1 wrote:Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?
xxxxMyrna held a firm grip on the car's wheel as she drove her car down the familiar, long roads in complete silence. It was an uncomfortable familiarity to her, at least in that moment; thoughts of him began to gently flood her mind once again, as it usually happened every time she drove down that specific stretch of road. She would be okay emotionally just as long as she did not allow her mind to wander off to run off with her ex-lover, and she was good at keeping herself from doing so now. Her clawed fingers tapped the top of her steering wheel as a way to distract herself, allowing her to focus solely on driving.
xxxxIt was getting late now; the sun began to settle down beneath the horizon of the linear streets. The once dreadful summer heat had finally simmered down to a much more comfortable temperature, at least as long as she spent little time nearby the still hot, black pavement. It was unusually hot in San Francisco during these past few days, but she was still thankful for it; it allowed her time to enjoy herself inside without having a freezing, stuffy nose. Her apartment's A/C always worked perfectly fine to keep her happy and comfortable, but the heater was a completely different deal.
xxxxHer car bobbed up and down as she drove over the curb, entering the parking lot nearby her apartment complex. The soothing shade the large parking building provided helped her feel a bit more cooled down. She left her car as quickly as possible after locking it, not wanting thoughts of him to catch up with her. With her belongings in hand, she made her way out and into her apartment.
xxxxShe removed her work bag, placing it on a nearby coat hanger, before moving towards her small bedroom. She flicked on the radio and promptly slumped onto her bed. A few advertisements were playing before the music began, but she already found herself drifting off for a nap. When the music finally came on, it was already too late; Myrna shot up with tears creeping up in her eyes. The familiar drum beat and guitar strums sent her into a trance-like state as she remembered him.Royce.
xxxxShe had hoped to have forgotten him almost completely by now. All of her hard work was undone, or so she would like to believe; facing the truth that he had never actually left her mind in the slightest was too hard for her to swallow. It was easier to lie to herself about him these days. That way, she wouldn't have the strong, nagging urge to break down into a quiet sulk.
xxxxThe song that played loudly on the radio was one of her favorite love songs she had discovered in the summer in her youth. It had been a while since she had listened to it, but recalling the lyrics and its beat was as easy as breathing air. She never would have thought her mind would secretly associate her ex-boyfriend with one of her favorite songs though, especially not after how he left her.
xxxxThey had broken up during the winter. Royce had stormed out of her apartment without giving her a second thought to look back. She had always foolishly believed that him leaving would do her complete justice. She had always faltered to find reasons why she did love him in the first place when they were dating after all. Their conflicting moral compasses would have surely set in stone that they'd never cross paths the way they did, but life always had a funny habit of being completely unexpected.
xxxxBut still, she had always deep down wondered if he loved her back the way she loved him. With him gone, she knew she missed him and carried more love for him in her heart than she would have ever imagined. Did he hate her completely now? But would she ever want to know if he truly loved her? Myrna couldn't bare hearing the answers to those specific questions, at least not how she was now.(689 words)
Credits wrote:Royce belongs to TenguInari; I've received permission to use him in my prompt answer ^o^
Myrna belongs to me
559 words wrote:“One minute you’re here, and the next you go…”Jamil felt a trill of happiness threaten to spill from his lips as he turned up the volume on the speakers. The beach vacation (disguised as a work-study program, Thank youuu Mrs. Nubia) was a godsend after the agony that was this past semester. Lounging back on the reclinable beach chair, he sighed as he slipped on his prescription sunglasses. The afternoon summer heat was palpable even under the umbrella, but a slight breeze smelling like frothing waves wicked off the worst of the warmth. Simply bliss. Nearly clear skies, soft sand, sweet breezes, a ball coming towards his face —
Jamil spluttered as sand launched into his mouth from the checkered projectile. His shades went askew, but bare seconds later the ball was followed by a red shape. Min reached to pick up the ball he accidentally threw at his friend’s face, but Jamil latched onto the ball, and the two grappled for a moment before red eyes met enraged green and purple. “Min, what the hell?”
A laugh bubbled out of Min before he yanked the ball out of the taller male’s hands and stuck out his tongue. “Oh, don’t be such a baby, Jamil. Maybe if you joined us in the game instead of sitting so close, you wouldn’t be hit in the face.”
