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Description
A breathtaking commission from Kate-Venom that blew me away when I saw it. Makes me realise how much more wholesome brother bonding is needed around here. Though he's overprotective at times, Sakara's not a bad older brother to have. And although he's a little shit at times, Kuveli isn't a bad little brother to have to share sleeping space with. I guess, as this piece shows, the good times are always worth the trouble.

I also wrote a short story for this piece. You can find it below or read the PDF here!

The blood-soaked stone speartip was raked over the grass, staining it a deep crimson. Kuveli’s deft grey paws flipped it over and repeated the process, cleaning the tool with two brisk strokes.
    Kuveli was a fox-boy of ten summers, his fur filthy with churned earth and spatters of vibrant crimson. A patchwork skirt was wrapped around his waist, flapping gently in the breeze. It was fastened over his shoulder with a length of shaggy rawhide, tucked under a necklace of teeth which clattered around his neck.
    The fox-boy rose from his haunches, resting the spear on his shoulder. He took a deep breath, the air was thick with moisture, the morning dew coating his burning lungs. His heart was still thrumming in his chest and he could still hear blood rushing in his ears.
    He stumbled as he tried to turn, his legs wobbling, his muscles searing with pain. He planted his spear-butt into the dirt, resting his feather-like weight on the tool.
    The little fox turned on his spear, the stench of fresh, hot blood filling his nostrils, a strand of drool dripping from his lips. Before him lay a mighty red deer. Its thorny antlers were almost as big as the little fox, and certainly sharp enough to run him through. Thankfully it lay still, its carcass cooling in the chilly air, and a growing crimson stain on its neck.
    His big brother, Sakara, was crouched in front of the deer. He ran a paw along its neck, leaning in close to inspect the point of entry. His big brother resembled a birch tree, tall and skinny, his rib cage showing through his thick, unwashed coat of fur. He wore a pair of well-fitted horsehide leggings and a loincloth made from hare’s fur, with a great fur cloak on his back. A woad-blue tattoo covered the length of his right arm, and a tuft of fur was tied-off and dangled from his chin.
    “You might just have the makings of a little killer, little bud.” Sakara chuckled, patting the deer’s neck and turning around with a proud smile stretched across his muzzle.

    “Might? I hunt rabbits for our supper all the time.” Kuveli boasted in an exaggerated tone, chuckling hoarsely as he dragged his footpaws towards his big brother. His big brother raised a bony finger.
    “Ah, but this is your first deer hunt, and a red deer no less.” The older fox brother beaned, his voice full of pride. He could not overstate how he felt, knowing his little brother was learning so fast, that he could care for himself if anything happened. “This isn’t a rabbit hunt, your first big game is special.” He insisted, patting the ground next to him and inviting his little brother to take a seat.
    Kuveli began to feel that same sense of pride. This was his first time hunting big game, his chance to prove he was more than just a little boy who could take pot shots at squirrels with a sling. He felt that pride welling-up in his chest, and an equally prideful smile crept onto his muzzle.
    Kuveli let himself fall upon the deer’s bulk, crumpling into a furred heap like a brittle, elderly oak tree whose roots had finally given way. The deer’s carcass was still warm, the musk still thick, it made his stomach rumble.
    “You feeling alright, little bud?” His big brother asked, putting a paw on the little fox’s shoulder. Kuveli lazily raised his head from the new bed of fur to see Sakara looking down at him, an eyebrow raised. He yawned and buried his face in the deer’s carcass.
    “I could sleep until the leaves turn orange.” The little fox mumbled through mouthfuls of matted deer fur.
    His big brother smirked, unwrapping his cloak and spreading it over his arm and towards his little brother. He tucked it over Kuveli’s shoulder and tugged on the little fox, inviting him to cuddle-up and keep out of the chilly morning breeze.
    “Get comfy then, at this rate this thing’s going to take us until nightfall to butcher.” Sakara sighed, looking over the deer carcass. His little brother relented after a few more tugs, groggily rising from the deer and planting himself against his big brother’s chest.
    His sensitive ears picked-up the rhythmic thump-thump of his big brother’s heart. A sound that filled him with a sense of safety and warmth. He wanted to curl-up here for as long as he could, his sore muscles seeming to fade with each moment he was embraced.
    “Can’t we do it tomorrow.” He grumbled, closing his eyes and pressing himself tighter against his big brother. Sakara sighed, releasing the little fox, who huffed and sat-up straight, pulling the cloak tight over his shoulder.
    “I know you’re a sensible little lad, but what do we owe this deer for taking its life?” Sakara cocked his head to the side, putting on a half-heartedly stern face.
    Kuveli frowned, he knew all about respecting the spirits of their prey and making sure the deer’s spirit could find its way, and big brother was right. If they left it, the deer’s spirit would be trapped, scared and confused, its soul bound to a husk that some careless hunters had not bothered to make good use of.
    “Not one single bit wasted.” Kuveli sighed, putting a paw on the deer’s chest and running his fingers through its fur. Still warm, he thought, it must taste good.
    Sakara turned and unsheathed a painted antler knife from his belt. He put one paw on Kuveli’s as he pressed the knife to the deer’s stomach and began the process of butchering their kill. With one clean movement, he slit the carcass open and reached the knife inside the deer’s fat belly.
    After a few moments of rummaging, Sakara found what he was looking for. He could not see, but this was no obstacle, the anatomy of a deer was as familiar to him as his own two paws. He cut the organ free and wrenched it from the deer. Kuveli watched with a hungry glare as his big brother offered him a raw liver.
    “This is your kill, enjoy it. Take the deer’s strength to replenish your own.” His big brother ordered, and Kuveli was more than happy to oblige. He took the liver slowly, looking it over. This was important, to take the first bite of his first proper kill.
    “Unless you want an angry deer spirit giving you bad dreams and scaring away its kin.” Sakara smirked, causing the little fox to let out a snort. His big brother folded his arms impatiently.
    Kuveli’s stomach growled again, he couldn’t wait another second. He bit into the liver, still warm and steaming in the cold air. Hot, bloody flesh tumbled into his muzzle in child-sized bites as he devoured the raw liver in what felt like a matter of seconds.
    “At least living with a ghost deer wouldn’t stink as bad.” Kuveli joked with a mouthful of liver, spitting half-chewed chunks at his big brother.
    “Oh yeah?” Sakara turned-up his nose at the little fox. “Just you wait until you have to crawl inside there and fetch me its intestines.” The big fox gestured to the slit he’d made in the deer’s belly, a smug smile plastered on his muzzle.
    “It’s no worse than when you rub deer poo into your fur before a hunt.” Kuveli retorted, then gulped loudly, finishing his snack. He rubbed his muzzle, smearing deer blood over his lips.
    Sakara let-out a raucous laugh, wrapping one arm around his belly to stop his sides from splitting. With the other arm, he grabbed his little brother, pulling the little fox into a tight, smelly hug and pressing their foreheads together.
    “Ah, I couldn’t have asked for a better little brother.”

