October 9, 2023
Samar: She was smiling and full of glee her eyes sparkled with delight. The car pulled out at around 2 a.m. I heard laughter as it pulled out of the driveway I turn around and to my shock it went on the street on its own. The car drove off perfectly fine, except… I squinted hard from my bedroom window only to see no one was in it. Not the kids nor the mother the car laughed on its way to god knows where.
Maia: Hollyleaf touched her nose to Lionblaze’s for the last time. She breathed in her brother’s scent slowly. A cool newleaf breeze blew through the air.
Molly: “Raiju,” Nyra whispered. This time, she did not look so afraid, for a glint came into her eye, the glint of the anticipation of a battle. “Rye-what?” Zira asked, even quieter. “Raiju,” Nyra repeated, taking out a long knife that could have been called a small sword. “Great wolves of lightning. Legend has it that a little after the Separation of Tarakhodi, when they were still in their prime, they chased mountains for fun, until the mountains were scared out of their wits and became stationary...
...For you, they’re probably scarier than the kamaitachi. For me,” Nyra licked her lips and cracked her knuckles. “They’re nothing.” She briefly looked like she was about to charge at the incoming wolf of doom, but Zira said weakly, “Before you decide to fight, it might do us some good to remember that I find them scarier than the kamaitachi.” A haunting, resonating howl tore across the landscape, making the leaves rustle and the saplings quake with nightmares.
Andrew: A family had disappeared. That’s the big bold bubbly words that stretched across the top of the newspapers.
Yejin: Her parents claimed that she was raised by wolves, and envied other’s daughters who wore buttercup dresses with long braids and curls. They would look at their daughter, who’s hair was in long, tangled waves, a light brown instead of a sun shine gold. She never wore a dress; the second she wore it, it would be in tatters the next moment. It was impossible to get her to sew, clean, and become the perfect young lady her parents wanted her to become.
October 16, 2023
Andrew: The kids rustled against the swaying leaves as they walked by, sunlight shooting through the trees into the ground.
Maia: A scream ripped through the forest.
Mallika: “I don’t look nearly ferocious enough for this,” Zira replied with equal skepticism. Nyra ignored them, though her ears twitched in their direction. Kumo grinned beneath the muzzle- Zira was sure she was showing all his teeth. “I’m ferocious enough for both of us,” he said with relish.
Yejin: According to the most prestigious nosy neighbors, she had "tucked the flaps of her cap around her ears, looked around briefly, and chirruped once, and then - just like that! She was gone, galloping off like a hooligan into the forest in the depth of winter."
Samar: Bittersweet tears streamed down my face mixing in with the chocolatey ganache pudding lining the corners of my lips. I could taste the salt of the heavy tears.
October 30, 2023
Maia: A medium-sized cat- no dragon- no goat creature jumped gracefully out of the bushes across from them.
Samar: I tore through my copy of The Book Thief fixated on the perception of life the author had painted. I sped through the mall. Bustling and loud voices echoed back at each other usually about the newest trend or newest iPhone they had gotten. I had chosen to stop listening after the iPhone 11 had come out. My bracelet shocked my hands with that of a lightning bolt driven into my skin infused in my corpuscles.
Mallika: "...you probably could get out of here, if you do it right.” “And, what, you think you know how?” Nyra scoffed. “You’d have gotten out of this fleabag long ago.” “Hey, this is my home you’re talking about,” the elf said, wounded.
November 6, 2023
Andrew: “Well at least we know…he does work well.” Jackson stood there, overhearing the conversation in the room over as he stared unblinkingly into the array of 64 by 64 monitors displaying the footage of over 10,000 hidden cameras throughout one part of the compound.
Naima: She examined the rusty cabin, covered in chips of wood and dusty furniture.
Maia: I fell asleep in class!!! Ella realized.
