[starshine,]

west breathed in, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. alice was in the maternity wing, and they had already came out to tell him she was fine. but they had yet to come and get him to bring him in. he paced around the chairs of the lobby, his eyes trained on the hallway that the doctor would come through. he paused, as a doctor with a clipboard and a pen passed him, and released his breath as he walked away.

about 10 minutes later the doctor entered the lobby, he nodded to west and gave him the ok for visiting her. west jumped to his feet and practically ran to the room. he opened the door cautiously and found alice sitting there, intact and ok, and holding, four small kits. his chest swelled and he felt the beginnings of tears well in his eyes as he raced over to her, he bent down and grabbed her hand, smiling widely and putting his forehead against hers. alice closed her eyes, "stay with me?" she asked, west nodded enthusiastically, his hand still clutching hers, "always."

[King Andre]

day 5
characters: Donn
word count: 620
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She's leaving. Donn knew without even opening his eyes. He knew from the absence of warmth beside him. He heard the drawers opening and suitcase clicking. He heard the light footsteps being made around the room, and finally he heard the door handle being moved.

Remaining in the same position in bed, his dark toned voice, cutting through the brief silence, stopped the woman in her tracks. "Si te vas, no vuelvas." (If you leave, do not come back.) She inhaled, making no verbal response, and in the next instant he heard the door shut. She was gone. Some women were not meant to be mothers, such was life to him.




Donn wasn't a stranger to being without parents, having been orphaned at a young age. For most of his life he was led to believe he was abandoned. But he'd ensure his children didn't go through the same thing.

To him, that meant being there for them, whenever they needed him. That meant taking them to school, that meant playing dress up with his daughters and doing their hair, packing their lunches and cooking their dinner. It meant changing the diapers of the youngest ones, and watching over them twice as much to make up for the absence of their madre. It meant helping them with their school work, and instilling within them a work ethic to succeed in whatever path they wanted to take in life.

But everything wore him down in subtle ways. Growing up to believe he was abandoned by his own mother, and then the only woman he ever loved took a toll on him, but he'd never let it show. So while he vowed to always be there for his children, sometimes it meant that they were there for him too, when the "where's mommy?" or "why did she leave?" questions kept him awake at night, and whittled away at his invincible exterior. Tiny footsteps would slip through his room and he'd find his children's arms embracing him. He came to realize that he needed them as much as they needed him. Donn came to realize that it was his children which were the most important things in his life, not a woman who could care less about them or him.

Fondly, he would recall nights out with them, extravagant restaurants and bowling. Vacations to Japan or Hawaii. He gave them everything they asked for, perhaps to make up for everything, anything to keep them happy, even if sometimes it wasn't enough. The best times to him were loud nights at home, laughing and enjoying dinner together as a family or celebrating holidays and birthdays.

However time went by, as it must inevitably do. Through proms, teaching them to drive, first relationships and jobs, then graduating school and eventually moving off to college. One by one he went through this with his kids, beginning with his eldest son and before he knew it, his youngest toddler, who was an infant at the time of his mothers leaving. They all left eventually. Such was life.

There was a lot of heart-ache and head-ache, it wasn't always easy, and he admittedly spoiled his daughters more than he should've, but they were his best years.

Years he looks back on now, as an older man, flipping through photo books and home videos. Now he's sitting in his old office chair alone in the large house, vividly remembering events that took place around him in the past. In the end, no he wasn't perfect, but he did his best. A single tear rolls off his cheek, but he's smiling, because he succeeded, and he succeeded in spite of a struggle. He could be proud of that.

the best days.

[ThatPinkThing]

Day 5: best day of my life. // ThatPinkThing // anthro Matteo

The ballet was at two pm, and though it was only noon, the dancers were bustling around the hall. Some with more complicated looks were already being made up. Most were rehearsing the steps again and again, despite having them down to a T. Matteo was in his practice clothes, his hair tied up in a messy bun, and his face stern as he concentrated. Today was the day he would prove himself as a dancer.

