuckle. "One of Martin's favorites."
Oblivious to the approaching couple, the older Kratt sang on. "Ob la di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra
La-la, how the life goes on
Ob-la di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra
La-la, how the life goes on,"
Seated on another log on the guitarist's right side, Koki and Jimmy Z added rhythm to the song, the Tortuga computer whizz shaking and rattling the tambourine while the pilot's hands gently and steadily drummed upon the bongos in his lap.
"Called it."smirked the younger Kratt triumphantly.
"Figures."replied Aviva with an amused eye roll; this song definitely suited the older yet more free spirited of the two creature adventurers. "Though I gotta admit, he's really good with the guitar."
"That's my bro,"he replied with a proud smile.
"And if you want some fun, sing ob-la-di, bla-da!"
Once the song had concluded, the others dropped their perspective instruments and broke into a round of applause as the blue guitarist took a bow.
"Thank you! You're too kind!"
In that moment, Chris and Aviva decided to step into the firelight to join in the cheering for Martin.
"Way to go, bro!"hollered the younger Kratt as the inventor whooped cheerfully.
"Bravo Martino!"cheered the inventor.
"Chris! Aviva! Glad you guys could finally join us!"called the older Kratt.
"You two sure took your sweet time."the Tortuga pilot remarked as he munched on a bag of potato chips.
"What took y'all so long?"asked Koki wearing a slight smirk, her arms folded. Chris and Aviva only cast knowing glances.
"Oh, you know."replied the young Kratt before he and his girlfriend finished in perfect synchronization, "A stroll along the beach." This caused them to stare at one another in surprise before breaking into laughter. They were already finishing each other's sentences.
"If you say so," replied the computer whizz to the couple with a shrug, deciding not to press the matter further. The two sat on an unoccupied log at Martin's right side where Chris immediately reached for a nearby bag of marshmallows before skewering one over a stick, roasting it over the open fire. "Alright! Marshmallows! Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside." He then offered some for his girlfriend. "Wanna bite?"
"Muchísimas gracias, Cariño." said the Tortuga inventor sweetly, accepting the ballistic treat as she planted a kiss on Chris' cheek.
"By the way, like the hair, Aviva."complimented the Kratt in blue with a wink. Instead of the usual ponytail, the inventor's curly, chocolate brown hair cascaded freely over her shoulders, adorned with a violet flower behind her right ear.
"That's a good look for you."added JZ with a thumbs up.
"Girl, you should let your hair down more often." Koki remarked.
Aviva flushed red at the compliments as Chris cast her a triumphant smirk. "See? Told ya. You look beautiful," Her blush deepened.
"Thanks." she chirped.
"Now it's your turn, brother O mine!"hollered Martin with a dramatic guitar strum.
"My turn? For what?"asked the younger Kratt, completely clueless.
"To sing a campfire song, ya big dummy!"reminded the Tortuga technician, rattling her tambourine.
"Yeah!"added JZ, drumming his bongos.
To say that Chris was stumped was a complete understatement; in all the events of the day, he had completely forgotten to have a song planned out. He slapped his forehead, inwardly scolding himself for being unprepared. Right now, he wanted to be buried ten feet under the sand– wait a minute... he thought.
Like a tidal wave, it hit him. The sand beneath his feet. The Kratt in green took a moment to close his eyes and draw a deep breath of the cool, tropical night air, taking in his surroundings, not with his eyes, but rather listening with keen ears to the rhythmic droning of the sea gently caressing the sandy beach; and felt the tranquil ocean breeze; and listened intently as it shook the leaves of the towering palm trees that rustled like silent wind chimes. The earth has music to those who listen.
Once he had finished meditating, Chris cast his brother a beaming smile, having already thought of a song. "Give me a ukulele, bro!"
"Way ahead of you, Chris!"replied Martin with a wink as he pulled out a wooden ukulele from behind his log. "Any requests?" The younger Kratt promptly whispered in his brother's ear. Martin nodded, a wide grin upon his face as he began to strum the desired notes upon the four-stringed instrument.
After receiving an encouraging wink from Aviva, Chris got up from his seat, clearing his throat before he began. "I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you," Here the Kratt in green extended a hand to his surprised girlfriend, casting her a look that said, may I take this dance? followed by a wink. Aviva smiled as she answered not with words, but by taking his hand, allowing herself to be lifted onto her feet.
"And I think to myself what a wonderful world."
Suddenly the inventor felt her heart racing, embarrassed at being the center of attention, until Chris beamed an encouraging smile followed by two thumbs up. That was all she needed to summon the courage to sing the next verse. "I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world."
