This was my entry for the Nordanner Dragon Hunt 2018, which was in August but I couldn't remember if I had posted it here or not. Sorry. Anyways, here it is.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
This took me about 40-some hours, I'd say. I'm not super happy with how it turned out, since I didn't really have enough time to get everything I wanted in there. But at least it's finished (note: finished, not up to my perfectionist standards)
From left to right, as featured: Autumn Storm, Cavalier (group horse), and Dutchess (group horse)
————
Here's the literature that I wrote for it:
The queen stood, watching the clamor in the courtyard. The smell of leather, hay, and sweat mingled in the air--the smell of a stable. Horses snorted and people rushed around, carrying tack, donning armor, or buckling straps.
It was time for the annual dragon hunt, and it couldn't have come at a better time. It had been a rough year, and the people had needed something to look forwards to. Queen Alora sighed, running a hand through her hair. A lot of the new recruits were heading out, and this would be their first time out in the field, with real, wild, dragons, and real danger. But she had faith; she'd seen them train and everyone had progressed spectacularly.
She held a regal stance as knights mounted up, squires and pages and grooms bustling about, making last-minute preparations. There was a pang in her heart, knowing that with some of the old generals, this would be their last dragon hunt with the palace. She shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts. 'This is a time to be excited,' she chided herself. 'Enjoy it.'
Once everyone was settled, the knights turned to salute their Queen, who gave a single nod in reply. In that one gesture, it held all she wanted to tell them: "Do us all proud, be safe, and don't die."
The rumbling of hoofbeats shook the ground as they charged out the gate, splitting off into different directions.
"Your Majesty," a messenger boy bowed to her, announcing his presence.
"Yes?" She turned to face him, a small smile on her face.
"We have just recieved news--the royal brewery is running low on supplies. They require these materials to be restocked: skin tissue, scale, or neurotoxin-laced water from a Demophon, any colour gemstone from one of the Gemstone Dragons, an egg from a Vrux 's nest, and tooth, scale, or claw from any dragon."
Queen Alora closed her eyes, mulling over the new information. There were a few horses that hadn't gone, with there being more knights than horses, even though some of the royal Nordanners had been leased out or horsenapped from the pastures. Many were newer recruits whom she felt were not ready to tackle an actual hunt. But others....
She frowned, mentally going over which horses had been leased out or she had seen go through the gate. 'Balthazaar, Durango, Conquest, Marina, Lunesta...by my count, there should still be Cavalier, Dutchess, Zephyr, Cosmos, and Bourbon of the generals I'd trust to tackle a dragon on their own.'
