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Description
An odd sound rouses Lillium from their afternoon routine.

It was a tiny sound, somewhere between a wail of sorrow and a sigh of defeat. It whimpered softly, quieting into nothing before starting once more in a rhythmn. An echoing pattern that caught Lillium's attention in an instant. Their stomach churns, a butterfly of anxiety dancing in the pit of their gut.

The soft sound led them through their forest, beckoning them through the trees like a siren's song. It didn't take long for the tawny Esk to find a break in the trees, and a familiar sight to them: An old, abandoned barn, worn by time and by weather. It's roof was beginning to sag inwards, bending in under the weight of many years of disrepair. The wood and siding around the outer walls of the structure were beginning to break and tear, leaving holes and spiderweb cracks spreading throughout the outside of the old building. Nature had begun to overtake the structure, slowly but surely, winding its long vines and knee-high ferns through anything it could grasp onto and grow within. Grass grew taller still, swaying heavily in the breeze.

And from the creaky old building, was the sound. A small, echoing cry. Lillium inches closer, careful to soften their footfalls as they approached. They wouldn't want to scare the poor thing.

They take a pause at the stained barn doors, and take in a shaky breath they didn't need. Using their telekentic energy they push against the old barn doors, feeling intense resistance from the vines that had tangled through its hinges. It opens finally with a low groan, the wood stiff from its years of disuse.

Sunlight spills into the room, illuminating the giant room at once. The source of the sound is silohuetted in golden light, and Lillium's heart drops.

A tiny puppy lay on the far end of the barn, no more than four or five weeks old. If the Esk had to guess, it was only barely old enough to walk. It's brown fur was scruffy and unkempt, a sign that it had been in the wild for some time. The animal didn't seem to react to the door opening at all, instead it stayed completely still in the shadow of Lillium's body. It was curled tightly around itself, head facing away from the door and the Esk that stood in it. The only way that Lillium knew that the tiny creature was still alive was due to the low, rhythmic whining that escaped it every couple of moments.

"Don't be afraid, little one." Lillium says quietly, using their telepathic voice to communicate with the silohuette ahead of them. They pause in the doorway, too afraid of spooking the tiny creature to approach further. The puppy's head whips up in an instant, turning around to face them with wide eyes. They could see a dozen thoughts run through the animal's head at one time -- should they run? Should they fight? Or should they just stay quiet? But in an instant the thoughts were gone, replaced with sadness that hung heavy beneath the puppy's eyes.

The pup seems to deflate slightly, and with a turn of their head it moves to look back at the wall opposite to them. A small, makeshift nest-like bed lay just beyond the small lump, freshly abandoned. It was pushed down heavily in multiple spots, places for tiny bodies to rest when night fell. Lillium could only guess that the puppy had not always been as alone as it was now. The puppy looks up at the make-shift bed and seems to deflate further, letting out another defeated whine. The sound twists within Lillium's heart, and they sigh heavily.

"It's okay, child. I'm here with you now,"

---------------

This one is a day late, because I had a couple of struggles with it and wanted to be 100% sure I liked it before uploading! Day 3 of Esktober Calendar ! This is also done as a commission for DarlSark for Barn's Origin Prompt, "Meeting the Esk"! Thank you my friend, it was a bunch of fun bringing this to life!

Heres a little bit of backstory between Lillium | #092 Tracker and DarlSark 's Esk Character Tracker - 155 (Barn) !! We've been mulling on this story for a while, so it was a huge joy to make it come to life finally. This one was done with a limited color palette (except for the characters), and I think I'll stick with it for the rest of these! It was a bunch of fun. Palette can be found here: 66.media.tumblr.com/0c99170dc7… (number 14)!

< Previous [Esktober] 02. Swarm | COMING SOON >

GP Breakdown:
Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)
+2 GP (Full Body Bonus)
+6 GP (Full/Scenic Background)
+6 GP (600 WC in description)
+10 (Origin Prompt Bonus)
Total GP per submission: 28

AP Breakdown:
Base Score: 10 AP (Shaded Illustration)
+5 AP (Full Body Bonus)
+20 AP (Full/Scenic Background)
+10 AP (Other Esk Bonus: 10 AP * 1)
+20 AP (Esk Interaction Bonus: 10 AP * 2)
+12 AP (600 WC in description)
+50 AP (Origin Prompt)
Total AP per submission: 137 AP

Description
An odd sound rouses Lillium from their afternoon routine.