Mallika: “You can’t be that bad,” Nyra groaned. “That was the worst I’ve ever seen someone do on the first test, and that counts Syrr.” Zira later found out that Syrr had flown away in a panic and crashed into the mountain side, falling unconscious. He lasted a little over ten minutes before the raiju found him lying on the ground.
November 20, 2023
Maia: Twilight’s next words chilled Willow’s bones, “You say that as if we are not dangerous.”
Samar: To catch a lie is a simple trick from Mr Atticus Finch, a character in the acclaimed book “to kill a Mockingbird”. Frame your question as if the person you want to catch the lie in has committed it. If they answer to that then they are indeed the red flag of the century truly and exceptionally. They exceed that flag of bright neon colors. Wouldn’t you think so?
Naima: I cautiously walked further down the hallway, the temperature slowly dropped more and more as I walked.
Molly: The teacher looks around imperiously, making sure none of the little children raise a coup against school authority. They seem content to play hopscotch or rope-jump or play games in little circles, singing and clapping and rolling around, squealing with laughter and then horror at getting a grass stain on their favorite blouse.
November 27, 2023
Maia: Ella leaned forward on the boulder, buzzing with excitement. She felt like a small child after eating too much sugar.
Samar: My watch screams at me as I grab my papers leaving my briefcase in the middle of SF with a loud mouth who runs after me. MA” AAAAAAAAAAAM YOUR PAPPPPPPPPPPPPERS”
Molly: She snapped off a stick and bit off the end to sharpen it, rubbing the stick against the dart frog to poison it. Then she leapt down from her place with a shout, brandishing the stick wildly and, so she hoped, very intimidatingly.
Naima: I trembled in the spotlight, thousands of people staring at me.
Yejin: Something shifted behind the trees. Her heart pounded as a pair of golden eyes pierced her soul through the shadows. Red slowly backed away, hoping the creature had not noticed her. From the slivers in the canopy of leaves above, the rays of sun blinded her, and she quickly shielded her eyes with her hand, but her hand hit a branch. Red desperately tried not to flinch, but it was too late. The beast had seen it as a threat. The beast let out a growl that put the winds and the birds to a halt.
December 4, 2023
Maia Carman: All of a sudden, Twilight’s voice seemed overly sweet, and Ella froze. Why are the Orblings being so open? Ella suddenly felt like an animal creeping toward an open cage with food in it, not realizing she was being manipulated and getting lured into a trap.
Molly: They were greeted by a rather desolate barn interior and some alarmed chickens, but were not fooled. Because, of course, the hay bales were a few feet larger and much heavier and more generally terrified than standard.
Samar: She rolls her eyes back as she fake smiles through veneers of some sort. The judge slams the gavel into the table “ORDER IN THE COURT”. He sighs while staring down at me from above. I grab my papers which are scattered messily in front of me. The defendant chuckles from afar. "
Yejin: Her heart pounded as a pair of golden eyes pierced through the shadows, staring down at Balckhart with a bloodthirsty look as the stallion stamped the ground anxiously.
Andrew: Instead of being inside your walls, I live within your forests.
December 11, 2023
Maia: Twilight waved his tail in dismissal, “It’s no worries.” There was that dripping-with-sweetness, honey-like voice again.
Molly: "Ah. You’re here. Are you here to interrogate me, or to hear my story? Both are the same thing, you know. Well. You have no idea. That is… unhelpful. Let’s assume the latter, shall we? Not there is a difference. It just depends how I tell it. I will tell it in an interesting way. Look how nice I am. I should get an award."
Naima: I’m standing in front of my pastries, observing the different people walking around and praying that none of them notice my awkward staring, when a person approaches me holding a camera.
Andrew: I dunno, is it really a good idea to tell them?
December 18, 2023
Maia: “Not so fast.” Twilight’s eyes gleamed maliciously. Slowly and silently, all four Orblings began to close in around the cousins trapping them in a tight circle.
Naima: As I entered the house, I felt a cold air surrounding me. Maybe this was a bad idea.
