Old art from 2009!

A scene from Inyx's life, before she became her Tribe's leader. Inyx is one of my Murai characters. This piece is actually mixed media and was drawn and colored with markers, but had digital lighting/shadowing added later. I liked the effect. :D

Born to pure, desert-blooded Murai parents, Inyx grew up learning everything from her mother. She never met her father, as most desert pups never do. She relied on her Clan to protect her and teach her everything she needed to know about surviving in the extreme conditions her ancestors had weathered for many generations. By age two, she was easily following in the footsteps of her mother. Her Clan was proud of her and could easily see that she would one day make a great leader.

At the conclusion of two year's worth of lessons, she fell in love with a rogue male that often drifted in and out of the Clan. They spent many months together in secret, usually meeting at night and running across the desert together. During a crucial time in her training to be leader, she discovered she was pregnant with her lover's puplings. As soon as her Clanmates caught wind of this, she was ridiculed and harshly scorned. Her mother was the most hurt of all. Claiming that Inyx had ruined her chances of being Hollowsand's greatest Clan leader, they engaged in a bloody battle. Inyx was clawed sharply across the face by her furious mother, blinding her in one eye. Mustering what little strength she had after their battle, she left her Clan in search of her lover, as well as protection while her wounds healed.

Weeks passed as she searched for him. She remained on the outskirts of her mother's lands, though she kept a hefty distance from camp. Hidden within the safety of a canyon cave, she gave birth to two small male puplings, though they were severely underweight and malnourished due to Inyx's inability to hunt and care for herself during her pregnancy. They died only days later. Devastated, she buried her puplings and returned to her Clan to ask for forgiveness. To her surprise, her pain would not end there.

The Clan had been attacked by Gorbears during her abscence. Her mother had been killed defending her Clan, while many of the faces she'd grown up around were torn and tattered. Heartbroken, she vowed to rebuild her mother's Clan and take her place as leader. While her Clanmates were skeptical at first, they accepted her back into their ranks and, after a year of Inyx proving to be what her mother claimed she never would be, eventually became Hollowsand's greatest leader.

The fire in her heart has dimmed significantly over the past three years, ever since the loss of her only litter and greatest mentor. She never found the male that had impregnated her and she hopes they never cross paths again in the future. Blind in one eye, she is one of the greatest hunters and fighters of all the desert Murai. A formidable opponent in any battle, she is determined to keep the Clan alive, despite their growing hesitation and reluctance to remain in the desert. She feels she owes it to her mother to keep their traditions and values alive.

Inyx, Murai and Artwork © Me