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0laffson — Looking for Trouble
#alley #anthro #caracal #cat #crouching #dagger #fantasy #feline #furry #girl #hood #knife #lynx #medieval #night #ragged #rogue #sneaking #thief #traditional #watercolor #weapon #blueeyes #middleages #watercolour
Published: 2018-02-23 20:44:53 +0000 UTC; Views: 6646; Favourites: 313; Downloads: 88
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Description
Shadi again!
This drawing was a pretty quick one, but it was a good prctice for light effects.I have no idea why she's sneaking around like that, that's open to immagination. She's also a bit older than how I usually portray her.
Anyways, hope you like it! ^^
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Comments: 69
Aw, thank you so much!
(I really don't like anthro animals outside of fantasy / historical scenarios, truth be told)
Blue eyes are gorgeous!
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Well honestly, I love how long robes and capes look, but there in no way practical. They snag on everything, and if you're on the run, all the easier for somebody to snatch and drag you to the ground, or pull you off a horse. A thief or a assassin needs close fitting gear, but few pull it off well, but you make it look so natural and efficient.
Nothing really fits the "Assassin" stile, like a hooded and cloaked figure on a balcony or ledge, with all that clothing blowing in the wind on a full moon lit night, but honestly, that is very attention grabbing and the most non practical thing you could wear. xD
Guy goes to knife a noble in there sleep, and that cloak snags on a candle stick and it clatters to the ground, waking everybody in the room. Heh, if you need a outfit for hiding stuff, you need lots of folds and pouches to hide things, because as soon as you get into a building, you want to be quick. As for a thief, this outfit looks thrown together from a dusty, dirty, poverty stricken person. So it fits her setting and story perfectly. The little belts tied around the cloth on her right wrist, the holes in her pants and shirt, the messy stitching, it all points to a rag tag thief, who's put this outfit together over time from scraps.
As for anthro, I feel it's only REALLY fitting and easily consumed by common people, if it's in a fantasy or alien rich sci-fi setting, where you have a lot of opportunities for non human races... Otherwise it just REALLY gets into that "Furry" area.
Truth be told, I don't think I enjoy drawing anything as much as I love to draw human portraits, and armor/clothing. I very much enjoy drawing blades, such as swords, axes etc, though guns can be a tad bit more difficult if I am trying to make them look 100% authentic, revolvers can be a real pain, but I still love to design such.
You add a very realistic stile to your pieces that make it feel really apart of the setting.
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Hey, guess what--remember that scene I said I had for you?
--
The lantern light flickered, bathing the stone of the street in a dancing, sickly orange glow. Low along the filthy cobble, Shadi crept. Ajshar weren't welcome in the district as a rule, and, at night, there would be only a single thing a guard would think upon seeing the young female—thief. She had made preparations, of course, rightly so. They would, in a pinch, buy her a few moments to retreat along the walls, and perhaps out of the grasp of the nightsman. They also would say something different if she was spotted, something—perhaps—she considered slightly more impressive: assassin.
She was neither, well technically she was thief—but thievery was not this night's intent. Well, not directly. Unless thieving people counted? It probably didn't; that was...kidnapping, right. How was a kidnapper supposed to dress? It didn't matter, not really. Instead, dressed the drab grays and greens she slipped along the wall.
People didn't see things they didn't want to see. It was something Shadi had learned early in her youth; nobles ignored beggars, and the principal applied to everyone in turn—all it took was a certain amount of cleverness. Shadi had never been lacking in cleverness, common sense and wisdom, perhaps—but never cleverness! So long as there was an explanation, something simple, a guard might over look a noise or shifting shadows. Animals, were an easy excuse. Sometimes though more was needed, what one could get away with then depended on the district. In the slums no one batted an eye twice if a Ajshar reeked of cheap liquor, until they slipped by and a knife lightened their purse for the trouble! To not look like one was, that was how one deceived others and escaped with their life.
Here the streets were clean, even the alleys. There were no animals, no crates, nothing more than debris from the winds and loose stone. They each in turn told her something different. That scraping noises of earth over earth, loose gravel, would be overlooked easily enough—so long as it was not in regular motion. Also, things fell. Cracking wood, scattered leaves, if they were loud and sudden no one would think twice so long as the wind was whipping.