"Matteo," one of his friends called from the doorway, "you're on for prep." Matteo nodded, taking a deep breath and heading from the quiet practice room into the bustle of the backstage hallways.

In hair and makeup, his messy bun was taken out and replaced with a tight braid that curved, sweeping over his shoulder. His fur was brushed and dusted with glitter, and his face was delicately painted, exaggerating his features.

In wardrobe, Matteo was helped into his silver outfit. He loved this one, honestly. The leggings were dark grey with fading sparkles at the bottom, and his top was a white suit jacket-like piece with long, sheer coattails. When he looked in the mirror, all made up, he felt confident. The call came to be ready to start the show, and Matteo was ready. Let's do this.

The show went a lot faster than it did in rehearsals. Matteo nailed his spins and jumps, each success thrilling him. All too quickly, the ballet ended, and Matteo found himself standing in his final, closing pose as paws clapped and voices cheered. He breathed heavily, beaming and taking a bow. The other dancers returned to stage, and they joined hands to bow again as a cast. The lights were warm and Matteo felt the communal joy of the others with him. They had performed flawlessly, and this was only the beginning.

[Unleashed Squiid]

Prompt 5 Featuring Meraki

Meraki liked the rain. Something about the calm and persistent taps of the falling droplets against her roof helped her to think clearly. She turned in her bed to look at the clock on her wall, which read 6:45 a.m. The soft noises lulling her back to sleep, she closed her eyes to rest for what she hoped would be a few more hours. It felt like she had just fallen back again when this hope of more rest was shattered. Meraki’s head snapped off of her pillow, and she began to listen very carefully to a strange sound creeping in her backyard. Some animal was making a racket, and a distraught one at that. Unsettled, she took a small step out out of her warm bed and onto the chilled wooden floor. From there, she drifted towards the window, where she was greeted with a massive flood in her backyard. Though it happened quite often, (in fact every time there was heavy rain), the rushing river was not why Meraki’s face grew terrified. No, she began to panic when a small duckling crossed her vision. A young ducking which kept bobbing underneath the water’s surface and one who was clearly struggling to swim.

Without a second thought, Meraki found herself waiting through the water, soaking her clothes and shivering greatly. But she knew in her heart that she had to save this creature. She found herself forcing against the current until the little duck was just in reach, and....yes! Meraki snatched them up, protecting the little feathery creature inside of her jacket. From then on, she raised the ducking, taking good care of it and becoming very grateful of the day in which she had saved its life. From then on, she had a faithful little friend who she loved dearly.

[Jippy]

Prompt 5
Featuring Pip

Pip remembers this day, it only felt like yesterday since it happened, like a fond dream.

It was Pip’s birthday, he had a blast. He was just on his way home from taking a walk when he opened the fire tdoor and stepped in. “SURPRISE” inside a decorated house full of balloons and party streamers were his friends gathered around. They went and planned this without making a peep. Pip was delighted and excited. They had a piñata, a triple layer chocolate cake, dancing, music, laughing and so much more. It was the best day of his life. They partied all day, opening up different presents. It was so much fun! Pip was so greatful to have his wonderful friends!

[.paris.]

lunar new year

[prompt 5] | [emory and daisy] | [.paris.]
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as a gift for their parents anniversary, their children jack and addison decided to interview their parent's friends about their relationships. the following is a few excerpts about the day they finally got together, a day they both affectionately refer to as "the best day of their lives.

morgan:

jack: so how did you know my parents?
xxxxxwell, ironically enough, i was your father's first friend in college. i was a junior at the time, and i was playing my drums which were hidden in the basement (i had to try to prevent noise complaints.) one day, he went down there for god knows what reason, and ended up stumbling upon me. when i realized he had found me, i was so mad, i was ready to tear him limb from lib. she laughs. but he was too much of a baby for me to ever hurt him. so, we started talking, and somehow, fate drew us together. we were best friends ever since.