“I’m not that close, you turd. You just throw like a bear,” Jamil grumbled before righting his sunglasses. Jamil squinted up at the cheeky viscet, but any anger was quick to melt away as he looked into the bright orbs of his friend. Min’s maroon feathers turned a flashy crimson under the sun’s rays, and Jamil’s gaze softened further. It was comforting to know that Min looked to be bouncing back from the past semester as well. Though their grades were no doubt important, it pained Jamil in the past few months to see his friends’ feathers go ragged and washed out due to undue stress.
Min stopped to catch his breath under the umbrella and sat on the edge of Sidra’s lounger (currently empty; she had joined the volleyball game with other beachgoers like Min). He hummed in approval as he took in the song on the speakers, and reached over to turn it up. “You downloaded last year’s summer playlist? Man, this brings back memories.”
“Mhmm. There are some new ones on there too. You thirsty?”
Min immediately perked up at the question and snatched up the outstretched water bottle. “Hell yes, gimme.”
Now satisfied that Min wasn’t about to keel over, Jamil closed his eyes and sat back with a sigh, arms propping up his head. Jamil cringed at Min’s obviously-meant-to-be obnoxious gulping, and when Jamil stuck out his tongue at the smaller viscet, Jamil could clearly hear his snort.
But, the two were interrupted by a nearby, familiar call. “Min, come on, the next set is about to start!” Sidra’s voice called out over the din of other tourists, and Jamil could hear the shufflings of Min beside him as the red viscet stood up. Jamil cracked open one eye as Min picked up the volleyball. Min tossed a playful smile over his shoulder as he padded away. “Let us know when you wanna join us.”
Jamil only waved away his friend as his eyes slid closed once more.
♫“Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”♫
A bright white flash. Then a boom loud enough to make your ears bleed. Chartreuse green eyes went wide as its owner, a fluffy viscling, bounded over to a window, hopping up on two legs to look outside. The photogenic rainbow sunset was ruined by plumes of smoke. “The Venetians are attacking!” Theodosia’s main body color turned red as she toppled over, her castle quivering under the force of the bombs.
She scrambled back on her feet, her fur fluffing as she raced through the castle. Her coat turning a fiery red as she dodged falling paintings and jumped over broken lightbulbs, running as fast as her fluffy little legs could carry her. The building shook again, and she flung open a door to the balcony, hearing it slam against the wall behind her. Her eyes darted around the skies, getting a glimpse at the enemy. She saw a gigantic blue winged creature breathing fire on the city below. She gasped. “Dragons!!!” She turned and ran back into the castle, crossing paths with a big brown bear covered in armor.
“Rupert!” She called to the bear. “Attack the dragons with our water cannons! It’s their only weakness!”
He saluted. “Yes, Your Majesty!”
As Rupert disappeared to execute her orders, Theodosia scavenged for ways she could help. She managed to arm herself with a sword just as she heard a thud on the roof. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. “More enemies!”
Speeding her way through the maze of a castle, she found and started climbing the ladder that reached the roof. Opening the hatch, she gently poked her head outside, the sword still in her mouth. With squinted eyes she scanned her surroundings.
There! A huge furry creature, with a long fluffy tail and beady red eyes. Claws long and sharp as steel and fangs the size of a dragon’s tooth! “An Albino Scratterclaw!” It had a boulder in its front paws; surely it was going to use it to break the windows and get inside the castle. She yelled, jumping onto the roof and swinging her sword with bravery. The creature jumped, surely out of fear, glaring at Theodosia with its red eyes. It screeched, the terrifying sound making her shudder, but she stood firm and sighed with relief as it jumped off the roof, out of her sight. “And stay off, you rascal!”
Theodosia returned inside the castle, where she was approached by her trusty advisor, Peter the Rabbit. “Your Majesty, one of the dragons is attacking our food supply! You must take this water cannon and defeat it!”
She growled, strapping the heavy object to her back and taking a deep breath. The adrenaline making her turn orange, a mix of yellow from excitement and red from anger at the dragon. She feared for her kingdom’s demise. “You’re in charge until I get back!” Peter saluted, and Theodosia was on her way, sliding down the staircase and running through the front doors. She knew the building with the food supply was too far for her little legs to carry her, so she ran to the barn.
In the barn stood her trusty ride; a jet black horse! Theodosia jumped on his back and held on tight as she told it where to go. “Shadow, take me to the warehouse!!” With a neigh, her horse dashed to the destination. Theodosia could barely keep her eyes open as they galloped through the streets. Shadow galloped as close as he could to the red dragon before stopping, rearing as Theodosia took aim with her water cannon and shot it at the dragon. The water crashed onto the beast’s face, sending it roaring back into the sky. Theodosia cheered. “We saved the food!”
