Year of the Ox

Erasmus watched the lanky charr cub gather all the tools, place them where they belong, and meticulously fill all the troughs. The cub stomped around with way more force that was strictly necessary, ears drawn back, eyes pointed dead ahead.

The charr boy dropped his bucket next to a haystack. It fell over with a dull pang.

That seemed to have finally broken the youth's resolve. "Why do you ask me to do it when you know I can't?" the cub asked, whiskers bristling and horns pointed defiantly forward at no one in particular. The question rang through the empty stable louder than he intended.

The old charr shook his head, disappointed. "I don't need a mewling mouth to feed. I need someone who can tend to the stock." He limped over, nudged the cub out of the way and set the bucket straight. "You can. You just won't."

"I tried! You saw me!" the cub protested, voice sharp with all the indignation a youth can muster when he feels the world turning against him. "But that thing is like... hundred times my size! Why would it listen to me? It can just stomp me flat!"

The old charr crossed his arms, not bothering to hide his exasperation. If this was what a primus had to endure, he didn't envy their caste. But he also never asked to be one, improvised as their conditions were. "You think he can't do the same to me?"

The cub's nose twitched. "That's not the same."

"How?"

"You're bigger than me."

"But not bigger than the bull." Erasmus pushed back the urge to smirk. He could see the cub's defiance slowly erode. "I'm an old cripple. You think he wouldn't have a hard time giving me what's for?"

The cub wavered as two conflicting beliefs - the fear from the bull and the faith in the strength of his elder - collided. "But that's... it doesn't..."

The old charr finally allowed himself a satisfied smile and leaned forward to press the advantage. "There's nothing wrong with knowing the beast is stronger than you." He shifted to ease the strain in his bad leg. "Don't fear power, cub. Respect it. Then you won't need to be stronger to make him obey you."

The youth pulled a grimace, but his voice now lacked its erstwhile sharp tone. "My sire says something like that."

"Then he's a smart charr." When the tawny cub raised his head to look Erasmus in the eye, the defiance was gone. "Go ahead," Erasmus told him. "The cows need a stable for the night. Bring the bull in. They'll follow."

My warm-up sketches are usually quite less complicated – I just doodle whatever crosses my mind instead of attempting some sort of composition. This one had three. And yes, I landed on the most boring one, but the other two were kind of not doing it for me.

Can't say I'm exactly happy with it, but then again, I'm rarely exactly happy with my art. So if you're happy, that's good enough for me.

Context for non-GW people:
Guild Wars is currently celebrating Lunar New Year, one of its new prize items being a mount skin for the jackal, a Noble Aurochs. Spoiler alert: it's gorgeous. 

(Although I'm biased, I have a soft spot for cattle the size of a barn.)

I got lucky and the mount dropped for me. I pondered who's going to get to use it on a regular basis (skin unlocks account-wide, but I generally have assigned skins that fit each particular charr), the choice landed on a new cub I've had in storage for over a year now, ready for a class assignment when the new elite specs drop. One thing led to another, and suddenly, he has a backstory. I love writer bugs.