addison: and my mom?
xxxxxoh lord, your mother. i think i heard about her every day for at least a month before i finally met her. they met in a zoology lab, and emory was completely twitterpatted. i'd never seen him so doe-eyed.

xxxxxi tried to convince him to get it over with and ask her out, because frankly his endless chattering about her was beginning to grate on my nerves. but, he was happy, and it was all i could hope for him. but, he was so scared and so stubborn, he didn't. she shakes her head, pausing for a second. he was such a nerd.

jack: and then what happened?
xxxxxoh, it finally turned out okay. i got sick of emory asking about daisy, so i finally decided to set them up. on valentine's day i ordered flowers in his name to be sent to her dorm, she got them and was overjoyed, they had a big dramatic kiss in the park, everybody clapped, etc, and the rest was history.

xxxxxi guess you can thank me for that, kiddos. lord knows if i hadn't done something you guys might've never gotten here.

-

analeigh:

addison: so how did you know our parents?
xxxxxwell, i only met your father after a while, but daisy and i ran in the same circles since basically day one. we were in the same orientation group together, and i guess we just ended up sticking together. i would call her one of my best friends.

jack: what did you know about our dad?
xxxxxi heard about emory since they day they met. it was the start of second semester freshman year, and i think, and daisy was so excited, because she had gotten into zoology with this notoriously tough professor. she was always down for a challenge, especially with animal sciences, and so she walked in so focused and ready.

xxxxxand then, of course, this boy arrives. she was texting me all panicked like "oh my gosh ana he's so cute what do i do i'm never going to be able to focus" blah blah blah, typical girl stuff. at first i sorta brushed it off; it's a college campus, you see cute boys all the time. but for whatever reason, she couldn't let this one go.

addison: so then what happened?
xxxxxi realized that if she was gonna be in this class, she was gonna have to take the mentality of "if you can't beat em, join em." so that's what she did. she asked to be his lab partner for the semester.

xxxxxit worked like a charm. they got along so well, i couldn't believe it. it's like they were made for each other. i hadn't really ever seen something like that.

xxxxxdaisy, of course, was worried it was all in her head. she liked him, because, of course she did, but she didn't think he felt the same. by valentine's day, frankly, i just wanted them to get a move on with it, so i went to the store, bought a card, and signed her name on it, and sent it to his dorm.

xxxxxit turns out he sent her flowers that day too, and then it turned into this adorable almost scavenger hunt all over campus until they could finally find one another. we were all invested in this, we wanted them to work out so bad, so when they finally had their big kiss on the lawn i think i teared up a little bit.

xxxxxi couldn't be happier for them, really. your parents are a special type, one that really only comes around once in a lifetime.

-

caroline:

jack: so how did you know our parents?
xxxxxwell, first off, let me introduce myself, that'll probably make it self-explanatory. my name is dr. moore, (you can call me caroline) and i was an adjunct professor around the time your parents were attending school. i taught a zoology 101 class for biology majors, pre-med students, and pre-vet students.

xxxxxyour parents were in my second class of the day, a 10am class, which i was grateful for because thankfully everyone had gotten over their bleary-eyedness. your mother was incredibly bright and very vivacious; your father, well, he tried. however, as a team, they worked fantastic together. daisy provided her knowledge and emory his charisma. both of them had well-deserved a's in my class.

addison: did you ever think something more was going to happen between them?
xxxxxwell, as a teacher and a professional, i tend to avoid commenting or even noticing things like that. it's not really my place to meddle in the relationships of 18-year-olds. however, they definitely had a charisma about them that was...interesting, to say the least. i definitely kept my eye on them.

xxxxxwhen i finally heard they got together, i was happy for them. their work improved even more, surprisingly, and they always got to class early and stayed late. they were quite the pleasure to have in class.

xxxxxcaroline goes quiet for a moment, looking at her empty hand where a wedding ring would be. your parents have something magical between them. clearly they held on to it tightly, and never let it go, because, well, here you both are. i can only hope they'll continue to fight tooth and nail for the beautiful thing they have because that really is something that only happens once in a lifetime.

she gets up to leave, then, almost as an afterthought, says this:

xxxxxby the way, the big kiss on the lawn on valentines day? i was there. it was quite theatrical, but very cute. it definitely looked like one of the best days of their lives.

