I am so happy about this piece! I won a "bust" in a contest from the inestimably talented  berymuch (the same who did the werewolf I colored). This is the first time Takáá Kistowa has been portrayed, the second of TK's nine lives. Takáá is a shaman warrior of the smilodon ancestors of the Blackfoot people. He lived on the fringes of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet during the last ice age. His most powerful spell is the ability to summon all nine of his lives from the past and the future, and here he can be seen casting it.

Unfortunately, the one time he cast it, it took nearly all of his life energy, and brought him near death (probably because he was casting it while possessing the body of his ninth life). The story can be found here: http://www.crosstimecafe.com/viewto.....=17&t=5058

I just cannot get over how beautiful this piece is. Berymuch did such an awesome job. And once again, he was the perfect person for the style. He even got the idea of painted-on stripes, which I had not thought to tell him, but was considering adding. And I love the emotion visible in his eye... there is concern, command, sadness, and so many more things mixed in.

Seriously, folks, go check out Bery's other work, too. He's got serious talent!