Closed Book and Open Door by Swift

what if i set down my book and walked out my door?
to walk onto the beach then along the blue shore.
if i were to swim and find the bull-shark's domain.
if i were to buy a ticket and travel by train?
what if i found a friend on my adventures abroad?
if we fought creatures, some dark, others sharp-clawed.
if i walked the world twice, could i see its age and grace?
what if we saw children playing, and  ran, joining the chase?
to travel past the moon and stars and hear the silence ring.
to dine with pirates, the dance with kings, to run, to joke, to sing.
what if we gardened with elves, and crafted with dwarves?
if we drifted down the river and-- what if.
now i drop my book and rise to my feet.
I reach toward the door.
what if?

What if I got turned into a cat? by Cardinal

When I Stare by Raven

What if you saw me, what if you wanted me, what if you cared?

What if you liked me, what if you loved me, what if you dared?

Am I below your notice, or beyond your line of sight?

What if you needed me, what if you noticed, when I stared?

What If? by Barn Owl

What if I were an owl, 

Hearing a wolf howl?

I would freeze,

And see a mouse drop its cheese.

The mouse would soon be gone,

Eaten up in a flash,

And the wolf to me would be drawn.

I would soar through the air,

To the safety of a lair.

That's what I would do if I were an owl,

Who heard a wolf howl.

Sketch by Big Bird (The Yellow)

Happy Bumble Bee by Falcon

Eve of the Sea by Cardinal

Penguin by Little Blue Bird

Gaius by Vulture

November by Wordpecker

The Moon's Pale Light by Peacock

Museum of Art by Barn Owl

Today, I'll go to the museum.

And I will see them.

The pictures of places from afar.

Some of a speeding car.

I just can't wait.

I guess it's a trait.

I am so excited, 

To go to the museum of art.

Defying Gravity by Magpie

Hogwarts by Hummingbird

Merfolk by Swift

Something has happened by Magpie

Something has happened

I am suddenly different

Where did this come from?

The Night of Lights by Barn Owl

Sunshine goes,

Moonlight comes.

The silvery world of night is here.

I see the moon,

Glowing bright,

With all the twinkling stars tonight.

While it's dark,

I can still see,

It's a night of lights for me.

The Dark by Raven

I fear the dark.

I fear the depths of loneyness.

To be forgotten, but not gone...

What could be worse?

To live in a world where no one knows your pain,

And no one cares enough to learn.

I fear oblivion.

I fear ignorance.

But not my own.

I fear other's ignorance of me.

To be ignored.

Forgotten.

Alone.

Yes, I fear the dark.

But every day the sun must set.

And we all have to live with the shadows.

Autumn by Hummingbird

A leaf falls from a tree

I smile at you

You smile at me

I think back to the many year

We've been running through the leaves

It's Autumn agin

You and I play

Skipping in leaves, climbing trees

Just like every fall

You're my best friend, Cardinal.

lonesome tree. by Swift

a crow among the snow,
perched upon a tree.
the snow falls thick, and nothing can be seen.
the frigid veil isolates all.
the crow takes flight, it's black wings spread.
the lonesome tree fades in the white valley.
the crow, too, can no longer be seen.

Mockingjay by Peacock

Mockingjays are here, they are everywhere.

Just listen to them sing.

The songs they heard before, the songs they know by heart.

The songs you've heard before, the songs you've sang before.

They remember you, your face, your voice.

You sing along with them, reminding you that you are one of them...

You are the Mockingjay.