[lonk]

prompt 5 - tell me about one of the best days of your kalon's life.
palmer/pelb - 440 words

the tension in the room tugged at every fiber of his being. scrimine's eyes seemed to pierce into his back, her stare unwavering. rohana and bea both sat silently, tears welling in the latter's eyes.
he'd finally said it. pelb desperately wanted to leave this hell of a world. they'd seen other places, they'd scoped them out for the monster that they bowed to, the king of cathoria. he knew that they knew how he felt.
"i'm done," he announced, throwing his hands in the air, "and i know you're all going to freak. so let's make this short, shall we?" he reached his hand in his pocket, but ro bolted from her chair and pinned him to the wall. she didn't look up from her firm gaze at the ground.
scrimine stood up, and put her hand on his shoulder. "i know it's hard, pelb. but this is our life. this is what we were born to do- to obey. to serve. you wouldn't dare turn to be a traitor, would you?" he nodded, swallowing his fear. she couldn't hurt him. he had the upper hand.
"we're your friends. we're here for you- you know this. i wouldn't wish any less than the best for you." he shook rohana off of him, and turned away from scrimine. "you're making bea upset. please, pelb, i-"
"i don't give a damn about what you have to say. you only look out for the best interests of yourself, not the greater good. can't you see what we're doing? can't you? we're scouting out other worlds so cathoria can take them over. the suffering he's going to cause... i'm not doing it anymore."
the room fell quiet, and scrimine scowled. "you're too much of a coward to do it, pelb."
he whipped the small object out of his pocket, and slammed down on it with a smile. "it's palmer, love."

it was both the best and worst day of his miserable life.
escaping the dictatorship-esque monarchy of cathoria was something he'd yearned for. nothing brought him more satisfaction than having a chance at starting over in a normal world. he could have a choice. he could find his own job, make his own decisions- he had no one to obey but himself!
but he'd lost everything. he'd abandoned his friends, no his family, and besides that, he was now a criminal. treason wasn't to be taken lightly, and if the cathorian authority managed to track him down, he was dead. extremely dead.
maybe he had nothing, but... he had nothing. nothing but the thought of a new life presenting itself.

[undead]

prompt 5 - winnie
_________________________________________________

It's a festival!
Today was one of those magical days Winnie went out to the renaissance fair to watch and entertain the multitudes of people who decide to show up. It was always one of Winnie's favorite days- working for the circus was great and all, but there was something special about a festival like this that really brought life to his eyes. Maybe it was the outfits, maybe it was the overall old-timey atmosphere, or maybe it was the people all brought together by this common interest. Whatever it may be, it always made Winnie's heart start fluttering with excitement. Today he was booked for a fire show- this was going to be exciting! It was at three different times, and he had different ideas planned out for each time. Inbetween his volunteering though, he'd decided to truly get into the spirit and visit shows, do some dancing, buy some items at good shops.
He'd come loaded with spending money and finished out the day with no more than twelve dollars. Winnie's earnings included some of "The King's Nuts", plenty incense sticks to last him the next three months (until the next festival!) and a nice, large staff to add to his costume. They were all hidden in the back of his stationed area where, at the times specified, Winnie got to play with fire and amaze an ever growing crowd. That's what truly made today special, moreso than all his other times coming to the faire.
This time, he was invited to one of the country's largest fairs, a huge honor. Hundreds of people from all around came just to watch him toss some fire sticks around and at people without even a little burn. It felt amazing, like everything in the world was right. He didn't mess up once, Winnie was on top of his game.
There was nothing better to end the day with than with eating a full chicken with your fingers at a jousting event. This was sure to be a day he'd remember.