Andrew: The mist covered the moon as its waning light dissipated, allowing the first rays of the sun to break through the sky.
January 8, 2024
Samar: We were the village that refused to die, our homeland under the blood-soaked hands of tyrants alike.
Maia: Featherpaw’s world dropped. Her mind went blank. She couldn’t even choke out another gasp.
Yejin: The forest was shrouded in a veil of silence. Not even the winds breathed, nor the streams trickled. Not even the birds dared to sing, or the flowers danced. The sky was a hue of red bleeding into orange and yellow, with the remaining sliver of the sun casting shadows of the trees.
January 15, 2024
Maia: The sun was setting behind the river, and the sky had turned shades of pink and purple. The clouds changed color as they drifted by.
Yejin: The creature’s long ears flapped upright as the wolf’s paws thundered toward it, and it let out a small squeak of alarm before bolting through the grass. Pine rushed ahead, but only a second too late. The rabbit had dashed into its hidden burrow and left the young wolf to dive snout first after it, only to realize that she was stuck a moment later. She snapped her jaws in a fury as the rabbit kicked her, its little claws raking her nose.
January 22, 2024
Yejin: Her fur stood up on end. She would never step one paw into this area. Not after him. The wilting clovers made her want to kill, draw blood, bring death.
Samar: “Voices bound together by the sound of tribal music."
Maia: Moonfoot’s gaze flitted over to Featherkit. Featherkit and Mintkit were trying to help repair some rips in the den wall of the Elders’ Den with some of the other warriors while getting under all of their paws. Mintkit and Featherkit ran over to the pile of brambles and Darkpool tripped over them, stumbling.
“Foolish kits!” Darkpool grumbled under his breath as he regained his footing. Mintkit and Featherkit paid no attention, meowing away.
Mumblefoot flicked her tail over her mate's ear, “Oh be quiet. They’re just kits!” Sunfeather purred as she weaved in a bramble tendril.
“Ow!” Lavendermist yelped. Lavendermist was Pounceleap’s sister. Sunfeather darted around to where she was standing.
“What happened!” Sunfeather fretted. I love how in SkyClan, everyone cares about each other, even if they aren’t kin. Moonfoot thought.
Blood was welling on Lavendermist’s paw, “I just got poked by a thorn, it’s nothing. I’ll go see Wildfur once I finish this job.”
Sunfeather frowned, “No you are not. You are going to see him right now.” Sunfeather nudged her towards his den as she protested.
An elder, Lightstep, ambled over to the nursery entrance and called to the kits, “Who wants to hear a story when I fought an owl?” All the kits scurried over, tripping Lavendermist and Sunfeather as they went by. She and Sunfeather tumbled into a heap on the ground.
Darkpool angled his ears toward them, “See what I mean?” Mumblefoot’s tail curled up in amusement. Moonfoot herself couldn’t stifle her purr of laughter.
January 29, 2024
Maia: Lavenderkit snuggled closer to her mother’s belly, stealing warmth from Cinderspeck's gently rising and falling flank. Sun was streaming in from the nursery entrance and Lavenderkit longed for her mother and sister to wake up so she could explore. Just outside of the entrance hole, there was a swath of heather swaying in the wind and Lavenderkit could picture herself jumping up and pinning the swaying plants down.
Samar: As a 1st generation child of Afghan immigrants all I knew were the disappointed faces of my Afghan parents as I had gotten a B+ on my report card. The horror on their faces as it sat snug between the A+ a universal feeling of immigrant children
Dora Lee: “No we don’t care at all that we are stranded in the middle of the desert.”
Yejin: “Who shall you be?” He cried as the figure glanced down upon him. “Are you the devil or the angel?” The figure paused as if to think carefully. None, I think. However, I am the Vision that shall guide your people to death or to life.
