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"Reach fer the skyyyy, ya no-good dirty varmint!"

The little cat pointed her fingers up at the taller furre, who smirked softly as he raised his paws in defeat.

"Oh no, it's Sheriff Ace! An' here I was takin' such care t'keep outta sight, too. Looks like ya finally got me."

Ace rolled her eyes and huffed as she beckoned for him to get closer. He bent down, one of his long ears poised and listening.

"No, Daddy!" she chided. "I ain't a sheriff!"

Art straightened up, bemusement on his face. "Oh no? Then what are ya?"

The borrowed hat on his daughter's head slipped down over her eyes and she pushed it back up, revealing a triumphant grin. "Only the strongest an' smartest an' roughest an' notorious an'*most dangerous outlaw who ever done lived!" She pointed her "guns" at Art again and pretended to shoot at him while doing a twirl, which resulted in her falling flat onto her backside. "*Iiii'm Art! Oof!"

Art blinked. He wasn't sure whether to feel flattered, amused, terrified, or all three. "O-oh...I, uh...I see..."

He stared down at Ace. Her wings were poking out of the bottom of his jacket, which was far too big for her and not meant for feathers, and his hat kept flopping over her face even as she got back up and stood before him once more. She had no idea how closely she came to hitting the proverbial nail on the head when she called him a notorious, dangerous outlaw. And yet, here was this child, this pure and innocent creature he and Tessa made, who thought the world and more of him without a second thought.

Neither potential holes in his clothing nor his checkered past could ever stop him from doing whatever it took to keep this little girl safe and happy. He smiled and reached down to pick his hat off her head so he could ruffle her hair, despite her giggling protests and batting paws. Once the hat was replaced, he stepped back from her with his arms crossed and his usual half-grin spread across his face.

"So, Art, yer fixin' fer a showdown, huh? Well..." Still grinning, he turned around and looked over his shoulder at Ace.

"Yer gonna hafta catch me first!"

And with that, they were both off and running, their laughter echoing through the desert.
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Actually I had originally planned on doing this as a little Father's Day thing, but that clearly never happened. XD

Done in Procreate (sketch, lines, flats, and background) and Photoshop (shading and grass).

Characters and artwork (c) .
Do not copy, edit, redistribute, or reupload this or any other piece in my gallery elsewhere.