October's Haiku by Wordpecker

From trees to the air

Birds and their graceful beauty

Soaring through the skies

Alone by Falcon

The sun comes and goes

But I’m locked in the dark

I’m alone in this room

And alone outside to

I can’t help but dream

That I’ll be with them

Be free once again

 The sun comes and goes

And I’m still holding on

But not for much longer

I was left confused

I have a map

But I am still lost

Mouse by Cardinal

Mini
OdsUsefulSimple
Entertaining

On Puppet Strings by Magpie

Here I stand in an empty room

In an empty apartment, with an empty soul

I will eventually recover and glance at my doom

But for now I will remain empty and be dwarfed by their goal

I am waiting and waiting and-- there it is

I get to leave now and I'd rather be dead

Sealed my fate with a death kiss

I am only weak now, don't let it go to your head

The children are acting on puppet stages

Their minds are programmed to be the same

But I have lived through many more ages

Compared to me, the lion is tame

I have been called to the ring

Of murder and glory and gore

Through my opponent's screams, I sing

Wearing the color I adore

Now I am back in my room and terrified 

Of everything that their hiding inside

Though the enemies all have died

I am more scared of being alone

Every man for himself by Falcon

I have been swallowed

I have been crushed

I must be saved

But by my own hand 

Because they can’t see

See me this beaten

See me on my knees

Watering with Tears by Wordpecker

The Arrow by Peacock

The day I died was the day I lived, metaphorically, that is.

I found a hollow tree in the woods while running, I had to hide in it to get away.

Someone was chasing me.

It took everything I had to not cry from the terror.

How did I get myself into this?  Now I remember.

I was playing a game with my sister in the woods.  She was running deeper in, I had to stop her.  She kept shouting back to me,"Come and catch me."

But I couldn't, she ran too far ahead of me.  Soon, she stopped shouting.

I kept quiet, as I peered over the bushes to find my sister, on the ground, with an arrow in her stomach, covered in a thin black veil with primrose petals.

I'm sure she's dead.

There was figure standing over her.  Maybe a woman, with a blue velvet hood, holding a bow.

I stepped forward to get a better look at the woman, and twig snaps.

She threw her head my way, her face was unseeable, but her eyes were as red as blood.

The Bird Song by Swift

Connie loved exploring the caverns by her house. 
It always came with a quiet thrill.
She didn't tell her parents about her adventures, because they'd probably tell her she couldn't go.
She always packed extra food in case she got lost, though, she never lost her way.
She felt her way around the wet rocks, then, she was falling.
Only for a moment, then with a deep thud that knocked the air from her lungs, she was still again.
She felt around for a way up. How far did i fall? After a minute she realized, panicked, there is no way up.
She groped around a while longer and found a tunnel. She stumbled in.
She tried to keep track of time by counting how many times she'd slept.
After what she thought was ten days she had no more food. soon after, hunger clawed at her insides.
And still she wandered on.
By her twentieth sleep, weakness clung to her like a leach, always draining her.
But she crawled on.
She longed for the blue sky.
She longed for the sun's warmth.
She longed for her mother's bread.
She lie down to sleep, she heard something. beyond the trickle of the cave-water... she heard a bird-song.
She crawled and scrambled towards the sound, faster than she thought she could still move.
Her stomach ached and tears stung her face.
She crawled until it was not stone that her hand felt, but grass and leaves and cushioning dirt, but it was still dark.
"I suppose it must still be night," said Connie.
But as the bird sang and she felt the warmth she knew to be sunlight, the heart-breaking truth came to her;
she was blind.

The Great Insect Rescue by Barn Owl

Pamela was as ordinary as a girl could get.   She had brunette hair and brown eyes.  If you saw her on the street, chances were you wouldn't look twice.  She had an amazing secret, though.  Pamela was a power person.  In case you don’t know, a power person is a being that has the appearance of a human with special powers, as the name suggests.  Pamela happened to have insect powers.  She could transform into an insect and talk to them, too.

If you were to look at Pamela on a certain day, in a certain corner of the playground, and if you were very observant, you would have noticed something strange.  Pamela was sitting down and staring intently at her shoe.  If you happened to be standing quite close to her you would have heard her talking to something.  Of course, you wouldn’t be able to understand her, but if you could this what you would have heard and seen.

“Hello,” she whispered to the tiny ant on her shoe, “Are you ok?  When I saw you scurrying the way you were, I thought something was wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong, girl.  Unless you consider big people like yourself destroying the colony and then stomping on the escaping ants,” the ant replied in a saucy tone.

