[Petscop]

---

[Mima]

username: izurude
name: wisteria
gender: agender
mbti/en: infj 9w1
story: see right

February was a bitter time to be on a journey.

Though their coat had protected them somewhat from the chill of this climate, Wisteria had still quickly gleaned why there were those who slept until spring. The pale clouds of their breath intermixed with the snowy forest floor. Their tail held low, they crept amongst the trees. It was their choice to come out here searching, of course- but that didn't mean they weren't a little miserable for having made it. The muddy spots where ground peeked through the old snow had long since melted between and refrozen in the long fur between their paw pads. They greatly looked forward to a warm foot bath when they got home.

It was in front of one of these muddy sections of ground that they stopped. At their feet was a little clump of delicate white flowers, only visible because of their green stems. Wisteria noted them to be snowdrops- not good to eat, but pretty nonetheless. These would be a welcome sight to have, and a suitable memento of their trip. But before they picked them, they hesitated- by doing this, they'd only be taking the first markers of spring away from someone else. And for how long would these cut flowers last? In weather like this, perhaps not even all the way home.

They gave one of the flowers a sniff, closed their eyes, and thought. After a while, they settled down right there, tucking their paws under their body. This went on for the better portion of ten minutes. Probably painfully dull to watch. After this, likely either satisfied with their thinking break or worried about the melted snow freezing them to the ground, they rose again. Carefully they stepped around the little patch of snowdrops, gazing back from over their shoulder as they continued on their way.




It was about an hour later that they finally reached town. There were all sorts of things they were to do while they were there. After all, it wasn't often that someone living so far out of the way got up the will to go to town, let alone actually did it. Not the least of all these things was pick up various things from the store. Best get that out of the way first- stores closed, human interaction didn't.

Wisteria kept themselves low profile as they entered the little shop, trying not to draw unneeded attention to themselves. Unfortunately, the door was equipped with a little bell that rang as it opened, and the shopkeeper immediately locked eyes with them as they stepped inside, as the shop was otherwise devoid of customers. A wide smile found its way onto the shopkeeper's face- Wisteria didn't come by often, but when they did, they were buying months of supplies all at once. That meant this was payday for the little shop.

"Wist! Good to see you," the shopkeeper greeted them brightly. "We have the bag you ordered in- it's in the back, I'll go get it." He made his way towards the storage room, leaving Wisteria to their own devices. This was a refreshing break for the Kalon, who wasn't particularly excited by the concept of having the shopkeeper breathing over their shoulder and urging them to buy every little thing. They were grateful there was a shop here, of course, but they could do without the overbearing help staff.

Going through the shelves, they idly grabbed their usual items. Dehydrated or canned food (humans were remarkably efficient at giving food a long shelf life, something they appreciated), some reading material, a new cushion to rest their head on... nothing out of the ordinary. However, along the way, they stopped at a shelf they did not usually visit. On it were tiny paper packets with printed images of various plants. Seed pouches. They lingered in front of it for a while, picking out a few things that stood out.

By now the shopkeeper had returned to the front with their tote bag, so Wisteria took their findings there. One by one they placed the items on the counter, the shopkeeper making a tally of what each was worth as they went. The shopkeeper had easily tallied up Wisteria's usual items and the bag, but paused at the seeds. "Seeds, huh? Planning on making a vegetable garden?"

"...Flowers, actually."

"Oh, I see. Makes sense." He smiled at the customer, almost slyly. "You know, we'll have some trimmings for planting bushes in the summer, if you're interested."

"I'll keep that in mind," Wisteria replied. It was far more than they would usually give if disinterested. (The shopkeeper silently cheered that he had succeeded in slating another sale.) They placed a handful of shiny human coins on the counter in return for the bag, now filled with their other items.

"Thank you for your purchase!" The shopkeeper called after Wisteria as they walked out the door.




The journey home afterwards was peaceful, if tiring. It was a three-hour round trip, after all. Wisteria's home was a little dugout built into the side of a hill, near a whole range of other hills. Their home's entryway was marked, fittingly, by a climbing wisteria plant. Drooping flowers acted as a natural "curtain" instead of a door (Wisteria was always content to share their home with any visitor who found their way here- they had no need for locks), at least when they were in season. Now they were dried up, only sharp branches not yet awakened from their winter sleep. Dipping their head, Wisteria made their way into the little shelter.

The interior was sparse, with only the bare essentials- a bed of cloth, some tools for working the land, a basin for water, a fire pit, and a wooden block to prepare food. Wisteria preferred it this way, as they felt too many material ties would only hold them down. The whole thing was only a few meters across and about five feet tall, not big enough for the ocelot-sized Kalon to do much more than sleep and eat. They didn't seem to be too concerned by this.

There was much work ahead of them, but for now, it was pertinent to rest. They set their bag of supplies aside near their food preparation area, removed only the cushion they had bought to place on the bed, and did their best to start a little fire.




When the ground was fully cleared of snow, preparation began. The range of hills near Wisteria's home was mostly grassland, though one in particular stood out. Only a short distance south from their dwelling, one hill was marked by an old willow tree growing at the top. This was the most notable landmark for miles. Up close, one could see a pair of initials carved into the bark, surrounded by a heart. Next to this tree was a small black monument. It was a gravestone, made of black granite polished to a reflective sheen. Inscribed were the words “Dearest Mothers,” enclosed by a floral border. Beneath it were various polished stones left there by visitors paying their respects.