[sentimental]

day 5 - the dragon - best day in your kalon's life


Reith was ready. today would be the day he approached the lovely gentleman who sat near his signature corner
in Loren's cafe. It was already a good day- Rei's second ever completed manuscript got accepted into a publisher's
house and his local newspaper wanted to host a book signing for his first novel. So, in short, even if he embarassed
himself, nothing could really put a damper on the optimistic kalon's day.
Of course, that is what he thought. The closer Rei got to the cafe, the more he began to stress.
"What if I trip and spill something on him?"
"Oh GOSH what if I appear to be coming on too strongly? Lor will never let
me live it down.."
"What if he isn't the biggest fan of random strangers walking up to him in a cafe and asking to converse?"
This pattern of thought slowly devolved into panicked inner turmoil, causing Rei to lose all focus on the
world around him until he bumped into something- or someone.

"Woah, easy there fella! I noticed you looking rather dizzy- would you like to come sit with me and have a drink?"

That voice. Reith could feel his face heating up. Of COURSE, of all the people to run into in his silly little tizzy,
it had to be him. Looking up slowly, dreading what he knew he'd find, Rei came face to face with the handsome
stranger from the corner of the cafe. All his evening rehearsals for this moment flew out the window. This man
was even more lovely up close- and his voice sounded alike that of a 50's radio host- suave, assured but very gentle.

"Are you alright? Pardon my forwardness, I've seen you in this cafe before and felt it was high time I introduced myself."
The tall kalon before him took a step back and tilted his head respectfully, "I'm Abbot Mulcroix, at your service."
The fool then winked.

Rei just about melted, barely managing to compose himself long enough for his stuttered reply, "R-Reith Dierdre, nice to
meet you. I'd be delighted to take you up on your offer."

Yes, Rei surmised to himself, this has got to be the most marvelous day in his life.

[375 words.]

[Kyar]

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Kyar - Prompt 5 - Mendel - 421 words

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Ah! You're asking a silly question. The simple answer is the day I met my love, my one love. The truest of them all.

He was laughing the instant I set foot through the tavern door. Weary bones have never heard such a brilliant sound! I was drawn to him, of course, immediately. That bright white tuft of hair was as charming as his smile. The young tavern keep had me hooked!

You know, I won't lie, I've never had trouble falling for boys with a nice smile. Or a good laugh for that matter. You see, I could tell you a hundred stories of boys who've stolen my heart—if only for a day or two! But my dear Briceus… how can I explain? He is my sweet blossom of morning, the bright light of the afternoon! No evening star can dazzle as brightly as he.

Now, you can see how much I like to talk? Well, you haven't seen the first sign of it! I've found myself enraptured by a good tale, and especially when coming from a nice pair of lips. My dearest Briceus was on from the start, spinning stories like fine silk and keeping me entranced in his wondrous light. You would think I'd have stared him in the eye for hours, if he only would've let me see it!

When I say we talked on through the night, well, he talked—I listened. But I tell you, there is something magical in his words, you know. He's got the cleverest humor and just the right set of words to keep any tale as invigorating as if it were your very own experience! Town gossip or epic romance, who could tell the difference? I was lost into the night, and before long, of course, looking for a place to rest my head.

It was brilliant really, getting to stay there. Goodness, not with him, the first night? No! Even I have better taste than that, my dear. But to find a cozy room in the inn, to wake up and start up a new day with him… well, you can certainly see how I found my way into staying. Now I couldn't dream of waking up anywhere but at his side, and ah! For the glory of it all. Briceus, my dear, how I treasure your presence. That I was ever so lucky I may not understand, but I tell you, there has yet to be a brighter day than the first time I heard that lovely laughter.