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Description

#002-A
Horse: Indi
Rider: Aalya
Dog: Shiver
...

Other Images:
1. Guardian [Arrival/substitute for horse painting]
2. Group Photo [Costume designs/Character references for the event]
3. Under a Stormy Sky [Activity 1]
4. The Long Sun [Activity 2]
5. The Hunting Accident: You Are Here [Activity 3]

The day was wearing on when Ben ducked out of the teepee he was sharing with Aalya and Shiver so he could wander down to the firepit and grab some food. He was making his way down one of the wide, worn grass aisles between the camps when he realised that the competitors were slowly making their way back to camp from across the plains.

He stopped, eyes scanning the horses, for a little dun mare with feathers in her tail.

Many came back worn out, but just as many came back, still skipping as though they could go again. It had been the buffalo hunt; the thunder of hooves and pursuit had echoed through the mostly empty camp all day.

An appaloosa trotted down towards the central firepit, its rider with an empty quiver of arrows and holding a neatly made long bow aloft as they steered single handed.

A less strikingly marked horse meandered some distance behind, the rider tangled in their broken bow string.

The scores would be interesting, Ben thought, turning around and heading towards the open plain instead. It looked like there was a range of abilities dispersed throughout the camp.

Several more horses passed him in varying degrees of weariness. A few even had an arrow caught in their mane or stuck to the saddles with velcro where they had gotten in the way.

Ben knew Aalya hadn't really done archery before. He'd done it at a summer camp and tried to give some pointers, but she just didn't take to it well.

Finally, trekking out beyond the campsite, Ben laid eyes on the far off field where the Buffalo had been rounded up. A couple of the invisible volunteers who lived in the facility tents up the Ash Hill were laying out hay for them and plucking away the arrows, scoring the different tribes as they went.

It was a little way off from the field that he spotted the tan and chocolate mare he was looking for.

Indi was standing with her legs close under her, like she had braked suddenly. Her head was turned back, studying intently as Aalya curled her fingers around an arrow shaft stuck in her mane and yanked it out.

The poor horse was peppered with arrows. There were some from all the tribes stuck in the fur saddle pad, her tail and one had narrowly missed Aalya's leg.

Ben jogged towards them and when he was close enough, Shiver stood up in the grass and let out a single bark.

Aalya looked up, her long plait swinging in an arc. "Is it over?" she called.

Ben couldn't help laughing. "Why?"

She turned to the arrow caught in the fur coverlet right by her left thigh and pulled it free. "Because its really much safer for everyone if I stay right here until it's over."

Ben tried to bite back the laugh. "How long *have* you been here?"

Aalya shrugged. "No watch. Maybe the last hour?"

He shook his head, amused. "How did you manage to get shot by your own tribe?"

Aalya's eyes shone with laughter as she snapped her gaze up to his. "Oh - I got shot by everyone. This one-" she waved the yellow arrow she had pulled from Indi's mane "-was because Indi reared up right behind a buffalo that turned at the last second. This one-" another arrow "-was because I got stuck behind a tree trying to avoid *this* arrow. As you can see, I failed. And this one was because the buffalo almost ran into me. I think that one was already here-" she indicated a green arrow, leaning at an angle in the ground "and *that* one-" a final, blue arrow, also stabbed into the grass "-...I dropped."

"Did you have any fun at all?"

Aalya very carefully dismounted and finished pulling all the arrows loose as Shiver laid back in the grass. "I had tons of fun," she said. "Shiver's better at herding than me and Indi put together, so at least he stayed out of trouble, but I figured everone was safer if I just stayed put."

"Did you even get a chance to use your bow?"

It was at this point Ben realised the quickly crafted long bow Aalya had set out with was - somehow - hanging around Indi's neck.

Aalya bit her lip, a guilty look crossing her face. "Actually, yes. And then I decided that was safer if I just didn't touch it anymore, so I left it with Indi."

"What happened?" Ben asked.

Aalya looked over towards the Buffalo field, then turned him by the shoulders. "See that one at the far end? You can't miss it - it looks like a unicorn."