It was a tiny sound, somewhere between a wail of sorrow and a sigh of defeat. It whimpered softly, quieting into nothing before starting once more in a rhythmn. An echoing pattern that caught Lillium's attention in an instant. Their stomach churns, a butterfly of anxiety dancing in the pit of their gut.

The soft sound led them through their forest, beckoning them through the trees like a siren's song. It didn't take long for the tawny Esk to find a break in the trees, and a familiar sight to them: An old, abandoned barn, worn by time and by weather. It's roof was beginning to sag inwards, bending in under the weight of many years of disrepair. The wood and siding around the outer walls of the structure were beginning to break and tear, leaving holes and spiderweb cracks spreading throughout the outside of the old building. Nature had begun to overtake the structure, slowly but surely, winding its long vines and knee-high ferns through anything it could grasp onto and grow within. Grass grew taller still, swaying heavily in the breeze.

And from the creaky old building, was the sound. A small, echoing cry. Lillium inches closer, careful to soften their footfalls as they approached. They wouldn't want to scare the poor thing.

They take a pause at the stained barn doors, and take in a shaky breath they didn't need. Using their telekentic energy they push against the old barn doors, feeling intense resistance from the vines that had tangled through its hinges. It opens finally with a low groan, the wood stiff from its years of disuse.

Sunlight spills into the room, illuminating the giant room at once. The source of the sound is silohuetted in golden light, and Lillium's heart drops.

A tiny puppy lay on the far end of the barn, no more than four or five weeks old. If the Esk had to guess, it was only barely old enough to walk. It's brown fur was scruffy and unkempt, a sign that it had been in the wild for some time. The animal didn't seem to react to the door opening at all, instead it stayed completely still in the shadow of Lillium's body. It was curled tightly around itself, head facing away from the door and the Esk that stood in it. The only way that Lillium knew that the tiny creature was still alive was due to the low, rhythmic whining that escaped it every couple of moments.

"Don't be afraid, little one." Lillium says quietly, using their telepathic voice to communicate with the silohuette ahead of them. They pause in the doorway, too afraid of spooking the tiny creature to approach further. The puppy's head whips up in an instant, turning around to face them with wide eyes. They could see a dozen thoughts run through the animal's head at one time -- should they run? Should they fight? Or should they just stay quiet? But in an instant the thoughts were gone, replaced with sadness that hung heavy beneath the puppy's eyes.

The pup seems to deflate slightly, and with a turn of their head it moves to look back at the wall opposite to them. A small, makeshift nest-like bed lay just beyond the small lump, freshly abandoned. It was pushed down heavily in multiple spots, places for tiny bodies to rest when night fell. Lillium could only guess that the puppy had not always been as alone as it was now. The puppy looks up at the make-shift bed and seems to deflate further, letting out another defeated whine. The sound twists within Lillium's heart, and they sigh heavily.

"It's okay, child. I'm here with you now,"

---------------

This one is a day late, because I had a couple of struggles with it and wanted to be 100% sure I liked it before uploading! Day 3 of Esktober Calendar ! This is also done as a commission for DarlSark for Barn's Origin Prompt, "Meeting the Esk"! Thank you my friend, it was a bunch of fun bringing this to life!

Heres a little bit of backstory between Lillium | #092 Tracker and DarlSark 's Esk Character Tracker - 155 (Barn) !! We've been mulling on this story for a while, so it was a huge joy to make it come to life finally. This one was done with a limited color palette (except for the characters), and I think I'll stick with it for the rest of these! It was a bunch of fun. Palette can be found here: 66.media.tumblr.com/0c99170dc7… (number 14)!

< Previous [Esktober] 02. Swarm | COMING SOON >

GP Breakdown:
Base Score: 4 GP (Shaded Illustration)
+2 GP (Full Body Bonus)
+6 GP (Full/Scenic Background)
+6 GP (600 WC in description)
+10 (Origin Prompt Bonus)
Total GP per submission: 28

AP Breakdown:
Base Score: 10 AP (Shaded Illustration)
+5 AP (Full Body Bonus)
+20 AP (Full/Scenic Background)
+10 AP (Other Esk Bonus: 10 AP * 1)
+20 AP (Esk Interaction Bonus: 10 AP * 2)
+12 AP (600 WC in description)
+50 AP (Origin Prompt)
Total AP per submission: 137 AP