February 19, 2024
Maia: Sunfeather shrank further into the bushes behind her, trying not to be seen. This was the most horrific gathering she’d ever been at. Sunfeather could only watch helplessly as her beautiful adopted daughter was aggressively pushed out of Star Hollow.
This is why I never should have agreed to take her as my own! One part of her mind screeched. The other shot back, I have no regrets! How could I ever say that about Moonfoot? I loved her as much as any other mother would!
Yejin: I thanked her and walked out into the long hallways, glad to escape the pups. Perhaps if they knew that I single handedly tore off the head of an arctosine they would respect me. Arctosines-think of a 15 foot black bear with unusually long claws and blazing red eyes.
February 26, 2024
Samar: I wish I could say life was normal. but when you’re running through a painting of a bustling street in a night market in Kabul Afghanistan the least you could say is that you're lost or maybe even frightened. I was.
Andrew: Penny had a very strange, but special pen. It had been given to her upon birth by her grandpa, who had passed 7 weeks later.
Yejin: Some people think of the glass as half empty, some think of it as half full. Me? I think it’s completely empty. Thus I declare the glass of lemonade in front of me completely empty.
Maia: “I promise he’s right! We haven’t seen each other since then!” A spotted gray she-cat was speaking. After a moment, Sunfeather realized it was Cloudwing.
Shimmerstar stepped into the conversation for the first time that night, “If that’s true, then they don’t need to be exiled, right? I mean, Froststar is Clan leader.” Froststar looked grateful for her support. Maplestar sniffed dubiously but then nodded and Swiftstar agreed as well, looking skeptical.
“Thank you. And I swear by StarClan that I will never break the code again.” Then Froststar added, “Or anything close to it.”
March 4, 2024
Maia: Froststar jumped up onto the Longbranch, enraged, “What is the meaning of this!? How dare you attack us in our own camp! And two Clans against one!” Maplestar snarled and yanked Pounceleap up so that her claws were at his throat. He let out a small squeak and desperately scrabbled at her flank.
“Stop!” Froststar roared.
“This is to show our disapproval of your actions!” Maplestar said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Then, she slit Pounceleap’s throat.
Andrew: “It’s my time ladies and gentlemen, remember, never lose hope.” That’s what Kai said to the crowd which had amassed as he stood beneath the massive hydraulic-like key, preparing himself to be crushed forever.
Molly: The dragon braced his claws, digging them into the earth. His muscles bulged and rippled, and with visible effort he raised himself to his full height. There was a deafening creak of groaning metal as he strained against the shackles binding his wings, and a huge crash as they broke free and tumbled to the floor.
Suddenly the dragons were awake, and yelling so many things Seven couldn’t make out a word. She covered her ears and felt the ground vibrate as the dragon lifted itself onto its hind legs and snapped the chains linking its front legs with a roar of triumph. Its wings unfurled, revealing a dazzling display of fiery colors like lava, glowing in the darkness.
March 11, 2024
Andrew: It was a baffling case. People’s pets were disappearing left and right, locked up or not locked up, during daytime or not during daytime.
Maia: “Now, I'm putting it all behind me. It’s a new era, a new dawn, a new season!"
Mallika: In the center of Arla was a vast country spanning from coast to coast, featuring both icy tundra and blazing desert, a country where you had a 50-50 chance of meeting the nicest or most unpleasant person on the planet. They called it Aleio. To the east of Aleio was a peninsula a few day’s journey (by boat, of course) from Islandis. The people who landed there had been utterly perplexed by the mish-mash of swamp, mangrove, grassland, beach, and mountain. So they called it Cosas, or things.
Samar: My head starts to spin and a pounding headache emerges from nothing, making sure to make my life even harder. I put one foot in front of another and both my feet start to blend in the endless agony.
March 18, 2024
Maia: Vivienne let out a short gasp as she did every time she saw it: a beautiful little brook that babbled and whispered secrets to anyone near enough, a sturdy willow tree whose longest vines rested peacefully in the water, and, of course, the wind. The wind was always strongest here, either a breezy whoosh or a howling blast.
