This is probably one of the more somber illustrations I've done for TLK here. What you see here is a lioness named Mila, who was once Nuka's one and only lover, mourning his untimely death near the site of the gorge where it happened. Although it seemed strange to the other Outsiders, Mila really did love him, and for a while, they seemed utterly inseparable. But then when Nuka was tragically killed, she felt utterly crushed in every way, and fell into a state of depression for some time. It didn't help that, shortly after the union of the prides, Mila found out that she was indeed carrying his cubs thanks to what happened on one of their last nights together. She realized that Nuka would never get to see them be born, or even know that they would be. And now here she is, mourning his loss at the gorge where it all happened. She gently sheds a single tear as she thinks about how happy he would have been to hear the good news.

I suppose this is actually kind of a downer compared to some of my other drawings here, but I figured I needed to do something different here just for variety sake. This image was inspired by a song called The Long and Winding Road by the Beatles and Phil Spector. (Yes, that version of it.) The solemn lyrics and the gorgeous instrumental match perfectly with what I was going for here. Because in a sense, Nuka really did leave Mila standing there a long time ago, even if it was unintentional. For those of you who have never heard the song, here's what I'm referring to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LneBIOa9B8s

Let me know in the comments what you think!