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Description
I think this is done. It didn’t come out the way I hoped but I spent so much time on it that I can’t do anything more. A total experiment in flat-color textures. Suggestions and crit on the use of textures is sincerely welcome; not so much on the lineart since I know what I would change next time but it isn't going to be adjusted in this pic.

Many thanks to and for the use of their textures!

Eleanor (mine) and Günter (who belongs to .

*****

BONUS: Here’s the scene that goes with it (// is telepathic speech)

Eleanor settled at the base of the tree, her skirts flared around her. She beckoned to the great black beast to come sit beside her. His ears angled back and his tail still bristled in anger; as always, she was both utterly aware that he could destroy her in a heartbeat and at the same time she utterly knew he would never harm her. Did that make her stupid, for not running, or lucky, for understanding?

“Please, Günter,” she said softly, “come, sit. I’m safe, you see? We have a while before we must go back and I need to catch my breath first.”

/I should have killed him the first time he so much as looked your way,/ came the fierce reply. His eyes glowed more brightly for a moment. /I should have stopped him then. I should have known—/

/You had no way of knowing. I met him long before I met you, darling. We are simply fortunate that you were there to…/ she faltered, recovered. /…to stop him. Now please, come here and comfort me before I burst into tears or something equally stupid./

He growled, but the angle of his ears changed and his tail looked less like a brush. /You have reason to. He might have—/

/Must I keep interrupting you or will you. Please. Come. Here./

This time, he whined softly and crouched before her. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap and her face was drawn; she was still frightened even with the danger past and a man dead who had meant her harm. He reached out a forepaw to touch her face, then laid down before her like a protective wall between her and the world.

At first, he curled like a massive dog, his head on his paws, but she reached out a still-shaky hand to stroke his lovely fur. Her touch gently drew his head about until it rested in her lap, a comforting weight. Günter shifted his body about so that he could curl around her, one arm under her legs and the other at the ready lest danger strike again. Unlikely in this setting, at dusk in an empty meadow at the edge of the forest, but still.

His head was covered in soft, thick fur tinged silver along the middle. Her hands disappeared into it in places. He was more plush than a fine fur coat, and Ellie let her fingers find the spots he liked to be touched. She scratched behind his ears, following the direction of the fur . The tip of one ear, she brushed against her lips to feel just how soft it was; it reminded her of a sable paint brush, writ large and alive.

Günter’s eyes drifted closed until they were mere slits that cast their light upon the glossy short fur of his muzzle. He adjusted to hold her more closely, more comfortably. He decided to stay like that for as long as she needed, as long as she wanted. He was hers, he knew; it was far too late to pretend otherwise.

*****

Description
I think this is done. It didn’t come out the way I hoped but I spent so much time on it that I can’t do anything more. A total experiment in flat-color textures. Suggestions and crit on the use of textures is sincerely welcome; not so much on the lineart since I know what I would change next time but it isn't going to be adjusted in this pic.

Many thanks to and for the use of their textures!

Eleanor (mine) and Günter (who belongs to .

*****

BONUS: Here’s the scene that goes with it (// is telepathic speech)

Eleanor settled at the base of the tree, her skirts flared around her. She beckoned to the great black beast to come sit beside her. His ears angled back and his tail still bristled in anger; as always, she was both utterly aware that he could destroy her in a heartbeat and at the same time she utterly knew he would never harm her. Did that make her stupid, for not running, or lucky, for understanding?

“Please, Günter,” she said softly, “come, sit. I’m safe, you see? We have a while before we must go back and I need to catch my breath first.”

/I should have killed him the first time he so much as looked your way,/ came the fierce reply. His eyes glowed more brightly for a moment. /I should have stopped him then. I should have known—/

/You had no way of knowing. I met him long before I met you, darling. We are simply fortunate that you were there to…/ she faltered, recovered. /…to stop him. Now please, come here and comfort me before I burst into tears or something equally stupid./

He growled, but the angle of his ears changed and his tail looked less like a brush. /You have reason to. He might have—/

/Must I keep interrupting you or will you. Please. Come. Here./

This time, he whined softly and crouched before her. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap and her face was drawn; she was still frightened even with the danger past and a man dead who had meant her harm. He reached out a forepaw to touch her face, then laid down before her like a protective wall between her and the world.

At first, he curled like a massive dog, his head on his paws, but she reached out a still-shaky hand to stroke his lovely fur. Her touch gently drew his head about until it rested in her lap, a comforting weight. Günter shifted his body about so that he could curl around her, one arm under her legs and the other at the ready lest danger strike again. Unlikely in this setting, at dusk in an empty meadow at the edge of the forest, but still.

His head was covered in soft, thick fur tinged silver along the middle. Her hands disappeared into it in places. He was more plush than a fine fur coat, and Ellie let her fingers find the spots he liked to be touched. She scratched behind his ears, following the direction of the fur . The tip of one ear, she brushed against her lips to feel just how soft it was; it reminded her of a sable paint brush, writ large and alive.

Günter’s eyes drifted closed until they were mere slits that cast their light upon the glossy short fur of his muzzle. He adjusted to hold her more closely, more comfortably. He decided to stay like that for as long as she needed, as long as she wanted. He was hers, he knew; it was far too late to pretend otherwise.

*****