So...I am looking for someone to illustrate a part of a story that I've written, so I thought that I might as well open a contest. There are three places--first, second and third. Click on the pets above to see which level they are the prize for. ^_^
Here's how it works:
~Read the rules and requirements. Please don't skim--there's some important things you need to know before you start. Then, if you are interested, read the excerpt.
~After reading the excerpt, you can begin the illustration. And then post a link to it here--and that's it! ^_^
Rules
*I have the right to close this at any time, with or without a winner.
*Do not send a trade for the prizes, even if you did win first/second/third--I'll send it to you!
*Do not whine. >_<; Please...
Requirements
*You need to have read the excerpt.
*The illustration in question needs to be a scene from the excerpt. (why else would I post an excerpt?)
*The characters that you might choose to illustrate are cats--I would prefer that you draw them as such, but I don't mind anthro. ^_^
*It can be in greyscale or color, digital or traditional, whatever you want to do. However, do not color line arts for this.
That's it! Here is the excerpt:
Ashfur opens his mouth, and closes it again. What? Him? Love Squirrelflight? Still? He had once fancied her, and had felt almost whole when she liked him...but that was before he found out that he was being used. Before she shattered his heart. But Hollyleaf had put it back together again, carefully placing every broken shard in it's proper place, fixing his life, adding new meaning to it. And here she was, leaving him.
His mind flashes back to before. He is standing in a sunny clearing, looking at Squirrelflight. She bore the same grief-striken, agonized look that Hollyleaf wore now. She had asked him to come here with her, and she seemed to want to tell him something. Her voice echoes in his mind; "I'm sorry, Ashfur, but this isn't working out..." she said more, but he did not hear it. He had begged and pleaded with her, wondering what he had done to offend her to this extent. That was the day the world collapsed. And here it was, happening again.
He opens his eyes (he had hardly noticed closing them) and looked at Hollyleaf. She looks back, and cannot read the expression in his eyes.
"It's like before..." he murmurs, half to himself. He feels the rage well within himself, and instead of repressing it, as Hollyleaf has done with her guilt, he lets it go. It flows through his veins like adrenaline, energizing his very being, and before he knows it, has propelled himself through the air and is on her.
Hollyleaf is shocked, and fights back against the whirlwind of slashing claws and snapping jaws. What is this? What had she done? Why is he attacking her like this? He aims a blow at her left ear, and she dodges it, and counters his attack with a well-aimed slash on his shoulder. He breathes in as her claws scrape his skin. Seeing an opportunity, she dashes back a few steps, but he follows. He rears on his hind legs, about to pin her down, but she rears as well, and Ashfur finds his claws gripping her shoulders as she tries to get him away.
He has never felt this way before, He had never mean her harm, never before. But now all he wants to do was to throttle the life out of her, to feel her blood rushing past his claws, to hear her scream...
Hollyleaf is terrified. The vehemence blazing in his sapphire eyes, the rage pouring from his every pore, the way his breath is hot with anger on her neck...
She twists away just in time to save her neck from being cut open by his long fangs. She whirls around, and leaps. Her teeth meet in his neck, and suddenly the fire in his eyes fades away.
He looks up at her from where he is laying on the cold, unforgiving earth. He can see the dim outline of the sun, forming a sort of halo around her. He feels the blood painfully throbbing out of his neck, but he makes no move to stop it. He sees the way her eyes are wide with shock and pain, and he realizes a bit late, that she is not like Squirrelflight. She did not trick him into falling in love with her in order to win someone else. She did not ruthlessly abandon him, as had Squirrelflight. She loved him, unlike Squirrelflight.
He manages to rasp out a phrase, and Hollyleaf, through her shock, catches it.
"Forgive me."
Sing me to sleep, I'll see you in my dreams,
waiting to say, "I miss you. I'm so sorry."
Numbly, Hollyleaf crouches down besides him. She smoothes the fur down on his face, and looks into his eyes for the last time. His blue eyes dimly look into hers, and she thinks she sees a smile hidden inside them. She opens her jaws to mew her answer, but he makes a strangled sound, jerks once, and his eyes mist over.
No, no, no! This can't...can't...
She buries her face in his fur, her ebony body racking with silent sobs. She hadn't given him her answer...why had she waited so long! How could she have--
She stiffens, hearing a twig snap. She looks up, her emerald eyes dull with sorrow. Hollyleaf glances at the ferns, and then slowly turns her head and looks at the stream. There, standing perched on one of the stepping stones is a magnificent tortoiseshell and white tom. At his paws is a twig, neatly broken in half.
"Well orchestrated, Hollyleaf," he mews, and Hollyleaf and her grief is swept away by his voice, his melodious, beautiful voice. Regardless of what he says, the tones and rhythms that pour out of his mouth are angelic. "You truly are the cleverest she-cat in all of ThunderClan."
He delicately leaps off of the rock and over the water, landing on the bank. He had seen most of what had happened, how she had been talking to the grey-furred cat (wasn't his name Sootfur or Ashfoot or something?) and how he had suddenly leapt at Hollyleaf, and how Hollyleaf managed to kill him. He had seen this cat before, when he was fleeing the fire a few days ago. He had seen him threaten Hollyleaf with death, and then found out her secret and was now planning to tell that to everyone. So the loner assumed that Hollyleaf had set this all up, needing to protect herself.
He padded towards her, admiring her. She is so clever and beautiful and cunning and has these eyes that looked like they were made of pure emeralds...one look from them, and he would do anything for her.
Hollyleaf watches dimly as he comes closer.
"What is it, Sol?"
Sol looks at her curiously, the barest traces of concern flickering through his mesmerizing gold eyes. What was wrong? Her voice is cracked and shattered with regret and sadness. Perhaps it's her first time murdering...it takes a long time to get used to it.
"Nothing. I'm just admiring your excellent plan. I hope to learn something from it."
http://www.fanfiction.net/r/6000890/ <--you can read the entire thing if you want to get the gist of the entire story. :3