Again the lantern light danced, the howling winds rising with a forlorn cry above the stillness of night. Swiftly the caracal moved, darting low into a blind corner beside the veranda. The gust stilled and again the flame settled. Shadows shifted when light shifted, when they did not, they did not move unless the light did. Set upon a wrought iron hook the lantern squeaked once more before returning to stillness.
He was here, somewhere, and she would find him. Before they flayed his fur from his body. He had saved her life and now she owed him. She owed him for a lot of things, to come and think of it. All the same few Ashjar had the courage to bumble into a squawking noble woman. Kari had used his missing hand as the excuse, feigning idiocy as Shadi herself had darted away with the purse well in hand. It would feed them for weeks, maybe less with new clothes—but what good was that without another to share it with? That was what brought her here, to the shadowy corners of the wealthiest district within the city.
She didn't dare consider the consequences—they would simply make her doubt the decision. If she died, then she died well; she had tried to do as he had done. Deftly, the Ashjar peeked her whiskers above the edge of the low-wall. Silence and nothing. She breathed, deep and wild, building up oxygen in her lungs frantically, flooding her body with life giving air as again the winds whipped and railed, rattling the glass.
All at once she sprang, throwing a foot against the wall and scrambling upwards frantically. A great crash followed, a loose lead shingle pulling free in her grasp as she ascended the vertical surface swiftly. On all fours she shifted, crawling along the roof of the villa before stilling as the winds again fell silent. Swallowing, she pressed herself flat. If a guard stood in the center of the path, far enough away, they would see her. At best, she could hope they might believe her beaten clothes—lumped together as they were, had come free from the clothesline of another home and settled there along the wind. At worst? Well it was better to not think what they might do—once an Ashjar had been skinned with his own knives. She had three, and probably not enough skin for that.
Boots, heavy and thick upon the stone, rang in the silence as the lantern lifted from its place. Closing her eyes, the young female whispered what she remembered of her mother's prayers. Slowly, the light shifted, growing brighter behind her as the guard craned from beneath the awning. She didn't breathe, didn't dare. Human eyes were drawn to motion, better than the eyes of most other creatures—without claws it was one of the things that made them most dangerous. Her stomach shifted awfully as the light moved again, this time forward, the guard would step off the veranda.
The winds danced and rose, a wild howling gust that Ashjar seized frantically; if nothing was there, there was nothing to find! Throwing herself forward, she scrambled along, throwing herself across the peak of the roof before settling still before the wind faded. Below, the guard cursed, his lantern flickering frantically in the leaping wild of the wind. Stepping forward he swept the lantern high, staring at the space she had once occupied with a curious eye. Still, further, he paced, following about the outside of the villa twenty feet or more. At last, certain that nothing was out of place, he returned and at last Shadi's trembling ceased.
She could taste blood on her lips, she had bitten it on reflex. Dabbing it away, she shook her head, at last exhaling her held breath. She was, for the moment, still alive. Alive! The thought left her giddy, even as she surveyed the space beyond the outer wall of the villa. Kari was there, of course—one did not invite filthy animals into their home, crippled or otherwise, and the Ashjar were just that to the nobles. In the center of the space, staked to the ground, he lingered, bloody and beaten—his fur falling in long ribbons about the shredded remains of his back.
Guilt, anger, helplessness. Her heart thrummed painfully. There was another guard, armed and armored, silently making his rounds about the interior of the space. Of course, why would they only have one? Quietly, the caracal berated herself, swallowing hard. He would not see her from here, far beneath the roof of the building as he was. Still, it would make rescuing Kari all but impossible. With a frown, Shadi crewed her bleeding lip. A distraction, but she had nothing.
Or almost nothing. What she had was dangerous, stupid and could kill them both—and if they were caught, would surely kill every Ashjar in the city. Was Kari worth the risk? Could she gamble with the lives of everyone like her, and more? Every child, every mother?
Shadi didn't think twice. Grasping the twine that wrapped around her left, the Ashjar held it close. She would need the winds to die, and to strike at just the right sort of moment. Anything else would doom them both to a slow, miserable sort of death—the sort of brutality that made the idea of slavery simply a gentle and kind agreement between two parties.