Pamela was well used to the rudeness of insects.  The only polite insects she had ever seen were ladybugs.

She decided to assist the ants. She considered going over to the kids and making them leave the ants alone. Unfortunately, most of her classmates didn’t respect her enough to stop when she asked them to.

 Pamela knew that the best thing to do was change into an insect everyone was scared of.  She considered a bee, but she would die if she had to sting anyone.  After careful consideration, she chose a wasp.  Wasps were big and easily noticeable.  They also could sting more than once and not die.

Pamela gently pushed the ant off her shoe and began transforming.  As always, it felt as if her skin became tighter.  The prickly feeling wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

Once the change was complete, Pamela lifted into the air.  She flew quickly over to the part of the playground where an unusual number of children had gathered.  The leader of the group was a bully named Robert.  He would regularly kill insects for entertainment.  Pamela flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. 

He noticed her almost immediately. 

“There’s a wasp on me!” Robert screamed.  He began swatting at Pamela before realizing his best chance at not being stung was to run.  So that is what he did.  The other children ran after him, laughing hysterically.

Pamela had left Robert’s shoulder as soon as he began fleeing.  She transformed back into herself as soon as the other kids were out of eyesight.

The ants started slowly scurrying away.  Pamela knew something was wrong immediately.

Is anything else wrong now?” she asked.

“The humans have slaughtered our queen,” the ants sadly retorted.

“Why don’t you get a new queen or something?” Pamela wondered.

One of the ants explained in a rude voice, “No, the queen makes the eggs.  Without her there can be no more eggs.  Without more eggs we cannot make a new queen.”

Another ant started speaking, “While we are sad about the death of our queen, we have forgotten to do something important.  Everyone, we must thank this kind human for saving us.”

Pamela smiled as a chorus of small voices came up to her ears.

“You are welcome,” she told the small creatures, “I am always here when you need me.”

Just then the bell rang, signaling the end of recess.  Pamela began sprinting toward the door.

“I will be back,” she called to the ants.

After the girl had gone inside, the ants began burying their dead.  They worked hard on all of the graves, but they made a special grave for their queen.

 If you ever go to that school and see pebbles arranged in neat lines, please respect the ants and don’t step on the graves.

THE END

Tear on a leaf by Raven

Lonely Hummingbird by Hummingbird

Why did he go? by Cardinal

I looked into his eyes
Quickly gone from blue to gray
His breath shallow
His heart slow
I looked at him with my eyes
Full of tears
He looked up at me
He smiled and then left
Why, oh why did he go?

Sad Story by Vulture

The Archer by Peacock or Raven?

UNBEARABLE by Condor

From the Claws of Death by Condor

Mako by Magpie

Cat Sitting by Condor

Bird Friend by Condor

Stone by Swift

a chill breeze greeted me on my walk.
the wind made the trees sway, grass rustle and water ripple.
the only thing unmoved by the wind was the stone by the pond, where the koi fish chased one another playfully.
wind can raise dust-clouds and banish storms, yet the stone was unmoved.
for some reason it seemed a bit sad.

Nature's Stairway by Falcon

Magic Dewdrops by Cardinal

Dad by Hummingbird

Dad will be home soon
and we'll play all kinds of games!
go walking 
and swimming
(maybe I'll even get him to dance in the rain!)

Life is a long road by Vulture

To me it means that life is a long road and no matter how long it is, there is an end.
And we all will get there.

Autumn by Barn Owl

The leaves begin turning,

And my stomach starts churning.

The leaves become orange, yellow, and red. 

I wish no more has to be said.

Now the leaves are ugly brown,

I can't be cheered up by a clown.

They start falling to the ground,

I hear them falling in every sound.

