Dear @zeestortion this is your gift for @natsume-ss
Of the themes you provided for your Secret Santa gift, I attempted to tick off the following:
Likes/Yes: romantic or platonic natsume/tanuma, fluffy/comfy scenarios, animals, night scenes, stars, contrasting colors
Prompts: reunion, alternative universe, stargazing
It was my first time drawing on black paper 🤭 It was difficult to do justice to the drawing with the lighting when taking a photo, so here are two. I hope you enjoy them and the accompanying story!
The wolf spirit Natsume sat on the shore of the lake, glowing silvery white in the night.
A second wolf spirit emerged from the forest. With his coal-black fur and eyes, well camouflaged and difficult to distinguish from the dark trees and bushes due to the lack of contrast, Tanuma was easy to miss. Inconspicuous. But Natsume always saw him and was now waiting for him.
They sat quietly next to each other in their usual spot and gazed at the stars. Yet, on this night, not everything was as usual, which Natsume didn't notice this time, but Tanuma did.
Curious, he stretched his neck, tilted his head slightly and sat up to get a better view of the sky. "These stars... they're... colourful?" It's half incredulous question, half cautious answer, as he looked at each of the stars, which seemed to shine brighter than they should.
Natsume stood up, his green eyes fixed on Tanuma. "Can you see...?", he asked, torn between fear and hope.
Tanuma's gaze was firmly focused on the sky, on the stars, on the colours that spread out and condensed into a shape, a form, a billowing veil under the dark blue night sky, illuminating the mountains, the forests, the lake and every living creature.
"What..." His voice failed him. Awe constricted his heart, overwhelmed by emotion.
"It's the Great Spirit," Natsume confirmed in a whisper, equally shaken.
Tanuma could see, finally see, and he was finally seen, noticed by the Spirit of the Night, the God of Wolves. He was no longer overlooked.