"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?"
She had crossed almost halfway to the road when something made her stop in her tracks. A dark, looming silhouette stood in the trees, almost indistinguishable from the branches and leaves. Esther crouched, staring, wondering if she was imagining it.
But then it blinked. She could make out the large, black shape of a stag, breathing and shifting ever so slightly in rhythm with the forest. It stared right back at her with pupiless green eyes that seemed to look right into her soul. It opened its mouth and steam billowed out with an unnatural gasp.
Esther had heard stories of the devils that lived in the woods. How a faithless she-cat from their own congregation had copulated with a demon so that she could learn the dark arts. The witch had birthed a shadowy familiar, and now the demon whelp dwelled in the woods, waiting for any young cat foolish and wicked enough to wander from the path of salvation.Â
She had always assumed these were just tall tales to keep kittens from straying too far and getting lost, but now that she was alone, in the dead of night, the stories felt true.Â
But she’d already come so far. She couldn’t bring herself to turn back now.
I've been dabbling at a fanfiction for I Didn't Know because it's one of my favorite of Songdogs comics, with Doe of Deadwood being my second favorite. It's gotten me consistently writing again, at least. I was in a slump before. I'm treating it like a little exercise. So what is my writing is garbage? This is just for fun, and I probably won't share much of it.
Esther is a young cat from the barn/church with abusive parents (mostly her father, but her mother isn't much better). Deciding she wants a better life for herself and her baby sister, she braves the outside world.
I originally imagined this scene much creepier. The stag (Whisper) is much further away, the road stands between him, and he's practically invisible behind the tree line...
but I got lazy. I'm also not skilled at moody drawings, and I was just doodling for funsies. Whisper looks more surprised than menacing.
Can you guess who my favorite character is?