Clouds by Big Bird (The Yellow)

Distance by Raven

People say distance doesn't matter. People say that absence makes the heart go fonder. People lie. Distance does matter. Distance always matters. Absence makes people grow apart. Whether it's a friend, or a love. They all leave eventually, leaving you alone, in the dark. You're lost, with nowhere to go. And you're not even sure where you've come from. Everyone expects you to just carry on, so you do. But your heart still aches from the loss. It will always ache, because it will never be the same. Yet it's not a death. They're still very much alive. But that almost makes it worse. You slowly lose touch with them, and you grow apart. Eventually, you'll forget you were even that close with them. You may even forget who they are. Or they may forget who you are. It's not fun, distance. People try to make you think it will be ok, but it never is. Eventually, you'll lose everyone to either distance, death, or anger. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But there's nothing you can do about it.

A Hurricane by Condor

Return of Sol by Condor

Fashion Cat - by Cardinal

Cat by Vulture

Cattell by Condor

Sea Stars by Swift

Since the beginning of the sky, stars have been born, and they have died.
Their voices chimed like bells.
Jack and Kymbran were two young winds who roamed the sky and guarded the earth.
They smiled at the world below,
but then the darkness came.
A monster towered over the mountains and covered the land in shadow.
He loathed the brightness of the sky and warmth of the earth.
He bashed and tore the stars from the sky, he rampaged and roared, he splintered trees and flattened hills.
The two winds were horrified as everything the loved and protected was split and smashed.
They ignored their shock and ran to help.
They tried to fight the monster, but they could do little to stop him as the stars crashed to the earth.
Some stars, when struck by the monster's mighty club, cracked like glass and faded to dust. others, fell fast and hot, burrowing into the earth, their corpses turned to diamonds. A few fell to sea, lights extinguished by water.
The winds were doing their best, blowing dust in the monster's eyes and knocking the air from his lungs.
Jack hit the monster's legs, trying to make him fall.
Kymbran hit the monster's large arms, trying to stop his swinging club.
After hours, the monster grew tired and pained.
He fell to the ground and his head struck a rock, and he caused the sky no more pain.
The sun began to rise and the two winds sat on the shore and wept for the lost stars.
But when Jack looked into the shallow water, he saw a curious creature.
Nine five-legged creatures basked in the water.
They were the stars who'd fallen to sea and lost their flame.
The winds smiled down at them, for they looked happy.
They named them Sea Stars and left them to light the deep sea.

Panda by Hummingbird

Cutie Cat by Magpie

Crow by Peacock

Your ebony wings shimmer at dusk.
Your dark eyes seem empty at first sight.
Others say you are the creature of darkness & fear, but you carry the dreams of people who dream, like me.
Please, carry my dreams to somewhere, to a soul who could make them come true.
But for now they will stay in my head, my heart as I sleep, & hear the sweet sound of your ebony wings shimmering at dusk.
For now, sweet Crow, for now.

Deer Trees by Condor

The Animals of My World By Raven

Pigs.

Pink and noisy. I can eat them.

Sheep.

White and woolly. I can sheer them.

Cows.

Brown and white. I can breed them.

Chickens.

White and flappy. I can hatch them.

Horses.

Black and white. I can ride them.

Dogs.

Gray and loyal. I can tame them.

Cats.

Orange and fast. I can feed them.

These are the animals of my world.

Pikepaw plus Fish by Condor

Turtle by Hummindbird

Cat Headphones by Magpie

Secret Of The Woods by Barn Owl

As I look out among the trees,

I suddenly feel at ease.

I leave my house,

Go straight to the woods,

Look for secrets they hide in that wood.

As I search for the mysteries I’ll find there,

I suddenly spot a little bear.

I see the mother there.

I settle down to watch,

When I see a little splotch.

That little splotch belongs to a little deer.

The mother is very near.

She sat herself so she could see and hear.

After that day in the woods,

I went home to tell my family of the secrets of the wood’s.

Birds by Condor

the nymph met the pixie by Swift

the nymph met the pixie, and saw the pixie fly.
the pixie asked if she enjoyed it.
the nymph said she'd never tried.
she then covered the nymph in pixie-dust.
though, the nymph cried "ahhh! it's in my eye!"