Molly: She wasn’t sure what made her do it. It felt like a long-buried instinct, like a snowbear’s first urge to roar into the wilderness, but she sheathed her sword and stretched out her hands, digging deep into the depths of her soul and pouring out a wave of power, bright as the surface of the sun and equally heated, yet whirling like the howling wind.
Andrew: The wind blew throughout the city as nightfall approached, making a whistling sound as it entered through the crack of the open window. The leaves rustled and branches fell, making an ever so quiet but audible crash in the distance.
Samar: Oh what a joy it would be to stumble among the land of stories of each and every one unique and handcrafted worlds by the most talented writers of their time. gracing the very bookshelf I stand in front of.
March 25, 2024
Samar: Everyone always asks me. What was he like? I always laugh and say “everything”.
Molly: She had just unfolded it to see a looping path of red before Brigit let loose a loud scream. Flora whipped around, unsheathing her sword to find a creature up to her shoulder charging towards them, head lowered, emitting a loud squeeeeeal that sounded oddly like a horde of terrified ghosts. Stiff, coffee-colored hairs jutting out of its tough skin, massive tusks that would have glinted like pearls had they not been dripping with saliva.
Maia: The moment seemed to last forever as they laughed and laughed. But then, just like that, the memory turned black and shut like bars in a jail. Vivienne shook her head and wiped the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.
Andrew: The city was bustling with activity, cars honked as they inched along in rush hour traffic, showing obvious displeasure at the people in front of them who drove slower than they liked.
April 1, 2024
Molly: They say the woolly mammoths are hungry at dawn.” She forgot to mention they were vegetarian.
Yejin: I click submit just as the bell rings. I shove my computer and pencil pouch into my backpack and stack my chair, offering to stack Sonya’s as well. I wait for Raisa by the doorway, rolling my eyes as she teases Ellis for being slow. I personally think it’s flirting. I raise my eyebrows just the slightest, grinning a bit as Raisa bumps me on the elbows. Ellis is calling her name at the end of the hallway, and Raisa waves at me before running to his direction. I slowly walk the other direction, following the trickle of children.
April 8, 2024
Maia: The icy wind wove its way around my fingertips as if it were magically drawn to me.
Yejin: Lunch was ticking closer. The fact that Carl was sitting next to him and reminding him every few seconds wasn’t helping much. He wished they were in P.E instead of boring old Language Arts so he could chuck dodge balls into Carl’s big fat face. How satisfying it must be to take sweet revenge. Alas, that wouldn’t have stopped the bell from ringing.
Molly: She had woken up, still feeling dizzy, on a surface that was oddly soft. She sat up to find herself in a circular room, but not an unpleasant one. Soft, dark blue carpet on mahogany wood, a sofa large enough to serve as a bed with a matching ottoman, a large clock that seemed to taunt her as it reminded her how long she was spending, useless, in this room, a few shelves that were bolted to the wall and empty, more for stylistic purposes than anything else.
April 22, 2024
Maia: Sunfeather slumped down, defeated, finally feeling the hot pain coming from her sliced ear.
Samar: Moss grows over the carefully etched letters covering up the portrait of my younger self on my first birthday, my first birthday before everything changed.
Molly: A storm was brewing, as if some mad chef in the sky was reveling in his ability to produce such a vile concoction. Around the edges of the horizon clouds were beginning to collect, one monstrous dark cloud in particular.
April 29, 2024
Maia: Luna eagerly lapped up the white liquid, finding that it tasted just as amazing as it smelled. Once it was finished, her belly still wasn’t satisfied so she glanced at the second bowl. It read: Ginger 🐾 What could that possibly mean? Luna wondered and took a bite.