A piece of flint found the steel of her knife clicking frantically between the gusts. The first spark bloomed, glowing for a moment as the winds rose and smothered her hope with it. Adjusting herself, the caracal placed her back to the wind, striking again as the wind stilled. The cord took for a moment, glowing brightly in the moonlight that loomed above. From the ground, in the center of the villa, Kari lifted his head—beaten and bruised as his face remained, the tom was still a handsome cat. As she hefted the line the howling returned, stilling the glow to cold smoky embers. Frantically she place it down again—smoke would certainly tell them something was wrong if they smelled it! The guard shifted, drifting back towards her.
Again and again the steel clicked, struggling to birth a spark. This was how it all ended. This was what killed her. Stood atop a building like a damn fool, filled with bolts from crossbow—drowning in her own blood. They'd shoot her twice and if she was lucky, she would be dead before they cut the clothes off her. Maybe they would be the sort of human who thought them more animals than people—the sort that wouldn't touch her body before she bled out on the cold stones. The worst were the sort who would touch and feel, their fingers roaming across every inch of her slowly dying form until—
The flame glowed along the thread, a glimmering ribbon of hungry flame. It would need to be placed right, they would need to have difficulty extinguishing it. Swiftly, Shadi whipped her cloak free, tucking the tongue of flame within and a dagger for good measure. The weight would be important.
The winds danced and her cloak with it, the added blade giving weight and power to the garment. The glass cracked, shattering as it met the blade. The flame rose, greedily devouring the threadbare cloth before spreading to the luxurious carpets within the estate. With all haste she shifted, moving again over the peak of the roof to conceal herself as the guards rushed frantically. The shouting started shortly after, and the Ashjar reversed her position one last time. An alarm bell played as the caracal swiftly trod down and dove into the darkness. There would be no sneaking now, as high on alert as they were—she simply needed to look the part, a stupid animal who didn't know what was happening. Nothing more than servant who belonged, as useless as she was. The guards paid her no attention, devoid of the hood and wrap, as they rushed wildly towards the flames. A second glance would have revealed a blade, but they needed no second glance to know their duty.
She waited, idling, appearing uncertain as still more men rushed outwards, adding to the confusion. The flames rose, a brilliant glow that turned the already warm eve into a sweltering affair of misery. Then, and only then, did she move. They had secured Kari with ropes, it would take time to cut those, yet—had they been chains—he would be surely dead. As she approached, he said nothing, laying still in his bonds as she untied them; yes, if they were cut the guards would know he had help. Bloodstained fur drifted from the wound where his wrist had once dwelt long ago—not a new wound, yet still twisted terribly in the rope. They had been certain to make it painful. That was their purpose. With a smile she worked the flat of the blade between the hempen stands, tugging the ship's rope free of his blood smeared wrists.
Still the fire growled, fed by the frantic winds. Swept along, it glowed, turning the shingles of the roof molten as if swallowed the wealth of the wealthiest noble woman the young Ashjar had ever laid upon. Free, at last, Kari slumped to the ground, knees beaten and bloodied as he gasped. There was no time to spare—either the flame would last, and the city would die, or it would extinguished and they would die. Neither of which Shadi intended to wait around for.
Hefting the lynx's remaining arm about her right, the Ashjar smiled as they limped for the front. Maybe next time they would find a merchant, nobles had too many guards. Silently, they slipped forward, interposing the impressive shrubs and sculpted bushes the lady of the estate simply must have fawned over endlessly. The windows did not open in most places, and she dared not risk smashing another. The front would be safer, they would be ignored as simply another pair fleeing the fire.
A pair of soft green eyes watched them, limping as they were, a pair of eyes the girl nearly missed as, at last, they gripped the edges of their freedom. Uncertainly they watched, lingering among the shadows as their home burned about them. A child's face, young and frightened, filled her mind as at last the howling wind greeted their faces. Freedom, here, at last. She pressed Kari further, faster.
She dared not turn back, she dared not wonder what those eyes thought as the flames rose higher, faster. The life of another ruined, perhaps taken, in the rising, roaring inferno she had provoked with not but flint and blade. The ash rose high, spreading behind them as it danced in looming embers across the sky. The city would burn tonight. Though it would not die the cries and panicked screams would haunt the Ashjar for weeks still to come. People would die. People always died. But Kari was worth it. He would always be worth it. Even when his eyes watched her back, uncertain that his life had been worth the devastation wrought in their wake.