The Kratt in green took over from there. "The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of creatures going by,"
  The inventor giggled at the intentional change in the lyrics as she spun under his raised hand. Together the duo sang:
"I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I... I love you.
"I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
   "Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world."
As the song concluded, everyone gave a round of applause for the duo who both took an appreciative bow, hand in hand. Before too long, claps turned into shouts and whistles.
"Kiss you two!"hollered Martin mischievously. The older creature adventurer was then joined by Koki and Jimmy who eagerly took up the chorus. "Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!"
Chris and Aviva shrugged, exchanging glances. "Let's give them what they want."the inventor whispered in her boyfriend's ear as she grabbed his face, planting her lips against his. Surprised at first, he soon became relaxed into it as he constricted his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss. Soon, much to the pair's slight disappointment, the need for air forced them to part, but they still touched foreheads. For a moment, they were oblivious to either the Tortuga technician's fangirlish squeals or the mischievous claps and whistles from the guys, their eyes solely focused on each other, stormy gray meeting hazel brown .
As the night dragged on, the team fell into animated discussion, each sharing various stories around the glowing campfire, from folktales and legends from around the world, most of them about animals; to sci-fi stories and thrillers aided by flashlights for dramatic flare, courtesy of Koki and Jimmy Z; Martin, Chris, and Aviva told of their mystical experience at Hanifaru Bay and the great gathering of dancing Manta rays and gigantic Whale sharks. Lastly, the couple recalled their unforgettable encounter with the Blue whales Sirena and Pequeña Giganta.
The rest of the team was amazed to say the very least. "Wow. An animal the length of three school buses? Get outta here!"exclaimed Koki incredulously.
Jimmy Z spat out his coconut milk in disbelief, dropping the makeshift cup. "That's ginormous! Do Blue whales rule the sea, or what?"
"Aww man, I cant believe you guys went whale watching without me!" Martin pouted.
"Don't worry, bro. We'll get another chance." Chris reassured him, wrapping an arm around his brother's shoulder. Just then, the younger Kratt snapped his fingers as an idea popped in his head. "Hey, I've got an idea; our new creature mission tomorrow should be to find the largest and most mysterious animal in the world!"
Martin's optimism returned in a flash. "Now you're speaking my language! Oh I can't wait! Its gonna be one whale of a creature adventure!"
"Especially considering that there are only ten thousand Blue whales left in the world."added Chris.
"And even though we've just had one encounter with them, I'm already feeling inspired to program some Blue Whale Power disks!"
"Alright!"cheered the two creature adventurers simultaneously, practically jumping in the air.
"That I gotta see for myself."said the computer whizz, eager to see if the cetaceans were indeed as large as the couple claimed they were.
"Ummm... guys? What is that?" The team looked to where the redhead pointed, where, to everyone's surprise, the sand and surf seemed to glow a bright neon blue, turning the night-time ocean into a field of glowing stars.
"Whoah..." The entire team abandoned the campfire to investigate this new apparition.
"Is that– unicorn blood?"asked the Tortuga pilot grimly with a gulp.
"What? No!"exclaimed Martin, looking at Jimmy like he had a shark head. Aviva and Koki tried in vain to muffle their laughter, understanding the reference.
Chris simply stared blankly. "Jimmy, you've been reading way too many fantasy novels."he remarked.
"Aren't these bioluminescent phytoplankton?"asked Aviva, mesmerized by the glowing spectacle.
"Not exactly."the Kratt in green replied.
"I've read about these."said Koki, remembering where she had seen this before. "What we're seeing is actually millions of microscopic organisms called ostracod crustaceans, also known as seed shrimp."
"Crustaceans huh? So that would mean that these are zooplankton." Aviva hypothesized.
"You got it."Chris congratulated with a thumbs up and a wink.
"Although they hugely resemble phytoplankton, there's a major difference between them. As phytoplankton collide with the beach or the sea, their glow just lasts for a few seconds." the older Kratt lectured, pulling up a holographic image from his Creaturepod.
Chris took over for his brother. "These astounding ostracod crustaceans here in the Maldives glow for a minute or even longer. They secrete cypridinid luciferin and luciferase from glands on their upper lips so that the luminescence is external and not internal as with phytoplankton."
"But they both have one thing in common: they light up whenever they're disturbed." To demonstrate, Martin allowed his hand to gently skim through the surface of the water, creating a blazing streak of light. "I call it, the firefly effect."
"Wow..." said the pilot, his initial fear gone, replaced with awe and fascination.
