Sketch commission for my friend InuRyoko who wanted to see what a bristlecone pine Dryad would look like.

Bristlecone pines are believed to be able to reach an age far greater than any other organism, and the oldest tree in the world, the famous Methuselah tree, is a Bristlecone.

I think a Dryad bonded to a very long lived tree would necessarily be very humble. Normally when a Dryad bonds to a tree, that tree has probably never been bonded to before, and may never be bonded to again after the Dryad dies. The bond is unique and special in a way - but with a tree that lives thousands of years, it’s inevitable that it’s been bonded to before and will be again. You’d have to know how small and transitory you are.

Drawn with the GIMP