Sunset Fantasy by Big Bird (The Yellow)

Landscape Practice by Condor

Baby Chocolate Moose By Hummingbird

Dragon by Vulture

The Unknown Woods by Falcon

In the very small peaceful town of Port Leo, where everybody strives in living a normal, routine life
without having anything to do with strange woods that unconventionally lie right off the border of Port
Leo, where mysterious incidents have occurred in the past. Well, everyone except two Brothers who just
moved to Port Leo, Jared and Nick, who thoroughly enjoyed the idea of venturing into those woods.

One morning Jared and Nick went around town trying to find out what happened in the woods so many
years ago that scared the people of Port Leo so much. “Oh, why on earth would you even mention
those horrible woods?” said the shop keeper of the local pharmacy.

“We’re just curious,” Nick replied.

“Nothing to be curious about, my dear boy. Stay away from those woods!” They tried the local baker next.

“Young man, here in Port Leo, we don’t talk about the woods,” The Baker said.

“Thank you,” Nick replied, clearly not grateful. They tried a few other places, all of which they got the same answers:

“Don’t talk about the woods” or “Why would anyone want to know about the woods?” Finally, they tried a small shack at the end of town. It sat barely 5 feet from the edge of the eerie looking woods. They knocked on the old house, and were answered by a dreadful looking old man, in old, torn up cloths and long, unkempt gray hair. A large number of bags sagged below is bloodshot eyes. The expression on his face was weary.

“Hello!” Jared said brightly.

The old man grunted. “Uh... me and my brother are new to Port Leo, and were trying to learn a little bit about these woods,” he gestured his head towards the dark, towering trees that grew behind the old man’s house. The old man took in Jared for a few seconds, then gave them a cold, hard stare and finally gestured them in. They followed the old man into his home, where spider webs hung in every corner, the furniture was torn and burnt... the house looked like a crime scene.

“Nice home you got!” Nick said humorously. Jared smiled.

The old man raised his eyebrows, “so what is that you seek to find in those woods, eh?”

The brothers looked at each other, “An adventure!” Jared replied.

The old man didn’t acknowledge Jared’s answer. “I want to know exactly who you are and why you came to me asking about the woods!” his mouth trembled as he finished.

Nick blinked, “Uh, I’m Nick, and this is my brother, we’re knew to Port Leo an-"

 the old man cut him off, “Don’t give me that story again!” he shouted.

“It’s true sir!” Jared said.

The old man scowled at him. “If you’re telling the truth,” the old man said, calmed down “then get out of my house and never, ever go near those woods! Jared looked at Nick, Nick looked back, disappointed. They turned to leave. “The last kids that went into the woods, they never came back!” The old man said as they were walking out. They turned around to look at him, but he slammed the door.

Later that day, Jared and Nick walked down the quite street of Port Leo. The sun was setting, children were being called in for dinner. In the distance, they could see the deadly looking woods, the trees towering over the little shack of the strange old man they had met just hours ago. “Come on, I don’t want to run into that old geezer” Nick said.

They walked a good distance from old man’s shack before entering the woods. “Not so scary in here!” Jared said after they walked about two feet into the woods. Nick gave him a sideways look. Other than the breaking of dead leaves and twigs at Jared and Nick’s feet, it was extremely quiet in the woods, “It’s almost as quiet as Port Leo in here!” Jared joked.

Everything was so still, it was as though nothing ever moved under the trees of the woods. After walking about a couple hundred yards, Nick suddenly stopped. Jared looked at him, “What is it?” he asked.

Nick held up his hand for silence, “I heard something.” Jared listed.

“I don’t hear anything” he said with a tilt of his head.

Nick shrugged, “Oh, well” then they continued their pace. That’s when they both heard it, the sound of
a motor.

“What?” Jared said, extremely confused. The vehicle was getting closer. He looked at Nick, who
didn’t look like he understood much more the Jared.