"They're beautiful."commented the inventor.
"You can say that again. What's with the glow?"asked Koki.
"No one knows."the Kratt in blue answered. "Some say its to lure mates like fireflies."
"Others believe it's to attract larger fish to the area in order to eat the smaller fish who are the ostracod's predators."theorized the younger creature adventurer.
Soon the temptation to experiment with the ostracods became too much to resist. The team stood ankle deep in the water, lightly brushing the shimmering surface with their hands like the careful paint strokes of the artist, watching their creations come to life with a brilliant glow. As Koki and Jimmy Z made circles and figure eights, Aviva looked upon her work with a proud smile: the paw print insignia of the Wild Kratts team.
"This is so cool!" Jimmy chuckled, running his hand along the vibrant bloom when a sudden spray of glowing sea water splashed into his face. "Hey!" The result was a glow-in-the-dark beard that earned laughter from the rest of the team.
"What–what was that?"asked the bewildered redhead, shaking the glowing plankton from his face.
The others looked beyond the glowing surf and towards the black ocean. For a while they saw nothing before spying several ghostly, streamlined shapes cruising along the bioluminescent bloom, creating shimmering greenish-blue streaks in their wake.
"There's your answer JZ!"cried Martin in excitement, immediately recognizing the marine creatures swimming in what seemed like a sea of stars.
"Bottlenose dolphins!"added Chris with a matching grin.
(BG Music: The Child (Inside) by Qkumba Zoo)
Along the edge of the shoreline, half a dozen or so Bottlenose dolphins swam in the shallows, shoulder to shoulder with each other. Before anyone could anticipate it, the cetaceans launched themselves straight out of the water like rubbery arrows until they descended back down with a splash. As the acrobatic marine mammals cut through the water, their bodies and the water trailing behind them glowed a beautiful blue light.
"Wow! A never before seen creature moment!"exclaimed the Kratt in green, completely mesmerized by this new spectacle. The surfing cetaceans looked for all the world like ancient ocean spirits dancing in the waves, leaving a trail of cold fire in their wake.
"¡Que magnífico!"
As they watched the dolphins dance among the surf, Martin nudged Chris with his elbow. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"he asked with a wink.
In no time, the Kratt in green caught on to whatever was on his brother's mind. "Oh, I'm definitely thinking what you're thinking!"he replied with a wide grin.
"I think we're thinking the same thing." With that, Martin's foot shoveled across the sand underneath where he stood, revealing their Creature Power Suits buried for such an occasion. Chris may have been the more organized of the two, but the older Kratt was always the best prepared. "We gotta get in there!"
Donning their vests and gloves, the Kratt Brothers dove in to join the frolicking cetaceans, wasting no in swimming within touching range.
"Activate Dolphin Powers!"
In two flashes as radiant as the surrounding planktonic bloom, two more dolphins, blue and green, joined in the festivities.
"Now this is what I call dancing with the stars!"said Martin in exhilaration.
"You said it, bro!"Chris remarked.
Back on the beach, Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy joined in on the fun as they were now wading knee-deep in the surf, spinning, laughing, dancing and splashing one another in this glimmering aquatic light show, setting the surrounding water ablaze with every splash and movement. Presently, a flash of green rapidly streaked past the inventor, cutting the surface with its dorsal fin as it drenched her with a bioluminescent spray, courtesy of its tail flukes. Aviva squealed in surprise at the sudden downpour in spite of her attempt to shield herself from the blast. Recovered from her initial shock, he saw none other than her boyfriend in a Dolphin Power Suit, grinning mischievously.
"Wanna go for a spin, babe?"asked the green dolphin coyly in his best greaser impression.
She giggled at the mediocre impersonation but obliged. "I thought you'd never ask."
Once he felt that Aviva had a firm grip on his dorsal fin, Bottlenose Chris glided effortlessly across the fluorescent water at dolphin speed, heading further away from the shore, oftentimes diving beneath the surface.
Feeling a bit brazen, the inventor carefully clambered upon the green cetacean's back until she was practically standing on a living surfboard. The young inventor whooped and laughed cheerfully at the exhilaration of feeling the wind in her hair, the salty spray of the sea that glistened and flowed as though the waves themselves were decorated with December lights.
Chris cheered her on. "Alright, Aviva!"
The only problem was that the living surfboard under her feet was rather slick and slippery. Aviva had difficulty keeping her balance and almost fell over until Chris flicked his tail upwards, keeping her steady.
