These are two new cheetah characters from Shadows of Africa, over on Gaiaonline. The gray boy belongs to me, the brown girl to a friend of mine.

These two are modeled after Cassiel and Elua, characters in the 'Kushiel's Legacy' books by Jacqueline Carry. The original characters are predominant in the religion of Terre D'Ange, Cassiel being an angel that left heaven to follow and protect Elua, who was born from the tears of Mary Magdalene and the blood of the Christ as it mixed in the earth. Elua was to the people of Terre D'Ange as the Christ was to other religions. His one and only commandment, though, was to Love as Thou Wilt. Of all the angels that left heaven to join Elua, only Cassiel chose not to follow that precept and instead, stood always at Elua's side to protect him.

These characters are a bit like the figures in the book, but obviously heavily modified for the rp setting. Cassiel is merely a cheetah from a coalition that believed themselves divine, separating themselves from the outside world to seek to be closer to the heavens. Stumbling across Elua while out on patrol of the borders one day, Cassiel matched her with a prophesy the coalition had about a cheetah that would finally break their earthly bonds and take them to live as gods in the sky. The only problem with this is that the coalition won't accept Elua as such, being a common born rogue and not one of their blessed number. So firm was Cassiel's belief in Elua that he left to follow her, deciding to always stand at her side and protect the prophetess from all harm.

I just felt like drawing the two of them. Cassiel's watching Elua stretch as the two wake up and prepare to greet the new day. He's a bit of a stick in the mud, very serious and rather prudish. Elua lives her ideal of Love as You Will, much to his embarrassment and exasperation sometimes. Quite the odd couple, but promising for fun rp. xD