It was this hill that Wisteria had set themselves on planting.

Based on the instructions on the packets, Wisteria had worked on digging, sowing seeds, and watering tirelessly for months. At first there was moderate success- some things sprouted, some things didn't. They invested in some books on how to effectively plant and care for a garden at the same time they went back for the root cuttings for the bushes they were interested in. It was in this way, via trial by fire, that they struggled their way through for almost two years working to achieve their vision.




In time, it was finished. Wisteria was at last able to set down their trowel, wipe off their paws, and step back.

The gravestone now looked out upon a great sea of flowers. Flanking it on one side grew a rose bush, on the other a camellia. Around the base of the hill away from the house, it was bordered by a half dozen or so lilac bushes. The rest of the hill was planted with many different purple and pink blooms, varying with the season. There were pink tulips ringing in the spring, carnations deep in the heat of summer, lilies, chrysanthemums, and gladiolus blooming until the last leaves of the willow had been shed and the grass paled with frost. And every year, when the mud barely peeked through the snow, the snowdrops opened up to call spring.

On that hill home to that grave below that willow tree, it is said the flowers ever blossom.

"Let not death breed death, but new life instead."

[kaeria]

username: alpha

name: aerin

gender: trans, (MtF)

Most children at my age would wish many wonderous things, like how they want to have a pet cat or a unicorn or how they
wish they could meet that famous cartoon character they loved on the large television screen. I was not much different, nor was I much more interesting. I dreamt of owning my own Barbie mansion, the walls in lilac purple, having a princess themed bed. It was rather unrealistic and soppy. What makes me different though is my gender. You would have expected a female, a young girl to wish of these things as that's how society usually thinks of things. I however, was a young boy, not much older than 6. At that typical young age I experienced things much differently. I took no notice to the young, bratty, stuck up little girls who tried to ruin my dreams. I instead, continued to dream on.

The years passed on and I still wished these things - but I grew weaker. Everyday was frightening. I awaited the bratty girls at my school to throw pencils and rubbers at me, make fun of me for my lilac themed outfits. I tried to push that part away from me by the age of 12. I tried to wear nothing considered "girly" or nothing even considered gender neutral. I tried to be a boy, I really did. I burnt all of my girl clothes, cut my hair like most male kalons at my school. It felt horrible. I was sadder than before, as I knew what I was doing was trying to fit in and be like the others. I couldn't do this anymore. It was torture, being this person who I wasn't. I told myself constantly, "It's a phase!" when my heart told me, "Be yourself."
When I was 14, my heart won me over. I knew that I wasn't a boy, I was a female. I first told my parents who were awfully accepting. That anxious part of me still lurked however so I couldn't tell anyone else. I threw out all of my fake clothes and bought much more fitting ones and became who I really wanted to be. My name didn't fit me either. I changed my name to Aerin and moved schools, for a fresh start at life. I could finally be accepted.. but the girls found out that I was trans rather fast at this new school too. I constantly moved schools hoping that this next time no-one would notice. The spiral continued though.. everybody knew.
Christmas rolled around fairly quickly. I didn't have a clue what my parents would get me. They in fact, got me nothing. I questioned them, asking them why I had recieved no presents. What happened next was the best moment of my life. I was told I could actually start transition which made me cry tears of complete and utter joy.
After a few years now of feeling a lot better, life turned around. I went under surgery to become fully female. I looked at myself in the mirror and burst into tears. My kind mother came bursting in. "Are you okay? Do you hate it? Do you-" I stopped her and hugged her tightly. "I love it."

[Cheeb]

marking!

[Petscop]

oh man, i'm really excited to see who wins, the other forms are really good!! good luck everyone

[Mima]

Yeah, all of the completed forms are excellent- Everyone worked really hard! Good luck to you all, and good luck to lonk in picking between the applicants!

[sheepsorrel]

marking to watch!

[lonk]

i'm super sorry for how long this has taken for me to judge,,,, i've been rather busy, but i've finally been able to sit down and read all of your stories ! i was really impressed with you guys' writing. ouo
firstly, an hm goes out to alpha ! your story was short and sweet, and i really liked it.
next, i'll be giving an ru to eeveeart.! i enjoyed reading your story- it was super nice. i had a bit of trouble following along in some spots, but overall i really liked your form! pm me with a color to replace the purple, and i'll get started on your ru as soon as i finish up the other ones i have to do.
the winner of this kalon is izurude! your story was just really pretty- i was drawn in the whole time, and your writing just really captivated me ??? i loved it a lot, and while it was on the shorter side, it was still just really great (i loved the last couple lines a lot in particular,,,, ddang.) i hope you'll take good care of wisteria !

[Mima]

oh gosh, thank you so much! ;u; i'm really happy you enjoyed it- i had a lot of fun writing it too. (i haven't been so inspired to make a character since like... my favorite neopet back in the day.)

and congrats to eeveeart. and alpha on the ru and hm- and @eeveeart., since you won a runner up, you can keep your art and re-use it for your ru (or in general) if you'd like! after all, it's more tied to your story than the design itself- so it's only right that you keep it.

i'm definitely going to do my best to keep them active in the community, so i hope to see you all around again!