sealle on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/sealle/art/The-Search-692053393sealle

Deviation Actions

The Search

Published: Jul 12, 2017

3.6K Views

Description

Ok, i'm so behind where i wanted to be.. but inspiration and motivation have been killed recently and i have hated the old sketch for this rite so just sat down and redrew it tonight. I don't know if i will do it to the level i always imagined it, but the weight of it sitting there undone has been stopping me and i need to get past this so that the sads don't keep killing me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Previously:

Her nose twitched, breathing in the scents of the earth, the doe that had passed this way earlier, the scent of a male Tokota marking territory. But it was not the male she was seeking.

The brown half mane trotted on, her sure and steady stride now faltering as exhaustion and starvation began to eat away at her. She had not hunted since she had lost him. She barely drank, and what little rest she managed was short until the restlessness returned.

When they had covered him with dirt, she had watched. When they slept she had investigated the strange ground. The large form was gone, but the smell remained. The next few days she had lingered in the area, keeping her silent vigils as the scent had gradually faded. It was then that her restless search had started. Each tree she passed, each stream and valley she walked, all had been shared and all were empty. Her cries had faded through the nights as she moved further and further from her home. No matter where she went, she found no trace of him.

Her paws hurt. Wearily she walked into a clearing that had been a regular haunt. They had spent many warm summer days sleeping, playing, and hunting with their humans. It was here that she had first felt the excitement of a playmate. Curling up her ears drooped and she sighed. The basic instinct to survive warred with the desperation of her search. She needed to feed, but whenever she caught a scent, she couldn't seem to abandon her search. As well as food, she felt the tug of the pack she had left. The pups needed protecting now that her mate had gone, but somewhere out there...

Her hackles rose and her head jerked up at the snap of a branch, staring into the forest she let a feral snarl break into the peaceful night. She wanted no company. Several tense minutes passed before she settled back down again, soft whines escaping at the tension and pain in her body. But even she was not impervious and exhaustion soon overrode her wariness and sleep claimed her.

After only a few hours of restless paw twitching sleep, filled with more endless searching, a strong gust of wind brought new scents that made her nose twitch and eyes open. The sky was still dark and filled with the shifting glow that her pack sang to, and Kaniq stretched slowly to remove the stiffness that had seeped into her before sitting and watching the arcs of light. Normally she would lift her muzzle and sing her joy and pride and vigor for life, but she was alone and the instinct paled as her eyes took in the empty meadow once more.

Looking back towards her pack, her home, she felt the urge to return to the warmth, food and safety. There her grown pups remained, the human pups would be sleeping and whimpering those high pitched noises that stirred her protective instincts. She could curl in the warmth on the pelts and grasses that lined her den. She could hunt, or share the food that the human pups liked to bring her. It was safe and warm and the comfort of pack was hard to resist. But the wind was blowing, and there were places she had not searched. Her mate could be out there, and the same instinct that had kept her beside her human all those years, refused to let her abandon her search.

Standing up she cast one last look around the meadow, one last scent of the air in hope that it would bring a trace of him to her. Then she turned and without looking back trotted into the forest to continue her search.

Next:

~~~~~~~~~~

Link to Alpha confirmation: comments.deviantart.com/1/6133…

Prompt:
#15 - Your Tokota has faced many hardships on their road to becoming a respected leader; revisit a memory from the Tokota's earlier years/puphood, or re-draw/re-write an old art piece.
Redrawn Scene - When Love Bites
Bonus':
+10 for somehow including your Tokota's RoD companion in full body (Spirit Bear)
+10 for correct setting. (The Superiors)
+10 for a short story of at least 500 words

Previous Tasks: Grief, You are here

Featuring: Solvieg 217 - DECEASED

Image size

4092x3030px 8.22 MB

Comments42

Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In

BerwynRyker

Dec 21, 2017

THIS OMG 😭😭 Not gonna lie, I definitely cried. This was so beautifully touching yet so horribly upsetting

This touched my soul. Keep up the good work, it definitely pays off.