[Northstar.]

Day 1
Username: Northstar.
Cow: Khepri
Prompt:

The dry desert sands sting your cheeks and catch on your eyelashes like tiny falling stars. Deep, velvet night swathes the desert dunes. It goes on for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see in any direction. You would be lost, if not for the stars.

A pair of fennec foxes yelp and play across the sands. They startle a sand snake into a dance... And the beat of a drum echoes beneath it all.

With much slipping and scrambling you crest the next dune. Firelight warms the night and a caravan of bovines casts long shadows. Airy tents dot the landscape, coloured pale in the night. Pots of spices and rolls of rich fabric make up their wares and they sell as wandering merchants to all desert kingdoms. At the base of the steep sand hill a fire burns and behind the flames is a young heifer. She beats the drum, wrists jangling with bracelets, and dances like the wind. Young calfs giggle and stomp their hooves as the heifer twirls her shadows into shapes and her music into stories.

This lost and wandering caravan is her family and this arid desert is her home. Music is her blood and dancing is her soul.

(208)

[Knickknacks]

Day 1
Username: Knickknacks
Cow: Phoebe
Prompt:

"Most of my life has been spent at Cherry Creek," Phoebe said flatly- though as far as you can tell that's just her typical way of speaking, rather than an indicator of annoyance. "I arrived there early on, as a orphaned calf. Beverly took me in, and instead of growing up alone? I got to instead grow up with three sisters, and both an adoptive mom and aunt.

"That impression alone, of being loved and wanted for real, made my new home seem that much more beautiful. It is truly a nice place, though- the quiet little barn beside a river where I was given my own room, the adjoining kitchen where I had my first meals with my new family, the little bed of cherry trees and tulips I helped Beverly to plant, the fields I played tag in with Quince, Thalia and Logan... all of it is filled with good memories." The smallest of smiles graced the normally-deadpan heifer's face as she thought, with obvious fondness, of childhood she'd had with her found family.

"Cherry Creek may be small, and sort of secluded, but it will always be beautiful to me. It was a good- a great- place to grow up," Phoebe said softly in conclusion.

[208 words]

[paopu]

Day 1
Username: paopu
Cow: Caspian
Prompt:
Describe the place where your Buttermilk grew up, or a prominent place in their lifetime. Go into as much or as little detail as you would like!

The island Cas grew up on was large and spacious and just generally a good place. There wasn't much really she could complain about, honestly. It has always been warm but not too warm and always had a good breeze. It has always been self sustainable and filled with all sorts of people and things. It wasn't even really boring, much as Cas might complain that it was throughout her life. There was always something to do, whether it be surfacing or looking for weird bugs or even the occasional festival. However, her whole life there was always something in her that said more. It's a hungry void that much as she tried she could never fill. Cas spent many a day dreaming of...well, adventure. As a child she wanted nothing more than to be an adventurer and as she aged it was heartbreak when she learned real life was not generally like the stories presented things. Her teen phase was tough as she sought out what she craved, believing she could never really obtain it. Then came the day she first stood on a boat.

There was something just right about how it felt to be standing on the hard wood of a bow. Of how suddenly she felt she could go anywhere or do anything. Who said life couldn't be like those stories anyway? Wasn't life what you made it? If she wanted to sail the seas and find something new then why couldn't she? It was that day she gained a purpose. And it was that day she first made the decision that, no matter what it took, she would one day captain her own ship.
276 words

[ptarmigan]

day 1
username: ptarmigan
cow: buona
prompt: as a rejected calf, buona had a rough start in life. she was sickly and even her front right leg would not extend all the way - she needed physical therapy for her knee and months of bottle feeding and medication if she was going to live. the farmers that owned her mother tried to sell the sickly calf that was buona, but nobody was interested in putting the work or money into rehabilitating the calf, so it was decided that she would be slaughtered. but on her way, something surprising happened and she was bought by a kind baby human - josephine (affectionately called jo or josie) - who had somehow convinced her mom to take in the calf. after being bottle fed everyday by that human, they formed a close bond. the place that is closest to her heart is her tiny human's (though her human was no longer as small as she once was and neither is buona) lap sitting in the barn built specifically for buona, being spoiled and fed human food. the two still sit together and she is extra careful not to squish her josie. she holds on tight to these memories, knowing that josie's decision to rescue her started the chance to rescue more and more cows - to build up a herd. for now, buona settled in the cozy barn where she was bottle fed everyday and falls asleep to the comforting scents and nostalgic feeling.
[240 words]