Thanks so much again to Kate-Venom for drawing these two. Please go check-out their work and perhaps support their work, if it's your thing.

Art - Kate-Venom
Characters - Myself

Description
A breathtaking commission from Kate-Venom that blew me away when I saw it. Makes me realise how much more wholesome brother bonding is needed around here. Though he's overprotective at times, Sakara's not a bad older brother to have. And although he's a little shit at times, Kuveli isn't a bad little brother to have to share sleeping space with. I guess, as this piece shows, the good times are always worth the trouble.

I also wrote a short story for this piece. You can find it below or read the PDF here!

The blood-soaked stone speartip was raked over the grass, staining it a deep crimson. Kuveli’s deft grey paws flipped it over and repeated the process, cleaning the tool with two brisk strokes.
    Kuveli was a fox-boy of ten summers, his fur filthy with churned earth and spatters of vibrant crimson. A patchwork skirt was wrapped around his waist, flapping gently in the breeze. It was fastened over his shoulder with a length of shaggy rawhide, tucked under a necklace of teeth which clattered around his neck.
    The fox-boy rose from his haunches, resting the spear on his shoulder. He took a deep breath, the air was thick with moisture, the morning dew coating his burning lungs. His heart was still thrumming in his chest and he could still hear blood rushing in his ears.
    He stumbled as he tried to turn, his legs wobbling, his muscles searing with pain. He planted his spear-butt into the dirt, resting his feather-like weight on the tool.
    The little fox turned on his spear, the stench of fresh, hot blood filling his nostrils, a strand of drool dripping from his lips. Before him lay a mighty red deer. Its thorny antlers were almost as big as the little fox, and certainly sharp enough to run him through. Thankfully it lay still, its carcass cooling in the chilly air, and a growing crimson stain on its neck.
    His big brother, Sakara, was crouched in front of the deer. He ran a paw along its neck, leaning in close to inspect the point of entry. His big brother resembled a birch tree, tall and skinny, his rib cage showing through his thick, unwashed coat of fur. He wore a pair of well-fitted horsehide leggings and a loincloth made from hare’s fur, with a great fur cloak on his back. A woad-blue tattoo covered the length of his right arm, and a tuft of fur was tied-off and dangled from his chin.
    “You might just have the makings of a little killer, little bud.” Sakara chuckled, patting the deer’s neck and turning around with a proud smile stretched across his muzzle.

