Friday, September 24, 2010

I really should be writing...

...but instead I'm doing this.



Can I just say that I love this picture? I don't consider myself an artist except that I enjoy umm, expressing my creativity? through drawing and coloring things like this, but man do I love this picture.

Pitch and Shaur, if anyone needed the clarification. The background is supposed to be woodsy, I think it turned out alright. And I got this done in one afternoon! Whew!

Now, to get back to actually, you know, writing stuff.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Art Catchup

... which happens to mainly feature Alanon. Go figure.

The staff for this one was actually the most fun part of it. I thought it would be a pain, and it was (especially when you color it on the wrong layer and have to do it over >.<), but still fun. And I like how it turned out. The cat is Pitch, of course. I realized when I finished it that this is the first time I've actually colored a Pitch-pic. He's pretty handsome, don't ya think?
Shaurria and Alanon have been bonding when I wasn't looking. I'll have to do a write-up of some of the stuff they've been doing together. Suffice to say that for now, I think Shaur is pretty happy to have a dad. Even if he isn't her "real" dad.

And yes I will be coloring this. I'm almost done inking it already.

I have a couple more in the works, but one or two are kinda NSFW, so don't know if I'll put them up here. Also (shameless plug incoming) there's always my deviantArt page, for anything that I forget/don't wanna post here.

P.S.- And stealth edit to show off the colored version! >.>



Til next time, Happy Hunting!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Arvoss and Alanon

I wanted to actually write this up (cause I bet it'd be better that way), but I hate procrastinating and delaying, and it's already late. So, chatlog. :P

Last night at the Pig.
____________________________

Alanón says: Good Evening, Arvoss.

Arvoss grunts. "Elf."

Arvoss says: Shaur's tol' me wha' ye were wantin' t' do.

Alanón says: Good, I hoped she would.

Arvoss says: Didnae say why ye wanted t' do it, though.

Alanón says: She is afraid of the furbolgs because she connects them with the deaths of her parents. It's like... being afraid of the dark, or the boogeyman, or the like.

Alanón says: If we can show her there's nothing really to fear from furbolgs, I'm hoping her fear of them will fade, and then perhaps the rest of her fears as well.

Arvoss grunts again. "S'pose 't makes sense a'righ'."

Arvoss gives a slight chuckle.

Arvoss says: Ye thinkin' o' makin' 'er more normal, eh?

Alanón says: I don't want to change who she is, that's not my intention.

Alanón says: .... but yes, in a way I hope she becomes more... "normal".

Arvoss says: Sae when'r ye goin'?

Alanón says: Tomorrow. We've already waited longer than I intended, and I'd rather not put it off any longer.

Arvoss says: Aye.

Arvoss says: Sae Ah s'pose she'll be stayin' wi' ye t'nigh'.

Alanón says: Yes.

Alanón says: ... Arvoss.

Arvoss says: Mm?

Alanón says: I'm sorry.

Arvoss sighs.

Arvoss says: S'naugh' t' be sorry abou'. Ah can undahstand.

Arvoss says: Yer one 'o 'er own. S'natural she'd wan' t' latch oan t' ye.

Alanón says: Yes, about that. And about tomorrow.

Alanón says: You know why we haven't asked you to come with us?

Arvoss says: Aye.

Arvoss gives a crooked, and slightly sad, grin.

Arvoss says: S'cause Ah'm an Ebon. They migh' nae think Ah'd really 'urt 'em, bu' they'd nae be easy wi' me there.

Alanón nods, looking a bit sad himself.

Arvoss chuckles.

Arvoss says: Tha' an' th' fact Ah migh' try t' protect 'er once she gets a frigh'.

Alanón chuckles too.

Arvoss says: S'a'righ', elf. Ah wouldnae pick fer annehthin' like this t' 'appen, bu' yer nae a bad choice fer 'er either.

Alanón starts to answer but stops, and nods instead.

Arvoss says: Where's she at naow?

Alanón says: With Lark and my brother.

Alanón says: They're both handy at making people forget things they'd rather not think of.

Alanón grins.

Arvoss grins back.

Arvoss says: Ah'm sure o' tha'.

Alanón says: I'm sure she'll want to see you when we get back here. And I won't keep her if she does.

Arvoss nods. "An' Ah'll be waitin' 'ere fer 'er."

Alanón says: I should be getting back to them.

Arvoss nods again. "Ah'll see ye around, elf."

Alanón says: Good night, Arvoss.
_____________

The final part I'm afraid might be a little delayed, since I want to get it right. It'll be up here soon as it's finished, though.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Lark: Darkshore

(Warning on this one for language/violence/adult stuff)

We interrupt this story arc to bring you..... a random Lark story.