Molly: “You will not be able to stop me,” Araku breathed, deadly quiet. He turned around and unsheathed his sword, stepping slowly forward before placing the tip of it against Gale’s throat. The large, sharp piece of metal seemed unnatural, poised next to Gale. The girl, who had seemed to be nothing but angry until now, recoiled as far as she could. Her breathing quickened and she cringed, screwing her eyes shut.
Araku leaned over and whispered in Gale’s ear, loud enough for his voice to carry across the entirety of the frozen lake. “And how would you, erfingja, like to die the same way as your parents?”
Yejin: If he expects me to fear him, he’s wrong. Ok, yeah, he’s pretty scary, but I dealt with worse before- besides, the only thing I’m thinking about is, “Oh no, the rice! and the gang’s gonna kill me.”
May 6, 2024
Maia: Froststar was still on the Longbranch and Sunfeather could tell he was holding back a snort of amusement.
“How can we help you Shimmerstar,” Froststar mewed dryly.
“Um… I can see we may have come at the wrong time. I just wanted to bring some shocking news. RiverClan’s deputy, Stonewing, was murdered.” Shimmerstar bowed her head.
“I’m so sorry. This isn’t good. Two murders that weren’t that far apart.” Froststar bowed his head as well, probably thinking of his mother, the first victim.
Samar: I see her.
Molly: Indigo brought out the final and deadliest weapon in his arsenal. He turned away from her slightly, crossing his arms.
Right on cue, just as Seven sighed, he whipped around and looked up at her with the trace of an innocent smile on his face.
Yejin: I look at the clock. It reads 3:30. Eh. 5 minutes left. Maybe I can catch a wink. I close my eyes and lay my forehead on the cool surface of the desk, and then realize something: I can’t fall asleep. No, I really want to. But, you see, when you are in 8th period Mrs. Anand’s Geometry class with twenty guys and a mere seven girls with only four of the girls being sane, it’s kinda impossible to doze off.
May 13, 2024
Molly: “This is delicious,” the guest said with a politeness that managed to be menacing at the same time.
“We both know you didn’t come here for the tourism,” Gale’s father said through tightly clenched teeth.
“That was obvious,” the guest replied coolly. “Anyway, it was only a compliment.”
Samar: “Is it really you?” The words that I wish I could have heard many years ago resurface from my dreams.
Maia: He killed my brother. It broke me. My parents never respected me in the same way after that. They were angry that I never told them what was going on. Then I began to feel guilty. Maybe I could have stopped his death.
Yejin:
Only a couple
Months
Days
Hours they say
But it feels like a lifetime
Like waiting for a dime
To fall from the sky
Or to try
And to best
The peak of Mount Everest
I’m not making any sense
Am I now?
I’m trying to make
A rhyming poem
But it looks like I failed
To do so.
May 13, 2024
Maia:
Aria swings
the wooden door
closed
as quietly
and quickly
as possible
plunging us
into darkness
she descends
with an angry-looking Smudge
under her arm
i finally reach
the bottom
and drop
to my hands and knees
fumbling around
hoping
to feel a wall
or something
nothing
seems to be there
just me
and air
and space
and the blackness
Yejin: Anyways, let me do a brief introduction. I am SnickerDoolyGoldenFluffs, and please don’t laugh at the name- it’s supposed to be SnickerDoodles, not SnickerDooly. She had trouble pronouncing the ds in the middle of words.
Molly: Flora had created art with her plants many times, but never with quite as much need as she did now. She had always been an artist, and at the moment, she had no refuge from her shame other than the smooth feel of the magic coursing through her, and as she circled and curved her hands to will the plant to take shape, it was as if she were back at home, in the evening, when hummingbirds and warblers flitted through the flowers and trees, when the sun was setting over the glittering ocean and the mighty trees of the mangroves reached out to greet it, when there was nothing in Flora’s mind except the beauty of nature and of the feel of the swift paintbrush in her hands, bending and twisting against the canvas- grace encapsulated in a bundle of hairs.