“Duck!” Nick cried and scrambled behind a large tree. Jared did the same. Getting right up against the tree, Nick peeked around the tree. The vehicle was really close. Nick could see it in the distance now, a bright red ATV, and riding it, the old man that warned them from coming into the woods.

“It’s that old geezer!” Nick exclaimed.

“Get down!” The ATV drove past.

“What is he doing here?” Jared thought out loud.

“I don’t know,” Nick replied, “but there’s more!” And sure enough, five more ATV’s came into view. They recognized the shop keeper of the pharmacy, the baker and everyone else they asked about the woods.

“What’s going on!” Jared said quietly, ducking lower behind the tree.

“I have no idea,” Nick replied. “But we’re going to find out!”

After the ATV’s had passed, they got up and headed deeper into the woods. The brothers couldn’t help but wonder what was going on and why the few people they’ve asked about the woods (who seemed to fear it a great deal) had come marching into the woods on ATV’s.

“They might have been looking for us!” Nick said to Jared. “Maybe...” After walking at least a mile, the brothers slowly stopped. It was dark out, all was silent now that the crunching of dead leaves and twigs stopped. “What is it that we hope to accomplish by this?” Nick thought out loud.

“Maybe we should go back. One thing’s for sure, it’s not nearly as exciting in here as that old geezer
promised!” Jared replied. They began to turn around, only to come face to face with the old man Jared
had just mentioned. His eyes were more bloodshot then before, his cloths looked even more worn and
ripped up, his long, grey hair flying everywhere in the breeze that just came out of nowhere.

“There you are!” He said with his mouth twisted in a sinister sneer. Jared gasped.

“Run!” Nick cried and took off, Jared right behind him.

“There’s nowhere to go!” cried the old man. “I’ve got you!”

The brothers kept running. “What is that?” Jared cried as the brothers approached a clearing with the eerie ruins of a large stone temple in the center. The brothers had no choice, they had to go for it.

“I’ve got you now!” cried the old man, but Jared looked behind him, he did not see and old, ragged man, but a beast with fur.

“Don’t turn around!” Jared shouted to Nick.

“Why?” he yelled back.

“You won’t like what you see!”

But of course, Nick looked back. The beast was trailing them on all fours. “Ahh!” Nick screamed. “Keep
running!” The beast was at their heels. When they thought they were goners, they heard the sound
of ATV’s coming their way. The next thing they knew, a pair of huge arms that belonged to the baker
swung Nick onto the back of his ATV. Jared was picked up next by the cashier they talked to at a clothing
store. A loud, earsplitting roar of defeat echoed through the dark woods.

Nick and Jared never found out exactly what happened that night. They tried to get their answers from
the crew of townspeople that had saved their lives (after many thanks, of course) but they refused to
tell them anything more then: “We told you not to go into the woods!” The brothers searched the now
empty shack that had once belonged to the old man, but couldn’t find anything suspicious. “We could
go back to that temple-thing?” Jared suggested. Nick gave him the “that’s-never-going-to-happen” face.

“Something’s, I guess, are meant to be left unknown.”

Fang and Lily by Peacock

New Canvas by Condor

Dragon of the Waves by Cardinal

Avalon by Hummingbird

Chillin' by Falcon

Dragon Creek by Condor

Animal Planet by Raven

On my way home from school.
A flash of blue light.
Surrounded by giant snakes.
They make me fight for my life.
I'm in a jungle.
We escape.
Find a raft.
Crazy rabbits.
Swim to another island.
How is this better?
Take us to your leader.
Professor Carrot Top.
We have to visit The Hunter
The wise old owl can take us home.
He's actually not that old.
But he can still take us home.
He gives us a potion.
Before I leave, he gives me a feather.
It will make me dream of this land.
I wake up in my bed.
It must've been a dream.
A letter from my great uncle.
Only I drink it.
The feather.
Is inside.
The envelope.
Maybe it wasn't a dream?

Magical Girl by Magpie