    “Might? I hunt rabbits for our supper all the time.” Kuveli boasted in an exaggerated tone, chuckling hoarsely as he dragged his footpaws towards his big brother. His big brother raised a bony finger.
    “Ah, but this is your first deer hunt, and a red deer no less.” The older fox brother beaned, his voice full of pride. He could not overstate how he felt, knowing his little brother was learning so fast, that he could care for himself if anything happened. “This isn’t a rabbit hunt, your first big game is special.” He insisted, patting the ground next to him and inviting his little brother to take a seat.
    Kuveli began to feel that same sense of pride. This was his first time hunting big game, his chance to prove he was more than just a little boy who could take pot shots at squirrels with a sling. He felt that pride welling-up in his chest, and an equally prideful smile crept onto his muzzle.
    Kuveli let himself fall upon the deer’s bulk, crumpling into a furred heap like a brittle, elderly oak tree whose roots had finally given way. The deer’s carcass was still warm, the musk still thick, it made his stomach rumble.
    “You feeling alright, little bud?” His big brother asked, putting a paw on the little fox’s shoulder. Kuveli lazily raised his head from the new bed of fur to see Sakara looking down at him, an eyebrow raised. He yawned and buried his face in the deer’s carcass.
    “I could sleep until the leaves turn orange.” The little fox mumbled through mouthfuls of matted deer fur.
    His big brother smirked, unwrapping his cloak and spreading it over his arm and towards his little brother. He tucked it over Kuveli’s shoulder and tugged on the little fox, inviting him to cuddle-up and keep out of the chilly morning breeze.
    “Get comfy then, at this rate this thing’s going to take us until nightfall to butcher.” Sakara sighed, looking over the deer carcass. His little brother relented after a few more tugs, groggily rising from the deer and planting himself against his big brother’s chest.
    His sensitive ears picked-up the rhythmic thump-thump of his big brother’s heart. A sound that filled him with a sense of safety and warmth. He wanted to curl-up here for as long as he could, his sore muscles seeming to fade with each moment he was embraced.
    “Can’t we do it tomorrow.” He grumbled, closing his eyes and pressing himself tighter against his big brother. Sakara sighed, releasing the little fox, who huffed and sat-up straight, pulling the cloak tight over his shoulder.
    “I know you’re a sensible little lad, but what do we owe this deer for taking its life?” Sakara cocked his head to the side, putting on a half-heartedly stern face.
    Kuveli frowned, he knew all about respecting the spirits of their prey and making sure the deer’s spirit could find its way, and big brother was right. If they left it, the deer’s spirit would be trapped, scared and confused, its soul bound to a husk that some careless hunters had not bothered to make good use of.
    “Not one single bit wasted.” Kuveli sighed, putting a paw on the deer’s chest and running his fingers through its fur. Still warm, he thought, it must taste good.
    Sakara turned and unsheathed a painted antler knife from his belt. He put one paw on Kuveli’s as he pressed the knife to the deer’s stomach and began the process of butchering their kill. With one clean movement, he slit the carcass open and reached the knife inside the deer’s fat belly.
    After a few moments of rummaging, Sakara found what he was looking for. He could not see, but this was no obstacle, the anatomy of a deer was as familiar to him as his own two paws. He cut the organ free and wrenched it from the deer. Kuveli watched with a hungry glare as his big brother offered him a raw liver.
    “This is your kill, enjoy it. Take the deer’s strength to replenish your own.” His big brother ordered, and Kuveli was more than happy to oblige. He took the liver slowly, looking it over. This was important, to take the first bite of his first proper kill.
    “Unless you want an angry deer spirit giving you bad dreams and scaring away its kin.” Sakara smirked, causing the little fox to let out a snort. His big brother folded his arms impatiently.
    Kuveli’s stomach growled again, he couldn’t wait another second. He bit into the liver, still warm and steaming in the cold air. Hot, bloody flesh tumbled into his muzzle in child-sized bites as he devoured the raw liver in what felt like a matter of seconds.
    “At least living with a ghost deer wouldn’t stink as bad.” Kuveli joked with a mouthful of liver, spitting half-chewed chunks at his big brother.
    “Oh yeah?” Sakara turned-up his nose at the little fox. “Just you wait until you have to crawl inside there and fetch me its intestines.” The big fox gestured to the slit he’d made in the deer’s belly, a smug smile plastered on his muzzle.
    “It’s no worse than when you rub deer poo into your fur before a hunt.” Kuveli retorted, then gulped loudly, finishing his snack. He rubbed his muzzle, smearing deer blood over his lips.
    Sakara let-out a raucous laugh, wrapping one arm around his belly to stop his sides from splitting. With the other arm, he grabbed his little brother, pulling the little fox into a tight, smelly hug and pressing their foreheads together.
    “Ah, I couldn’t have asked for a better little brother.”

Thanks so much again to Kate-Venom for drawing these two. Please go check-out their work and perhaps support their work, if it's your thing.

Art - Kate-Venom
Characters - Myself