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Red-Draws — [TWWM] The Shallows Path
Published: 2023-08-30 12:07:24 +0000 UTC; Views: 1634; Favourites: 23; Downloads: 0
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Path three, the shallows, with my two fieldlings~
This is their first actual outing together and it was actually
really fun writing/drawing about them
I gave them an intro because it felt wrong not to include one
so the top image is just for fun! And I wanted each pathway
to be in a different style so I chose watercolor/painterly :3
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-[The Intro}-
Owl looks out across the calm waves, seeing the colorful pelts of esks in the water below.
A tugging at his soul had brought him to sit here on the beach, but now he was lost, adrift.
Beside him was a shadow, a shape of an esk, his name Kuuri and his disposition moody.
They had spotted each other out in the fields once or twice, and even shared some words of what they
had seen amongst the grasses, but it was truly a surprise that they had ended up on the same shores.
At first the darker esk had hung back, but had creeped forward to sit beside Owl as the sun rose.
"Did you feel the call too?"
Owl had asked him, although his gaze remained on the waters below.
Kuuri shows no recognition in his face or still frame, and for a second Owl wasn't expecting any response.
"I did"
Oh! So the stranger has a voice indeed. Owl turns to look at him, the wind gently tugging at the fur on his cheeks.
He was imposing, large and looming, to smaller esks at least, however Owl had at least a head or two above him. They were a slightly odd pair, like two mountains
beside each other. “I felt it in my feet, and they carried me here.” Kuuri added, turning to fix his green eyes upon Owl’s dark ones. Owl nodded in understanding,
for the same feeling had taken him over too. He turned towards the water, and then stood up. Something on the shore had taken his attention away from the
alluring atmosphere of his fellow grasslander, and it glittered in the sun. As his large paws made dips in the sand so did Kuuri’s,
following in the larger esks footsteps down towards the sounds of the shore. Kuuri’s attention was moved from the footprints below to the sound of
chattering esks, and in the currents and rocks that dotted the shallow end of the sea were the little bodies of souls far smaller than his.
He did not recognize many of them, besides the titular Poro and his little tiny son.
The others however were background noise to Kuuri, and his attention waned back to the footsteps below.
Owl meanwhile had stopped, and he felt his new shadow loom behind him. But his attention was on a strange object on the beach;
a small plant, tucked into a seashell. It wasn’t very big, maybe a sapling more than anything, but it seemed to humm with expectation.
He stared down at it, puzzled, and extended a paw to move it curiously. As soon as his paw touched it however an understanding of
what it was had washed over him like storm clouds, electric and booming. It was indeed a vulnerable seedling that had been ripped from the beds of its fellow
kelp family, and it would not last long under the scorching sun. He swooped the little thing into his long tail, and began to wade from the shallow shores into the
ocean, one inch at a time. It was cold, and pressed against his fur like glass. He turned to look at his shadow,
Kuuri was gingerly following, his back raised uncomfortably as his feet made contact with the incoming foam.
“I think I know what we came here for”
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-{The Shallows, Chapter one}-
Little Kelp
Pallet VI.
The kelp forest was easy to find, it was shallow enough that the sunlight shone in warm
beams through the waving stalks and dancing leaves as the two large esks glided through
the underwater forest. Kuuri was silent and quick like a shark, but he was respectful of the fish
and kelp that softly grazed his sides as he went through. Owl too was gentle, floating through the
water so naturally one might think he was a penguin in his past life. The two were mostly silent as
they made their way through, waiting for the perfect spot to place their vulnerable charge.
Suddenly Kuuri darts down, creating a small current that smacks the back of Owl's head in urgency. He turns
around with a small growl but sees what Kuuri meant. A small spot on the sands below, perfect for their
passenger to grow strong and supported, with the sunlight beaming down into the gap so perfectly it almost
was like a sign. "That looks perfect" Owl booms, and he gently untangles the shell from his tail and lets it float
slowly down into the sands below. It immediately joins in the slow dance of its family kelp, and for a moment
he thought their mission had been completed.
"What is this ugly thing" Kuuri's voice is sharp, and it jabs into Owl's side like an elbow. He follows
the darker esks eyeline down into the sands, and spots an odd looking object. At first he thought it was an
eel and that his friend was being rude, but upon closer inspection it seemed to be...a rope! It was tattered and discolored
from a life underwater, and that told him that it was definitely from somewhere down here. He scoops it up in his paws
to show his friend, but the dark esk recoils at the object.
"It's a humans coil" Kuuri growls, and Owl nods, a small column of bubbles erupting from the
fast movement of his beige head. "It's lost." Owl adds, holding out the rope for Kuuri to touch. He does so, gingerly,
and then retracts his paw. "I don't want to carry it" Kuuri huffs, and Owl laughs before pulling it into
his chest to hold close. The object feels sad and heavy, and he feels a deep desire to return it, much like the
kelp. "Lead the way, instead" Owl offers, and Kuuri waste's no time in kicking his paws, slinking off into dark
waters, with Owl following close behind, following the flurry of bubbles the esk left behind.
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-{The Shallows, Chapter two}-
Old Rope
Pallet XIII.