When Lark first met Pitch, she had some stuff going on. I worked out what it was fairly quickly, but hadn't bothered actually writing it out until now. Tonight I figured I would get it out of my head- I could really use the free space... >.>

Also, young Tuah was really fun to write about. ^_^

Enjoy!
_______________________

The Night elf sat on a rock overlooking the beach, just at the edge of the trees. She felt empty, drained, as she wondered just how her life had suddenly turned out so bad.

* * * * * *

Lark paced around the tiny cottage, waiting for Darik to arrive. She was filled with mixed anger and humiliation. How could he have gotten away with this for so long? She shook her head- it didn't matter anymore. She was done with him.

When she finally heard his step at the door she was ready. The big, burly human stepped inside and shut the door, then halted in surprise when he saw her. "So," she said, cold anger in her voice. "When were you planning on telling me about your other 'toys', hmm? Or were you ever going to? Must be nice to have a half-dozen girls all waiting at your beck and call, with none of them knowing about the others. Not even your wife." She spat the last word out, then waited for his reaction.

Darik simply stared at her, his expression devoid of any emotion. "Where did you hear that?" he finally asked her quietly. "From your drinking buddies," she replied acidly. "All of them, and all separate, so unless they all collaborated the story ahead of time, they spoke the truth. You can't talk your way out of this one, Darik."

Now he came toward her, and she took an involuntary step back at the fury that suddenly showed in his eyes. "So you found out. It doesn't matter, anyway- you're stuck here, away from your people and surrounded by mine. This changes nothing." "Oh you think?" she snapped back. "You think I'm going to stick around and play nice whenever you're around, knowing that as soon as you get bored you'll go off to one of your other whores? Think again, Darik. I'm done here." He grabbed her arm, the fingers digging into the skin and muscle. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong and held her easily.

"Listen to me, you bitch," he snarled. "I'm not gonna let you leave and have you run off to tell the rest. You're stuck with me until I say so, or else." "Else what?" Lark snarled right back, trying to hide the fear she suddenly felt. "Just what do you think you can do to stop me, tough boy?"

Lark was taller, but Darik was still stronger. His fist swung out of nowhere, and she felt her lip split under the blow. She tried to strike back at him, but he still had her arm in his other hand, and he yanked her off-balance. His next punch knocked her to the floor. Her head struck the ground and she saw stars for a moment, then Darik was kneeling over her, his knees pinning her arms as he rained blow after blow down on her face.

After what seemed like forever, the blows stopped. Lark was struggling to hold on to consciousness at that point, too sick and dizzy to resist. She could feel blood running from her lip and a cut above her eye. She managed to open her eyes, to see her former lover glaring at her with a spark of triumph, and something else, in his eyes. When he began fumbling with his belt, all she could do was close them again and hope she passed out.

She had no such luck, and when he finally climbed off her she felt degraded and humiliated, as well as beaten half to death. "When I get back," she heard him say. "I expect to find supper ready and waiting. You can clean this mess up too, while you're at it. You've bled all over the floor." He leaned down over her as her eyes opened again, and she fought to keep from flinching back. "And if you still think you can leave, keep this in mind. If you're not here when I get back, I'm gonna track you down and finish this. You won't be able to tell anybody anything if you're dead." With that, he turned back toward the door and left.

Lark curled up on her side and just lay there for a long while. When her head stopped spinning, and she was finally sure of which direction was up, she slowly climbed to her feet. Then she went to the wash basin and cleaned herself up, before going to get a bucket of scrub water.

She hated herself for it, but she knew he was right, in one thing at least. Darik was a superb tracker, and made his living from hunting rare creatures out in the marsh, then taking the skins, meat, and trophies from his kills and selling them at various markets. Now she knew why those markets were so scattered- it made hiding his "toys" that much easier. She knew that when he had promised to track and kill her if she left, he was perfectly capable of carrying out the threat. And she also knew that he would do it without hesitation. So she couldn't leave; not while he was alive, at least.

While she worked, however, a cold, calculating anger was spreading through her. She didn't want to see him again, couldn't stand the thought of him touching her. Thoughts and plans worked themselves out in her mind as she went through the motions of putting a stew together, then scrubbing the floor clean. When she was done, she went and found one of his skinning knives, then hid it just under the edge of the mattress on her side of the bed.