Quietly, Shadi hoped never to see those eyes again. Those frightened, helpless eyes that had fled once more into the fire, crying after their mother. No one spoke a word of the Ashjar that had once been roped to the post in the center of the villa's gardens. No one spared a thought for another blade lost among the countless artifacts and curious of the cinder-swept home. In the end, no one knew any better, except those whose dreams were haunted by the flowing flame they fanned that eve.
--
I hope you enjoy! =3
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This message didn't appear in my notifications, I found it only by casually looking at this work! Damnit, Deviantart!
That said... man, this story is brutal!!! And here I thought I was the cruel one towards my characters!
You really put Shadi in a terrible moral scenario! I'm not sure she'd risk burning a whole city to the ground, not even for Kari... but maybe thinking about it again, she would.
Really a great story, once again! Thank you SO much for writing this, really! Words cannot describe how much I love your stories!
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I'm just glad you enjoy them, honestly. The idea of putting a smile on your face, well, it makes me grin. That's why I write, ya know?
I kind of wavered if Shadi would do it either, truthfully. But, in the end, I wagered on her being impulsive enough to take that risk. She didn't have any other options. She had come this far and, now, she couldn't just leave Kari there. I couldn't see her trying to kill a guard and win without there being any noise, and as wounded as Kari was--well, he certainly wouldn't be climbing walls and running over roofs. It probably was the very edge of her character, a dilemma, as you said and in the end one I wanted to haunt her for the choice she made.
Still, I would assume the city didn't burn down (of course); maybe just a few houses. But, fire in old cities like that, wow, is that a very dangerous thing. That danger is part of why she's utterly certain if she's seen the Ashjar won't be around much longer. Murder kills one person, Arson could kill everyone. Probably would not be taken too kindly by the nobles, guards, merchants, random folks--or hell, even the other Ashjar.
All the same, I do tend to be pretty cruel. Conflict is the source of story. Pain and misery, how we conquer them, how we deal with them--that defines a lot of who we are; what we will do to help those we love, what we will sacrifice to do what is right, what risks we take and the cost of it all, those are the essence of good narrative. 
Hey, have a wonderful week, and you know where to find me if you ever would like to talk. ^.^
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Fever is burning in her veins
Determined with courage, breaking the chains
Back against the wall under blood red skies
Prepared to fight until she dies...
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...and armed to the teeth! Maybe she's teaming up with E. and L. ?
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Sadly Eno and Lars died many years before Shadi was even born.
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Huh! In battle or is she further down the timeline?
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Of old age. She was born about 80 years after Enorach and Lars current timeline.
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Great!
BTW Have you heard a Czech game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance?
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I did! It looks promising so far!
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Ooh, those beautiful blue eyes! A cat is very good at standing still when they want to, like when hunting/sneaking!
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Blue eyes are gorgeous!
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Awesome! I love the play of light and shadows there. 
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Thank you a lot!
Who knows! This drawing is not really canon anyways. ^^
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Shadi could be part of the Assassin's Brotherhood as she is here.
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A thief works better in the dark. This seems to me to be a recon of the next job. Casing the joint!
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That could be! Hopefully she will be careful!
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That's quite a determined look, whatever it's for.
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She's a very determinate girl, that's certain!
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Shadi looks like she's about to get into a lot more trouble than a simple robbery, and I like the lighting
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Could be, who knows!
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"The hallway is too bright, better knock out the torch with a water arrow."
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Hahaha that should totally be a thing in rpg's
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That is actually a quote from the game Thief II: the Metal Age. In which you can in fact put out torches with water arrows.
Yeah I wish more rpg's would do stuff like that, take a page from immersive the book of immersive sims.
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Was Morrowind or Elsweyr your inspiration for your art style?
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No, I dicovered the Elder Scrolls games well after I started drawing cats.
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Hhahaha, well your art style reminds of Elder Scrolls but your art is very original as well in its own right.
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Nobody said joining the assassin brotherhood was simple...
The hood reminds me of the games
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Shadi looks wonderful, maybe she got training for herself to fight back the people that abused her
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Thank you!
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So she's firmly on a slippery slope after all, huh.
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Not so slippery!
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Let's hope so
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« So... You want us to get in there, Grab that stuff you wanted while there is at least 6 guards around here.*sigh* I don’t know why but i feel a bit exploited right now... -_-»
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Sorry, my keyboard had a problem
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She looks like she found a job as a thief.
I’m impressed with the lighting in this one, you did great!
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