Ben could see it.

The buffalo had been shot straight between the eyes with a blue feathered arrow and the volunteers hadn't quite made it to the far end yet to tear off the velcro. He started laughing.

Aalya smacked him across the shoulder. "Don't laugh. That was a complete accident! I didn't even mean to let go of the string. I didn't realise he was there, he made this loud noise and I freaked, so Indi freaked - she reared up and I hung on and when everything was okay again, Indi had the bow."

Ben, still trying to muffle his laughter, took Indi by the reins and turned them for Camp. "Come on," he managed, dearly wishing he had his phone so he could take pictures. "Lets go back to the tent. I think you need to chill out for a bit."

Aalya laughed with him, falling into step, with Shiver trotting on ahead. "Shut up. I'm fine; we're all alive and it was a blast. I'd say it was a really successful day."

So, this is another sort of rushed piece, or I'd have drawn a buffalo for you all. I have to say, I'm really sorry I didn't. So many people have done amazing art of the Miniwakan Buffali and I really wanted to join in, but I've had barely any time for this, despite the long deadline.

(for those who wanted to know: We're still looking to move house, so we've been packing up half our things, the puppy's growing fast and taking time, some people have had holidays at work, so I've been covering extra shifts and on top of that, I've had to totally empty my room for new furniture)

So, I hope you're a bit happy with this quick image

Haha, Aalya just isn't good with a bow. Poor girl. I've had a similar mental image to this in mind for ages, and when I finally sat down last night to get something done, this just poured out of my pen. As for the story...I felt it was best told from Ben's point of view XD

With regards to the art itself...its not amazing. I have a real soft spot for it for some reason (maybe its just that I adore Indi) but the proportions and anatomy are a little screwy (that's what I get for drawing the human first ). And there's no real background, but I think this way it has a bit of a Native American feel. Idk

Right, got to run and walk the dog before work!

Time - a few hours in basically one sitting.
refs - none
Art, characters and story copright to Tattered-Dreams
Do not take, copy, edit, redistribute or manipulate.

Description

#002-A
Horse: Indi
Rider: Aalya
Dog: Shiver
...

Other Images:
1. Guardian [Arrival/substitute for horse painting]
2. Group Photo [Costume designs/Character references for the event]
3. Under a Stormy Sky [Activity 1]
4. The Long Sun [Activity 2]
5. The Hunting Accident: You Are Here [Activity 3]

The day was wearing on when Ben ducked out of the teepee he was sharing with Aalya and Shiver so he could wander down to the firepit and grab some food. He was making his way down one of the wide, worn grass aisles between the camps when he realised that the competitors were slowly making their way back to camp from across the plains.

He stopped, eyes scanning the horses, for a little dun mare with feathers in her tail.

Many came back worn out, but just as many came back, still skipping as though they could go again. It had been the buffalo hunt; the thunder of hooves and pursuit had echoed through the mostly empty camp all day.

An appaloosa trotted down towards the central firepit, its rider with an empty quiver of arrows and holding a neatly made long bow aloft as they steered single handed.

A less strikingly marked horse meandered some distance behind, the rider tangled in their broken bow string.

The scores would be interesting, Ben thought, turning around and heading towards the open plain instead. It looked like there was a range of abilities dispersed throughout the camp.

Several more horses passed him in varying degrees of weariness. A few even had an arrow caught in their mane or stuck to the saddles with velcro where they had gotten in the way.

Ben knew Aalya hadn't really done archery before. He'd done it at a summer camp and tried to give some pointers, but she just didn't take to it well.

Finally, trekking out beyond the campsite, Ben laid eyes on the far off field where the Buffalo had been rounded up. A couple of the invisible volunteers who lived in the facility tents up the Ash Hill were laying out hay for them and plucking away the arrows, scoring the different tribes as they went.

It was a little way off from the field that he spotted the tan and chocolate mare he was looking for.

Indi was standing with her legs close under her, like she had braked suddenly. Her head was turned back, studying intently as Aalya curled her fingers around an arrow shaft stuck in her mane and yanked it out.