The joy was short lived, for she heard someone scream nearby. Theodosia jumped off her horse’s back and crept around the block, peeking around the corner to see in the direction of the sound. She almost screamed herself, for it was a Titanboa. She turned white when she saw it… it was as big around as her, and longer than a city block! It curled itself around a lamp pole and hissed at anyone who was passing nearby, snapping its jaws to try and catch anyone who may stray too close. Theodosia entered a nearby shop, where she saw a viscet hiding behind the counter. “Your Majesty!” They called out.
“Lend me a sword!” Theodosia cried. They handed her a sword, and she ran back outside to defend her people. She could hear her heartbeat roar in her ears. Dragons were one thing, but snakes, she hated snakes. “Over here, dummy!”
The snake reared its ugly head and hissed, sending shivers down Theodosia’s spine. She readied her sword as the snake uncoiled itself and slithered closer to her. As it got closer, it became apparent that it was much bigger than she thought it was. Theodosia knew she wouldn’t be able to defeat it with a sword. Frantically, she looked around for another option. Her eyes caught sight of the globe on top of the Museum, and she smiled, turning yellow. Dropping the sword, she whistled. Shadow came running, and it stood fast in the way of the snake. “Keep it preoccupied, I have an idea!!”
Shadow whinnied and ran zig zags in front of the enemy to confuse it. Theodosia ran past the Titanboa, running down an alleyway and climbing up the fire escape on the back of the museum walls. She felt her lungs burning and her muscles ache from all the energy she had been using, but she refused to quit!
Reaching the top, she hauled herself over the edge and took a moment to breathe, before turning to the globe. How on earth was she supposed to push it down into the street? Suddenly she remembered she had a water cannon on her back… surely that would be enough pressure to knock it off the roof!!
Aiming the water cannon, she pulled the trigger. The water cannon fired, hitting the globe just above the center. To her joy, it started to tilt! She shot it again, and it started to roll! With one more hit, it rolled straight off the edge of the building! Theodosia ran to the edge of the roof and watched as the Titanboa was crushed under the weight!
Shadow reared in victory as Theodosia yelled into the sky. The dragons all started retreating away from her city with their last asset used up, and viscets left the safety of their homes to cheer. “Queen Theodosia! She saved us all!” She turned pink with pride, closing her eyes as they chanted her name.
“Theodosia!”
“Theodosia!”
“Theodosia!” She opened her eyes, and the rainbow sky was replaced with a bright blue one, white clouds dotting the surface. “Theodosia!” Swiftly turning her head, her eyes caught those of her fathers, Antonio. He smiled down at her from the porch. “How many times have I told you not to climb on the picnic table?”
Theodosia looked down and realized that she was indeed standing on the picnic table. She giggled, bouncing off into the warm grass. “It wasn’t a picnic table dad; it was a museum!”
Antonio chuckled. “And why were you standing on top of the museum?”
“I needed to push this globe off onto the Titanboa!” She batted around at a beach ball, bouncing it once more on the end of the garden hose, which was once the snake’s head. “I saved the city!”
Her mother, Yael, stepped out on the porch and overheard their conversation. “You did?!” She beamed. “What other monsters did you conquer?”
Theodosia puffed up with pride, picking up her toy squirt gun. “Lots of dragons, and an albino Scratterclaw!” A blue jay and a cardinal could be heard angrily squawking from the trees. She smiled. “I think they’re still angry about their defeat!”
Her father shook his head, a smile on his face. Yael couldn’t help but chuckle at their daughter’s imagination. “Good for you!” He looked to Yael as she spoke. “Dinner is almost ready. You should go grab your toys out of the treehouse, okay?”
“Okay!”
Antonio and Yael watched as Theodosia hummed a tune and turned her back toward them, heading towards the edge of the yard where a ladder led up into a tree. Antonio sighed.
“Do you ever worry her head is too far up in the clouds?”
Yael shook her head, her eyes filled with wonder as she watched her daughter. “Look how happy she is. Let her stay in the clouds… there is no greater gift than that of an imagination.” Her eyes soft, remembering the days of her own made-up adventures. “I hope she never loses it.”