When Darik returned, everything was as he had wanted it. He didn't bother even trying to hide his smirk as she fixed his plate for him, then sat down with her own. Once supper was over she was hoping he would leave again, but she wasn't at all surprised when he pointed toward the bedroom, looking at her expectantly. The thought of having him touch her filled Lark with violent revulsion, but she made herself play the cowed, well-behaved mistress, and let him have his way. She knew full well that he usually fell asleep right after.

He didn't disappoint her, his light snores filling the room soon enough. Lark slowly slipped her hand to the mattress edge, then underneath, pulling the knife out silently. She turned over to face him, steeled herself, then clapped one hand over his mouth. Her other hand drove the knife home, into his heart. His eyes popped open, staring at her in shock before they slowly glazed over. She waited until she was sure he was dead before removing both hands and the knife, then she quickly left the bed.

She pulled on her traveling clothes, then started filling a pack. Darik hadn't been particularly well-liked, but he was still a human, and she knew that the other humans would immediately start an investigation into his death. She had to get out, and fast. The moon was still high in the night sky when she slipped out of Theramore and into the marsh.

* * * * * *

She couldn't remember much of her flight to Auberdine. She felt a bit safer back among her own people, but realized that she would have to stay on the run for possibly a long time. But for now she just wanted to rest, and try to collect her scattered thoughts.

Lark had killed people before- mostly they were criminals with bounties on their heads, although on a few rare occasions she had had to kill to defend herself. But never had it been in cold blood, with the other person looking into her eyes. She sometimes woke in the middle of the night, feeling Darik's eyes staring once again into hers. The nightmares- if they could be called that- were fading, but slowly.

She had lost track of how long she had been sitting on the rock when a curious trill broke her reverie. She looked over to the side to see a young moonstalker, probably about a year old, playing the keep-away game- creeping up to sniff at her, then jumping back out of reach. Lark just watched for a bit, then the moonstalker froze in place when she chuckled. "All right, what are you up to?" she asked him. The cat blinked at her, looking for all in the world like a toddler that had been caught doing something he shouldn't, then suddenly jumped away, dashing back into the trees.

He was back within minutes, sneaking up on her warily, unaware that she was watching him from the corner of her eye. He crept up to her pack, lying near her feet, then froze again when she looked directly at him. "Excuse me, I don't think that belongs to you," she told him mock-severely. The moonstalker sat down and began washing himself nonchalantly, as if to say Look at me, I'm not doing anything wrong. Lark chuckled again, and he stopped to stare at her. "Don't you have something better to do?" He grumbled at her, sounding like a grumpy old man, and she laughed. The louder sound startled him, and he went running into the trees again.

She watched for him, but he didn't return and she finally gave up, going back to her private musings as she looked back out at the waves. A sudden, soft blow on one foot interrupted them again, and she looked down to find that the moonstalker had snuck up on her and was now playing with her boots. He looked up but didn't run when she chuckled again. "All right, all right," she told him. "I get the point." He grumbled and went back to her boots.

When she finally left the rock, the moonstalker followed at her heels.

* * * * * *

Four years later...

Lark wandered into the small Eastvale inn, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dimness. Tuah waited patiently outside, keeping watch over her gear. After four years, Lark finally felt that it was safe enough to be among people again, especially now that Darik's death seemed to be long-forgotten. She still had moments, but it was good to be with others again.

The hunter peered around at the few occupants in the common room as she went to the bar and ordered a drink. She listened to the gossip with half an ear, but she really wasn't interested. Right now she was looking for certain possible... company.

She ignored the humans- she was done with that road and refused to travel it again- and spotted another Kal'dorei sitting by himself at a corner table. She watched him for a while as she sipped her drink. He was definitely alone, and looked younger than her though not by too much. His clothing marked him as a druid; going by his build, most likely one of the feral path. He also appeared lost in thought, playing with his glass instead of drinking, and gave Lark- who considered herself a good judge of people- a general feeling of "safe". Her target acquired, she headed over to his table to say hi.

__________________

And the rest, as they say, is history.

(P.S. She will probably, at some point, tell Pitch about this, but most likely won't speak about it to anyone else.)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Facing Fears

A casual observer would see nothing out of the ordinary about the trio of druid-cats clustering together in the Park. From her perch on the edge of the moonwell, however, Lark could see the tension in the smallest cat as the two on either side of her spoke quietly. Lark stayed put, keeping out of it until she might be needed.

* * *

Shaurria looked utterly miserable. Pitch felt sorry for her, but Alanon insisted that this was important, so he went along with it. His brother was silent, having already said his piece, and simply sat next to her, providing reassurance and the occasional ear-washing.