Eventually the green marine mammal slowly began to sink further beneath the surface. It wouldn't be long before he was completely submerged. Aviva immediately took a deep inhale of air and catapulted herself off the green dolphin with a splash before following him as he swam deeper into the depths.
Upon reaching the bottom, Chris used his modified dolphin snout to uncover something buried within the sand, all the while using his tail as a leverage, sending clouds of debris billowing into the water. Aviva watched this activity in puzzlement; she didn't remember the Dolphin Power programming to go haywire like that last adventure with the Tasmanian devils, so it was unlikely that her boyfriend was having sudden cravings for raw fish buried under the sand.
"Ta-da!" The inventor snapped out of her thoughts once Chris was finished with his excavation, holding something in his mouth.
It was her Creature Power Suit and it was already loaded with the proper Power disk.
Without another moment's delay, Aviva donned her CPS before once again clinging onto the green cetacean as he went to join the other dolphins who were still frolicking and playing in the surf, Martin being one of them. As the pair neared the surface for much needed air, they were flagged by a pair of young dolphins.
Bottlenose Chris laughed in merriment, recognizing the playful individuals. "Hey, Whistle! And Click!"
The inventor chose that moment to reach out and gently touch the nearest dolphin. Then the moment of truth. "Activate Dolphin Power!"
  Soon the sea was glowing in a brilliant flash of violet. Chris squinted his eyes while Whistle and Click looked on in curiosity. As suddenly as it began, the glow faded, revealing Aviva in a Dolphin Power Suit. In that moment, the green dolphin's eyes grew as wide as saucers, jaw dropping; before him was the most beautiful marine mammal he had ever seen.
Acting on instinct, the purple cetacean playfully nudged the stunned creature adventurer with her streamlined body, awakening him out of his trance as she swam away with an encouraging wink, urging him to follow. Chris got the message and chased after her, an almost predatory smirk on his features.
Transformed into creatures of grace and exuberance, the couple swooped and dived, trailing plumes of bubbles. They raced through the coral reef, weaving in and out of many curious rock formations, caverns, and scattering shoals of fish, whose scales shimmered, giving them the appearance of exotic underwater lanterns. As they reached more open water, the two dolphins made twirls and loop de loops beneath the surface, leaving two intertwining trails that glowed in their wake.
The chase went on until both shared the need for air. As they rose to the surface, Chris and Aviva gracefully twirled close to each other, gradually picking up speed as they ascended, ultimately shooting out of the water in an explosion of cold fire.
With plenty of energy left to spend, the two performed a great deal of acrobatic maneuvers, leaping and breaching, each trying to outdo the other. Chris leapt out of the water, performing three backflips before returning with a SPLASH! Aviva answered by launching herself skywards with a corkscrew, spinning around in midair until she landed in a brilliant tidal ball of seawater and bioluminescent zooplankton.
As Chris recovered from the aftermath of that unexpected splash, the purple cetacean promptly surfaced, playfully spitting water at him with her artificial mouth. Needless to say, both marine mammals whistled with laughter before resuming their play.
The couple's playful competition drew the attention of the rest of the team as they watched from the shallows. Even the other dolphins halted their activities to watch these newcomers, the green and the violet, dancing with the stars.
  "Go, Caviva!"hollered Martin from his place within the pod, cheering them on. It was only a matter of time before Jimmy Z and Koki also gave their yells of encouragement. Even the dolphins themselves squealed and whistled their support in Dolphinese.
Whether or not they heeded their applauding audience, the two dolphin lovers moved together in perfect synchronization, leaping and splashing side by side as though they were mirrored images of each other.
Before long they were spent, content to merely lounging on the ocean's glowing surface which was once again as smooth and as clear as glass. Bottlenose Aviva closed her eyes as she breathed a sigh of bliss, laying her head against Chris' left flank. He nuzzled her back with equal tenderness, placing a flipper behind her dorsal fin. Nothing else mattered; it was just the two of them.
**** Fin.. pardon the pun.. :P 
All jokes aside, that concludes this short story. I hope y'all enjoyed it, I know I had a lot fun writing it. Another thing that the Maldives are famous for are the spectacular bioluminescent light shows that occur along the beaches on certain nights, making them a popular attraction among tourists.
Now I was originally gonna have Martin sing Yellow Submarine until I found Obladi Oblada. That song fit like a glove for the crazy creature adventurer we all know and love.
I used an artistic license for the dolphin sequence because I thought it'd be cool, not to mention it had that energetic feel to it that was perfect for the chosen track..
Stay tuned for more updates. Keep on creature adventuring..