[honeybunchesofoats]

Day 1
Username: honeybunchesofoats
Cow: Alberon
Prompt:

After Alberon had left her previous barn, she walked for a very long time. She didn't have a plan of action or and ending destination...she just kept walking forward. She walked for days, only stopping by the side of the road to sleep and eat. However, about a week into her trip she stopped when she came upon a patch of woods. At this point, she had only been walking straight, following the path but something was telling her to migrate from her routine and step into the realm of towering trees. Entering the space made it feel like she was almost intruding on something she wasn't meant to see. It instantly got darker and the only light guiding her was the bright sunshine on the outside, glimmering through small patches of open branches above. It was quiet but not the eerily and alarming sort that chilled you to the bone, no this...was one of the only times Alberon could say she truly felt at peace. A small smile graced her features as she continued to walk deeper into the forest. Small birds and squirrels going about their morning in search of food for the day, deer grazing near a tiny lake- their footsteps gentle and gracefully soft. She took in a deep breath and sat herself down in a patch of tall grass just taking everything in. This was a feeling unlike anything known to her. As she sat and pondered, hours went by but in her mind the ticking of the clock stopped. She then realized that this was the first time she had ever felt at home. She was alone sure, but the world seemed to align and everything made sense to her.

However, she knew she couldn't stay here and the thought alone pulled her back into a bittersweet melancholy. The distant howl of a wolf confirmed her thinking and she stood from her spot, taking one last glance at her surroundings before making her way back to the main road.

[acadicus]

Day 1
Username: acadicus
Cow: Edmond
Prompt: Edmond squints his eyes, seemingly thinking back upon a treasured memory. "I grew up in a quaint little cottage in the woods. I was surrounded by all sorts of forest creatures that hold a special place in my heart to this day. They filled a place in my heart that my cow peers just couldn't fill sometimes. I remember there was this small creek that ran through the woods. Crayfish lived there and they did pinch sometimes. I've got some, er, vivid memories of trying to pick them up." The older cow winces then chuckles. "Yeah. They were fun. I also remember we always had herbs in the house. We used them for various things, like sore throats or a nicked nose. You kids these days with all your fancy remedies. The herbs worked the best. I liked going through the woods to find different plants to bring home. My favorite memories are those of gathering ginseng with my grandmother. Living in such a nice place wasn't all fun and games, though. Once, a big tree crushed a portion of my home. We spent all summer rebuilding it. Plus, a bunch of the nearby calves would tease me, calling me a woods wizard. I suppose they weren't all wrong!" Edmond just looks off into the distance. Mysterious, but you decide not to question him further. (225)

[Joke's On You]

Day 1
Username: Joke's On You
Cow: Meadow
Prompt:

Meadow currently resides at Huckleberry Acres, but that's not where she grew up. The farm she grew up on was actually shut down because they couldn't afford the land any longer. They had to sell, but all of her childhood memories are with the old farm. And those memories are some of the most important one's of her life, because the Buttermilk's on that farm shaped her into the wonderful young Buttermilk she is today, even if she's shy.

The farm went by the name of Willow Way. It was rather on the small side and was used for basic things such as preparing milk from the Buttermilks, taking eggs from the chickens, and crops. Everyone on the farm knew each other, so all the animals were close to one another and could strike up conversations easily. It was all the animals there that helped Meadow grow into who she is today. Or at least, the part of her that is sweet and caring. Not necessarily her being shy.

Since Willow Way was such a small farm, they didn't get a lot of business. And for the past few years, it was getting hit hard when it came to the harvests not succeeding. A lot of money was being lost, so Willow Way had to make a decision for the good of the humans and animals. All of them would be sold off to better homes so they could live out the rest of their life well. Huckleberry Acres was looking for more Buttermilk's for their new section of land, so they bought Meadow off of Willow Way. But because Meadow was going to such a new place, she became more shy with others. The Buttermilk's at Huckleberry Acres weren't like a family to her and she had no idea where to begin. Most of her growing was done at Willow Way.