"They've been my friends for, well, centuries, Shaur," Pitch told her. "They're perfectly safe, I swear it. Tailfeathers, you already met one of them, didn't you? At a distance at least." Shaur still wouldn't look at him, but she did give a small nod. "And we'll be right there with you," he went on. "Nothing bad will happen with the two of us guarding you, right?" A slight shudder running through her entire body was her only response. Pitch looked back up to his brother, seeing his own concern mirrored in the elder druid's eyes, but Alanon only nodded, encouraging him on. Pitch suppressed a sigh. He was beginning to dislike this almost as much as Shaur.

He cajoled her for the next several minutes, and while at first she remained huddled on the ground with her eyes squeezed shut, at last Pitch noticed that she seemed to be relaxing. Alanon stretched out next to her, and when Pitch finally ran out of things to say, the older druid gently nuzzled her cheek. "Shaur," he said, quietly. "Have I even once asked you to do something you weren't capable of?" She finally opened her eyes to look at him, then shook her head. "Do you trust me?" he asked her, and she frowned a bit, then nodded. "I know you are frightened, but please trust me again. Will you do it?"

Shaurria looked away, then shuddered again. Then she abruptly unshifted, slipping both arms around Alanon's neck and burying her face in his scruff. Her muffled voice was just able to be heard. "All right."

_____________________

Hoping the next part won't be so delayed. Sorry!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Pitch: A Favor for Shaurria

Not many people know that Pitch was very good friends with most of the furbolg tribes in Ashenvale and the surrounding areas. The Timbermaw and the Greenpaw (Foulweald) tribes were among his closest friends. After the Third War, he had to watch his friends and allies slowly fall to corruption. This is part of his character and the reason why he loathes demons so much.

Naturally he was overjoyed when he discovered that the Timbermaw had escaped the corruption, and his friendship with them quickly resumed. Now he and Alanon are turning to them to help Shaurria out.

I've spent most of today making Plans, and this is the start of them. Poor Shaur has been a bit neglected lately, and I want to give her some attention. This will be ongoing over the next few weeks so long as my muse is running strong and writer's block leaves me alone.

Enjoy!

_______________

"I need a favor," Pitch said quietly. "From you and your tribe."

The furbolg across from him blinked in surprise. "You've been our friend for many, many years now," he replied to the druid. "Ask."

Pitch eyed the dark-furred humanoid, then his white companion sitting to the side, before continuing. "I have a friend," he told them. "Almost another sister, really. But she's terrified of furbolgs." He paused as the two exchanged a look. "She's from Starbreeze," he added, and a look of understanding and regret crossed both of their bear-like faces. The white one, Salfa, spoke up. "How can we help?"

Pitch closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember all of Alanon's words. "Her parents were killed in the attack, and she is still traumatized from it. A significant part of her trauma is this fear, and if she can just get past the fear, she might be able to start coping with the rest." He looked at both of them. "My brother and I think she should meet your tribe. If she can see that not all furbolgs are bad...." "Then she may start recovering," finished dark-furred Ralga.

Salfa cut in. "How bad is this fear?" Pitch sighed. "Arvoss- her first caregiver- says that he took her near the Deadwood tribe and she almost went catatonic," he said reluctantly. They both nodded. "Outside the tunnels then," stated the white. "She will feel less trapped, and will see fewer of us." The druid nodded agreement. "When?" asked Ralga. Pitch thought for a bit. "It will probably be at least a couple days, maybe in a week, possibly two though we don't really want to wait that long," he told them. "Alanon doesn't want to spring this on Shaur; he wants her to know what we're doing, and be prepared."

Salfa sat in thought for several minutes. "If she's seen the Deadwood, then perhaps we should not meet in Felwood," he finally said. "It might cause bad memories. Winterspring is an option, or perhaps the Moonglade; we can reach either without going far from our tunnels."

"Moonglade," Pitch responded instantly. "She's comfortable there, and she has a friend there that will help keep her calm." Both furbolgs nodded agreeably, then Salfa continued. "How many of our people should we bring?"

"Alanon and I have already spoken about it, and we agree that she should only see two or three of you. Not so many as to be a threat, but enough to show that it isn't just an individual or two that escaped corruption. She needs to know that the full tribe is friendly." Then he looked at Ralga again. "I'd like for you to be one of them."

A grin formed on the furbolg's muzzle; as one of Pitch's oldest friends, and a shaman to boot, he knew why the druid wanted him there. "Perhaps Nurak will come as well, a historian could be useful," he said, and Pitch nodded again. "I think that covers everything so far," he said as he stood. "If anything else comes up I'll let you know, or feel free to contact me or my brother." The two furbolgs nodded as he clasped the hand of each, then the druid left the tunnels, heading for home.