A shower of shrapnel, equal part splinters and rended tree bark, grazed the armor clad Hunter. The metal plating around their knees creaked and buckled as they desperately fled.

THWACK

A barbed mace, grey and misshapen with scales, slammed into the Hunter's back. Iron and stitched together leather crumpled and deformed under the bone breaking blow as they collapsed to the forest floor with a pained gasp. Grunts and groans tumbled free from their fluted visor while they skidded along the various mosses, detritus, and tree roots that cluttered the shaded undergrowth.

“Ungh...” wheezed the Hunter. His limbs, trembling and weak, failed him. The great Hammer in his grasp, crafted from quill and bone, would not save him. He had long since exhausted the strength needed to wield it.

THUMP THUMP THOOM

Fists clenched and teeth grit... the Hunter grimaced as his prey turned predator approached. Its heavy footfalls, felt more than heard, came to a halt behind him.

“It's no use...” he panted as he tucked his chin against his shoulder. Gasping for air, his heart sank at the sight of that terrible mace hoisted overhead. That, and the tail it was attached to.

Eyes shut tight the Hunter silently awaited his judgment. The foul creature's tail bobbed and weaved as it mulled how to deliver the decisive blow. To his despair it purposefully dragged out its answer.

“Just do it already!” the Hunter screamed.

Muscles tensed, that black furred tail snapped to attention with the crack of a whip. At breakneck speeds did the triumphant beast bring its weapon to bear against the back of the Hunter's head for... a very gentle boop.

“Annnnd that's cart number three,” a syrupy voice called out.

“Dammit dammit dammit,” the Hunter groaned. Head tonked against the earth, mushrooms and crunched insect carapaces coating his visor, the fallen Hunter wallowed in self pity.

“Oh don't be like that,” tutted the dread beast.

“I will be like that,” whined back the Hunter.

---

I have an embarrassment of art to post and share. A literal treasure hoard of it is locked away within my wooly curls. So expect a lot of these for a bit!

Behold! One of my, chronologically, very first pictures of Nell from my silly Monster Hugger series.

Her design, as you can tell from all the other pictures of her, was rapidly refined but it's still cute to look back at the original piece that kicked it off for me. That and see how her style has changed over time.

Blurb pulled straight from the very first chapter of Monster Hugger!

As always these adorable arts are by none other than  Jazzumi!