Even though it's a sad tale for Meadow, she knows that Huckleberry Acres is her home now, and she's been trying to make friends ever since she's arrived by slowly overcoming her shy personality. She will still remember how much Willow Way impacted her life though. But now with Huckleberry Acres, she'll be able to grow even more. [370]

[Cactologist]

Day 1
Username: Cactologist
Cow: Bedelia
Prompt: "Well, I grew up on property that has been in my family for generations, as far back as time can trace. It's an area of about 400 acres in the foothills of the Miracle Mountains, divided up between descendants. The oldest family member inherits the land they grew up on, so I will always call the same place home. My younger siblings will be given a different patch of land if need be, but they often move away. Some even live here in town!
Anyway, my immediate family's land is a hilly pasture, perfect for farming. It's dotted with copses of trees, rocky crags, and rivers running in rivets, and bordered by a dense forest. Some of my extended family lives in hillier areas, while others live in smoother areas and others in patches of the woods themselves.
It's always interesting, too. Even though cows have lived on this same land for so long, I don't think the land has ever been completely explored. It is the most wonderful thing to discover a place you've never seen. Who knows, you may have been the first cow to ever step foot on that land. It really is amazing! I've discovered meadows filled with wildflowers, silent valleys only occupied by a rumbling waterfall, spring-fed lakes, and outcroppings overlooking miles of unexplored land... Oh, and you can go almost anywhere you can think of, because it's all owned by my family! Everyone is so kind and loving!
Also, no matter how outrageous this sounds, I don't actually know if we have any neighbors! The mountains that surround us, despite their pretty name, are wild and uncertain. Some say they have a mind of their own. May the name suggests that it's a miracle to survive within them! Needless to say, they are greatly uninhabited by anyone you would like to associate with! I personally have never dared to travel within them, and I dream of going to Mars, so that's saying something!
Whew, I think that should be everything." (336 words)

[Andromeda]

Day 1
Username: Bluebird-
Cow: Nanna
Prompt: Nanna could easily recall where she grew up, an island in the Caribbean. Her home was a small corral surrounded by tropical trees and large plants. She shared the space with two other heifers and a bull, they all got along pretty well. A warm, salty breeze would drift off the ocean and flood her senses, quickly followed by the mouthwatering smell of food on its way to her feed bucket. Her and her fellow bovine would gather at the thatch fence, mooing in excitement. Their owner would mash up beans, wheat, oats, and grass into a sort of jungle salad and it was the best tasting thing ever! Every now and then they'd be let out to wander the thick foliage surrounding the property, sniffing at curious reptiles and ridiculously large insects. Once the sun began to set, they'd be called back in to sleep under their shelter, made carefully of dried palm fronds and hand cut tree trunks. Everyday went this way, roughly. Though sometimes a hurricane would threaten their way of life. Their owner would pull them all by lead ropes, tugging them to a much larger and fortified barn that the local government provided for the livestock of the island in times like these. There was never a dull moment! (214)

[lucas tazmily]

Day 1
Username: Pufferheart
Cow: Beth
Prompt:

"I grew up all alone in an old, abandoned, and falling apart barn. I didn't offer much warmth from the cold or shelter from the rain, but it was all I had and all I knew.

"Outside of the barn, a little ways down a hill, a little river was flowing there. Plenty of fish had the river as there home, but whenever they caught sight of me they swam away. I could always count on that river for a refreshing, cold drink of water.

"For food, a lot of wild berries grew around, along with miles of unmowed grass for snacking on. Strawberries were always my favorite kind of berry.

"An old, rusted, and broken down tractor was located next to the barn, along with a few other farming tools I don't know the name of. I sometimes liked to climb them, but once I fell off and hurt my leg for a few days, so after that I didn't climb them again except on a few special occasions.

"Other than that, this was pretty much all I saw everyday. I didn't see any other living things except for insects and small mammals. Not until the barn finally fell down and I had to leave did I see another Buttermilk like me."

[213 words]