This is a comic I have been working on for a while. Just a comic page; nothing more.

However, even as just a page, it still has a lot of thought behind it.

Do you happen to know of the tale about a fox trying in vain to get the grapes from the tree in Aesop's Fables? Well, this is based off of that. Also, the tale of the mouse helping the lion with a thorn in his paw (or in some versions the mouse helping the lion out of a roped trap) also came to mind, so I kinda mixed the two up a little and got this. (If you don't, I'll have links to Wikipedia and the story at the bottom of the post for reference.)

When creating this, I was going to add speech. But I couldn't think of what they would say, so I thought about how I could show this in the most impactful way without a word being uttered between them. A silent understanding that would speak volumes to the reader.

Plus, as an added bonus to that decision, anyone can look at this and understand it!~

I had drawn the idea in May. I got myself to drawing this traditionally in June and finished it somewhen in mid October. But, with how I constantly shade things traditionally I refused to color it, fearing that I'd smudge all the hard work I did, and the colors would not be as vibrant. So when I was able to finally scan it, I traced over all my work and colored it. (obviously)

I have two versions, since I couldn't decide what the background should be.

This one is the colored background.

The Fox and the Grapes

"A hungry fox saw some fine bunches of grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach. So he gave up trying and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, 'I thought those grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour.'"

The Lion and the Mouse

"A lion asleep in his lair was waked up by a mouse running over his face. Losing his temper he seized it with his paw and was about to kill it. The mouse, terrified, piteously entreated him to spare its life. 'Please let me go,' it cried, 'and one day I will repay you for your kindness.' The idea of so insignificant a creature ever being able to do anything for him amused the lion so much that he laughed aloud, and good-humoredly let it go. But the mouse's chance came, after all. One day the lion got entangled in a net which had been spread for game by some hunters, and the mouse heard and recognized his roars of anger and ran to the spot. Without more ado it set to work to gnaw the ropes with its teeth, and succeeded before long in setting the lion free. 'There!' said the mouse, 'you laughed at me when I promised I would repay you. But now you see, even a mouse can help a lion.'"

(both taken from Barnes and Noble Classics Aesop's Fables translated by V.S. Vernon Jones)