Looming from the dark was a ship, a man made object made for seafaring, however
this one had been sunken for quite some time now, and its wooden body had been thoroughly
reclaimed by the ocean's creatures. Fish darted in and out of the broken boards, and many
plants and creatures clung to the sides of it. Owl scanned it carefully for the perfect spot to
lay his latest charge, while Kuuri sat on a nearby crate, his ruff of fur swaying in the waters
neverending pull and lull.
Despite the sinking of this object it was not far from the surface, and above them were
the flapping wings of sea birds, off towards some sort of land to stand upon. Owl isn't easily
distracted however, and in the middle of a ship is a long broken pole, and a piece of rope
identical to his sat lonely on the wooden holey wood. He dipped down from his higher
advantage point to place his own rope alongside its friend, but a flash of silver made him
hesitate. A fish, small and grey, was hovering near the rope, mouthing idly at it.
"There's a fish here" Owl calls to his friend, and the darker esk snorts. "It's an ocean" He answers gruffly,
creeped out by his proximity to the sunken man thing. Owl shakes his head in reply, using his paw to
gently wave the fish away. It darts from beside the rope and away towards Kuuri, where it came close
to his sharp snout. The two peered at each other while Owl affixed his rope to the pole, and proudness
overcame him temporarily when the two were reunited. His proudness is short lived, as when he
turned around Kuuri and the fish were playing, darting through the water together.
"I think it's lost" Kuuri murmurs to Owl when he glides close, and the fish indeed seemed
like it was lost, so different from the other fish nearby. It hovered under Kuuri, and liked to swim
between his cheek fur like it was seagrass. Owl chuckled and kicked his paws, pulling them all
away from the dark looming ship and towards much greener waters.
"Let us take him home then"
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-{The Shallows, Chapter three}-
Striped killifish
Pallet X.
Their last destination is quite shallow, and the grass along the sandy bottom
grazes Owl's belly as he swims along. Kuuri and the fish are fast friends, with the
esk shielding his charge from every looming seabird and curios fish as they swim along.
The little fish was curious up close, with a small slender body and little dark stripes
down along its silvery shiny body. It's obvious they are close to the creatures
home as it zips in excitement.
"Our journey is nearing its end" Owl comments, and Kuuri turns to look
at him. His eyes are so dark and deep, glittering shards of sea glass imbedded
in his dark face. Owl shakes his head slightly, trying to shake the thoughts out.
Perhapse Kuuri did not wish to see him after such a drag in the ocean, after all.
"Our first journey" He replies, which gave Owl thoughts. Perhapse they would
go on more, after all? But before the two can mull on such thoughts, their friend
darts out towards a particularly juicy patch of seagrass.
Among the lush green stalks swam more little striped fish, who poked their heads out
curiously as the two esk floated gently in the tide. Kuuri has one more restrained play with
the fish, and it seems to sing and glitter with gratitude before dissapearing into the greenery
with his swarm. And once again the two are alone, no new objects or creatures called to
them for assistance. Indeed it seemed they were at the end.
"Is it time to head home?" Owl asked his new friend, and Kuuri
floated upwards, bobbing in the waves like driftwood. Owl followed him,
admiring the warmth on his fur, as the water was quite cold. Although it mattered
little to esks, after all. They float there together, basking in sunlight
and the deep feelings of a days journey, filled with many helpful
small moments throughout. Owl watches the birds fly past, as
the shore isn't so far now.
But something brighter than the sun itself flashes brightly, a spark
illuminates the sky above the nearby shore so brightly it illuminated the
very souls of the two floating esks. The two share a glance before
dashing through the waters, leaving only ripples in their wakes...
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Base Score: 10 AP (Shaded Illustration)
+5 AP (Full Body)
+30 AP (Full/Scenic Background)
+5 AP (Personal Work Bonus)
+5 AP (Marine Biome Bonus)
+15 AP (Quest Bonus)
+70 AP (Esk Interaction Bonus: 10 AP * 7)
Total AP per submission: 140
Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)
+2 GP (Full Body)
+10 GP (Full/Scenic Background)
+2 GP (Marine Biome Bonus)
+8 GP (Quest Bonus)
Total GP per esk: 26
(Top image! I have already scored my first intro)
Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)
+2 GP (Full Body)
+10 GP (Full/Scenic Background)
+2 GP (Marine Biome Bonus)
+2 GP (Color Pallete Bonus)
+8 GP (Quest Bonus)
Total GP per prompt: 28
28x3=84
Base Score: 10 AP (Shaded Illustration)
+5 AP (Full Body)
+30 AP (Full/Scenic Background)
+5 AP (Marine Biome Bonus)
+5 AP (Color Pallete Bonus)
+15 AP (Quest Bonus)
+20 AP (Esk Interaction Bonus: 10 AP * 2)
+5 AP (Personal Work Bonus)
Total AP per prompt: 95
95x3=285
WRITING
Base Score: 17 GP (Writing: 1730 words)
+12 GP (Storyteller Bonus: 6 GP * 2)
Total GP for Owl and Kuuri only: 29
Base Score: 34 AP (Writing: 1730 words)
+20 AP (Esk Interaction Bonus: 10 AP * 2)
+16 AP (Storyteller Bonus: 8 AP * 2)
Total AP per submission: 70
