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Description

Illustration for the Windsonde Turtle Festival.

Valcaur was lounging at the edge of the wrestling pit with some of the other big muscle from Skrekrill. Dom and Briggen, feathers already slick with white clay, sat by his side.

"Since he left, who you going to challenge?" Dom asked. Valcaur narrowed his eyes. Unlike Dom, his feathers were clean and dry--no one from the other aeries had yet dared challenge him to a match. He had declined invitations from his friends, intending to save his strength for Titania's Malarky, or whatever she called them. Skerry--he couldn't wait to shove that long-bodied gryphon's face into the mud!

Skerry may have beat him in the air, and held him to a draw on dry soil, but there was no way he could take down the mighty Valcaur in a mud wrestling competition! Valcaur puffed his feathered mane at the thought of how awesome he was, until he remembered that Skerry was gone. He had left the wrestling arena sometime during Dom and Briggen's match. Valcaur had been so distracted by the spectacle he had not even noticed his intended opponent leave. His mane deflated slightly at the loss.

"What about him?" nudged Briggen, indicating a striking Ornate Hawk-Eagle gryphon. It was Skooma, from Grandesque. "He's one of the Maralachs too."

Valcaur looked in the direction Briggen had pointed and snorted. "Fancy Feathers? Eh, I guess since Skerry's gone... why not?" With a definite strut to his step, Valcaur strode over to Skooma. "Arena's empty," he said. "Up for a match?"

The soft corners of Skooma's beak thinned in something approaching a grin. "I would relish the opportunity."

~~~~~~~~

The match--a draw that ended when neither gryphon could keep the other pinned and chests were heaving with exertion--did not disappoint the gathered crowd. However, each participant felt their victory had been thwarted. Valcaur grunted begrudgingly as he walked past Skooma. He had to concede he had underestimated Titania's other Maralach. Both were covered to their beaks in clay--four times they had gone down together, grappling and thrashing--and Valcaur wanted to bathe before it all dried. He saw that Hawksbill Tidefall was empty and hurried off at a trot to claim it.

At that moment, a shadow passed immediately overhead and spattered him with clay. Skooma! The Hawk-Eagle gryphon landed a few paces ahead, no more able to fly to the waterfall than Valcaur with all that mud caked on his feathers. He continued on the ground at a slightly brisker trot and Valcaur knew he had only flown those few paces to continue the competition. So it was to be a race now?

Unfortunately, sprinting was a sport at which Skooma won handily. Valcaur's hefty body was designed for the ground, but for ambush and endurance, not for speed. When he arrived at the tidefall, Skooma was already splashing himself clean. Two can play this game Valcaur thought with a grin. And it was his very favorite game: Provocation!

"Excuse me," Valcaur said, brusquely shoving past the other gryphon. He made sure a liberal amount of the wet clay on his own body rubbed off on Skooma's freshly cleaned feathers. Pretending to ignore the other's presence, Skooma spread one broad wing and began to preen, diverting the water away from Valcaur.

After shaking his feathers in an excessively exuberant rouse (and spreading mud everywhere in the process), Valcaur shoved Skooma aside once again. Skooma shoved back... and soon enough, the wrestling match was resumed! Water sprayed everywhere as the titans clashed beneath the tidefall, free of audience but having fun.

~~~~~~~~

Long story. Essentially, Valcaur meets his match in wrestling and finds someone who enjoys provoking a friendly fight as much as he does!

This painting would have been finished much sooner if not for that waterfall! Though I love waterfalls, I repainted that one several times and will probably repaint it again later. However, I'm happy with the way the picture as a whole turned out and enjoyed drawing the two gryphons pushing and shoving each other.

Valcauroch "Valcaur" is my character
Skooma belongs to =skysealer
In the background:
Grimmald belongs to *Bailiwick
Kerberos belongs to *LacedDog

Description

Illustration for the Windsonde Turtle Festival.

Valcaur was lounging at the edge of the wrestling pit with some of the other big muscle from Skrekrill. Dom and Briggen, feathers already slick with white clay, sat by his side.

"Since he left, who you going to challenge?" Dom asked. Valcaur narrowed his eyes. Unlike Dom, his feathers were clean and dry--no one from the other aeries had yet dared challenge him to a match. He had declined invitations from his friends, intending to save his strength for Titania's Malarky, or whatever she called them. Skerry--he couldn't wait to shove that long-bodied gryphon's face into the mud!

Skerry may have beat him in the air, and held him to a draw on dry soil, but there was no way he could take down the mighty Valcaur in a mud wrestling competition! Valcaur puffed his feathered mane at the thought of how awesome he was, until he remembered that Skerry was gone. He had left the wrestling arena sometime during Dom and Briggen's match. Valcaur had been so distracted by the spectacle he had not even noticed his intended opponent leave. His mane deflated slightly at the loss.

"What about him?" nudged Briggen, indicating a striking Ornate Hawk-Eagle gryphon. It was Skooma, from Grandesque. "He's one of the Maralachs too."

Valcaur looked in the direction Briggen had pointed and snorted. "Fancy Feathers? Eh, I guess since Skerry's gone... why not?" With a definite strut to his step, Valcaur strode over to Skooma. "Arena's empty," he said. "Up for a match?"

The soft corners of Skooma's beak thinned in something approaching a grin. "I would relish the opportunity."

~~~~~~~~

The match--a draw that ended when neither gryphon could keep the other pinned and chests were heaving with exertion--did not disappoint the gathered crowd. However, each participant felt their victory had been thwarted. Valcaur grunted begrudgingly as he walked past Skooma. He had to concede he had underestimated Titania's other Maralach. Both were covered to their beaks in clay--four times they had gone down together, grappling and thrashing--and Valcaur wanted to bathe before it all dried. He saw that Hawksbill Tidefall was empty and hurried off at a trot to claim it.

At that moment, a shadow passed immediately overhead and spattered him with clay. Skooma! The Hawk-Eagle gryphon landed a few paces ahead, no more able to fly to the waterfall than Valcaur with all that mud caked on his feathers. He continued on the ground at a slightly brisker trot and Valcaur knew he had only flown those few paces to continue the competition. So it was to be a race now?

Unfortunately, sprinting was a sport at which Skooma won handily. Valcaur's hefty body was designed for the ground, but for ambush and endurance, not for speed. When he arrived at the tidefall, Skooma was already splashing himself clean. Two can play this game Valcaur thought with a grin. And it was his very favorite game: Provocation!

"Excuse me," Valcaur said, brusquely shoving past the other gryphon. He made sure a liberal amount of the wet clay on his own body rubbed off on Skooma's freshly cleaned feathers. Pretending to ignore the other's presence, Skooma spread one broad wing and began to preen, diverting the water away from Valcaur.

After shaking his feathers in an excessively exuberant rouse (and spreading mud everywhere in the process), Valcaur shoved Skooma aside once again. Skooma shoved back... and soon enough, the wrestling match was resumed! Water sprayed everywhere as the titans clashed beneath the tidefall, free of audience but having fun.

~~~~~~~~

Long story. Essentially, Valcaur meets his match in wrestling and finds someone who enjoys provoking a friendly fight as much as he does!

This painting would have been finished much sooner if not for that waterfall! Though I love waterfalls, I repainted that one several times and will probably repaint it again later. However, I'm happy with the way the picture as a whole turned out and enjoyed drawing the two gryphons pushing and shoving each other.

Valcauroch "Valcaur" is my character
Skooma belongs to =skysealer
In the background:
Grimmald belongs to *Bailiwick
Kerberos belongs to *LacedDog