Theodosia smiled, her paws feeling the familiar cold steel of the ladder that she had climbed countless times. As she climbed, it was easy to imagine she was ascending the steps of her castle. Reaching the treehouse, she saw a white squirrel hopping around on the branches around her. “Great battle today, Scrat!” The squirrel minded his own, paying no attention to the viscet as she went inside the treehouse. She closed the hatch to the roof before collecting her stuffed bear and rabbit toys. She looked around for a brief moment, admiring drawings she had made of rainbow sunsets and grand castles. “Come on Rupert, Pete…” She held on to the toys tightly as she descended the ladder. “We need to grab Shadow!”
Theodosia trotted happily across the yard, picking up Shadow where he lay in the grass, near the beach ball and the water hose. “We did a fantastic job protecting the castle today!”
Looking back at her treehouse, her colors turned blue. She was sad it was time to go inside. She loved that treehouse. Yet she made a smile, for when she thought hard enough, she could still see her grand castle in place of it, the rainbow sunset, and all her stuffed animals, real and ready for her to come back. With a sigh, she turned her back to her treehouse, gripping tight to her toys as she headed inside following her parents to go eat a well-deserved meal for a battle well fought.
♫“I’d never leave, if it were up to me!”♫
(1728/2500)
“Hey Kuro?”
Ituri sat with her back up against a tree, a notebook in hand as her best friend worked on building a birdhouse. When he heard her call his name he stopped working on his project, setting down a hammer. “Yeah?”
She put the end of her pencil in her mouth and started chewing on it. “You had a pretty eventful summer, so maybe you could help me with this prompt?”
Kuro nodded, padding over to peek at the notebook. “Sure, what is it?
Ituri looked up at him. “It asks to choose a song that represents my summer. I have so many favorite songs, how am I supposed to pick one to represent my summer?”
Kuro smiled, sitting down beside her. “Well, for me, I would have to say the song that captures my summer is ‘Your Heart Will Lead You Home’ by Kenny Loggins.”
Ituri’s eyebrows raised as she glanced at Kuro. “Why that song?”
Kuro gazed over to his birdhouse, a smile on his face. “Because it reminded me of what’s important, and I’ve had the best summer of my life ever since.”
~A few months earlier~
Kuro’s shoulders were droopy, his feet dragging as he crossed the room of his tiny room. He fell face first into the cold covers of his bed, a long sigh escaping him. He had just spent hours studying, but he still felt he knew nothing about the subject he was supposed to be learning.
He was an intern for a construction worker. It was unpaid, but he got free meals and a roof to sleep under. He knew how to build the houses but couldn’t wire them with electrical. His mentor was getting annoyed with him, going back and fixing Kuro’s mistakes every day. All the other interns were doing great jobs, and a few of them even got their own building projects. As a viscling he had always wanted to be a builder of houses, but it turns out he wasn’t any good at it. Everything he had worked for had been for nothing.
Lonely tears started filling his eyes. Blinking them away, he decided to turn on the radio for a quick pick-me up. Stretching his paw to the bedside table, he clicked the ‘radio on’ button on his alarm clock. An all-too familiar song was playing on his favorite station. The lyrics felt like they poured out of the radio and into his soul…
“There’ll come a day when you’re losing your way, and you won’t know where you belong.”
It was a song his mother used to sing to him when he was little. Kuro had completely forgotten about it. His ears perked, listening carefully to the words he hadn’t heard in years.
“You’re not alone you know, just think of your friends; the ones who care.”
As the song continued, a picture formed in his mind.
“They all will be waiting there, with love to share, and your heart will lead you home.”
He imagined his family and friends, standing in front of his childhood home, arms wide open and ready to take him in with a hug. A tear fell down his cheek. His heart felt like an orange being squeezed for juice. He shook his head, thinking about his internship. “This isn’t worth it.”
Kuro could almost hear his mother singing those words as he fell asleep. “home is where your heart is…”
He believed his heart lied in construction, but in that moment, he realized it didn’t matter what he did. It mattered who he did it with. His mind flashed to his father who worked as a knight, and his mother who worked as a florist. Either job didn’t seem so bad anymore.
Then a thought crossed his mind, and he perked up. Who said he had to build houses for people? He could make birdhouses, or dog houses! Jumping out of bed, he nodded to himself with the first shred of confidence he had felt in months.
“I’m going home!”
~Now~
Ituri smiled at Kuro. “And now your birdhouses are selling like wildfire!”
Kuro nodded. “They sure are!” He stood, and Ituri closed her notebook. “Aren’t you going to finish that?”
Ituri shook her head. “Nah, I can finish it later…” She stood, following him. “I want to help!”
Kuro took a deep breath, his heart swelling with happiness.
His heart had led him home.
(737/2500)
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