The poor horse was peppered with arrows. There were some from all the tribes stuck in the fur saddle pad, her tail and one had narrowly missed Aalya's leg.

Ben jogged towards them and when he was close enough, Shiver stood up in the grass and let out a single bark.

Aalya looked up, her long plait swinging in an arc. "Is it over?" she called.

Ben couldn't help laughing. "Why?"

She turned to the arrow caught in the fur coverlet right by her left thigh and pulled it free. "Because its really much safer for everyone if I stay right here until it's over."

Ben tried to bite back the laugh. "How long *have* you been here?"

Aalya shrugged. "No watch. Maybe the last hour?"

He shook his head, amused. "How did you manage to get shot by your own tribe?"

Aalya's eyes shone with laughter as she snapped her gaze up to his. "Oh - I got shot by everyone. This one-" she waved the yellow arrow she had pulled from Indi's mane "-was because Indi reared up right behind a buffalo that turned at the last second. This one-" another arrow "-was because I got stuck behind a tree trying to avoid *this* arrow. As you can see, I failed. And this one was because the buffalo almost ran into me. I think that one was already here-" she indicated a green arrow, leaning at an angle in the ground "and *that* one-" a final, blue arrow, also stabbed into the grass "-...I dropped."

"Did you have any fun at all?"

Aalya very carefully dismounted and finished pulling all the arrows loose as Shiver laid back in the grass. "I had tons of fun," she said. "Shiver's better at herding than me and Indi put together, so at least he stayed out of trouble, but I figured everone was safer if I just stayed put."

"Did you even get a chance to use your bow?"

It was at this point Ben realised the quickly crafted long bow Aalya had set out with was - somehow - hanging around Indi's neck.

Aalya bit her lip, a guilty look crossing her face. "Actually, yes. And then I decided that was safer if I just didn't touch it anymore, so I left it with Indi."

"What happened?" Ben asked.

Aalya looked over towards the Buffalo field, then turned him by the shoulders. "See that one at the far end? You can't miss it - it looks like a unicorn."

Ben could see it.

The buffalo had been shot straight between the eyes with a blue feathered arrow and the volunteers hadn't quite made it to the far end yet to tear off the velcro. He started laughing.

Aalya smacked him across the shoulder. "Don't laugh. That was a complete accident! I didn't even mean to let go of the string. I didn't realise he was there, he made this loud noise and I freaked, so Indi freaked - she reared up and I hung on and when everything was okay again, Indi had the bow."

Ben, still trying to muffle his laughter, took Indi by the reins and turned them for Camp. "Come on," he managed, dearly wishing he had his phone so he could take pictures. "Lets go back to the tent. I think you need to chill out for a bit."

Aalya laughed with him, falling into step, with Shiver trotting on ahead. "Shut up. I'm fine; we're all alive and it was a blast. I'd say it was a really successful day."

So, this is another sort of rushed piece, or I'd have drawn a buffalo for you all. I have to say, I'm really sorry I didn't. So many people have done amazing art of the Miniwakan Buffali and I really wanted to join in, but I've had barely any time for this, despite the long deadline.

(for those who wanted to know: We're still looking to move house, so we've been packing up half our things, the puppy's growing fast and taking time, some people have had holidays at work, so I've been covering extra shifts and on top of that, I've had to totally empty my room for new furniture)

So, I hope you're a bit happy with this quick image

Haha, Aalya just isn't good with a bow. Poor girl. I've had a similar mental image to this in mind for ages, and when I finally sat down last night to get something done, this just poured out of my pen. As for the story...I felt it was best told from Ben's point of view XD

With regards to the art itself...its not amazing. I have a real soft spot for it for some reason (maybe its just that I adore Indi) but the proportions and anatomy are a little screwy (that's what I get for drawing the human first ). And there's no real background, but I think this way it has a bit of a Native American feel. Idk

Right, got to run and walk the dog before work!

Time - a few hours in basically one sitting.
refs - none
Art, characters and story copright to Tattered-Dreams
Do not take, copy, edit, redistribute or manipulate.