.: Meri :.
⚜️
Time for another long overdue post in my gallery! Wanted to catch up on posting some of my entries from recent events. ovo)b
Valentine's Day
These two probably seem like a bit of an odd couple, but I'm convinced they were dating in my New Leaf town and I've shipped them ever since ahaha. I think this was around the time I really started practicing with CSP's watercolor brushes.
TBT Fair
Hidden Hideaways
Where we were tasked with drawing a door to another world! It was still August when I made this, but I guess I'm always in an autumn mood.
I love fairy doors, so it was really fun getting to draw one of my own. It was definitely more good practice for drawing detailed backgrounds too!
Quick heads up that I've uploaded this piece elsewhere under a different username. If you're ever concerned that someone might be posting my art without permission, you can always DM me on here. ^^
Hero's Crossing
This was for a writing contest where we had to write a short story following the hero's journey structure, with an AC or fantasy theme! I love knights, so I decided to write about Knox and Sterling, two of my favorite villagers. ^^
TBT Fair
Hidden Hideaways
Where we were tasked with drawing a door to another world! It was still August when I made this, but I guess I'm always in an autumn mood.
I love fairy doors, so it was really fun getting to draw one of my own. It was definitely more good practice for drawing detailed backgrounds too!Quick heads up that I've uploaded this piece elsewhere under a different username. If you're ever concerned that someone might be posting my art without permission, you can always DM me on here. ^^
Hero's Crossing
This was for a writing contest where we had to write a short story following the hero's journey structure, with an AC or fantasy theme! I love knights, so I decided to write about Knox and Sterling, two of my favorite villagers. ^^
Knox stood at his post atop a tower in the kingdom of Newleaf's castle town. He rested his head in his wing, glaring down at his fellow knights on the streets below. The bright afternoon light glimmered off their shining armor. 'That's the only thing about them that shines, though.' When he'd first joined the knighthood, many years ago, he'd had such faith in them. He was thrilled to be finally working alongside his heroes.
But he soon came to learn that most of those so-called knights were only in it for greed, power, or glory. A cloud passed over the sun, and with it, the brilliant gleam of their armor disappeared as if it was never there. He sighed heavily. "Why am I even still working here...?"
"Sir Knox! Sir Knox! The king is calling for you! He didn't share many details with me, but it's probably, like, really important or something!" His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling out to him. Knox turned to see the young page, Rosie, staring intensely at him from the ladder.
Knox closed his eyes and exhaled. "...Tell him I'll be right there."
"Sir, yes, sir!" Rosie saluted and zipped back down the ladder.
"You wished to see me, Your Majesty?" Knox asked flatly as he kneeled before King Lionel in the throne room.
The king nodded. "We have a new knight, by the name of Sterling, joining our order. He has excelled in his training and thusly, I am assigning him his first mission. I would like for you to go with him to assist him. You will be retrieving the Rainbow Feather from the Guardian of the Forest. It's said to be a remarkably rare treasure of immense beauty."
His head bowed and expression hidden from the king, Knox narrowed his eyes at the floor. 'Is that why we joined your order of knights, Your Majesty? To satisfy your greed?'
"...With all due respect, Your Majesty, I do not understand why you have chosen me for this role," Knox said, looking up to face him.
King Lionel stared out one of the throne room's large windows, and murmured, "...Because I don't want to see either of you become tarnished, too."
"I don't believe I heard you, sire."
"It was of no importance. It is as simple as this: you will be the one to assist Sterling in this mission. I will accept no other."
Knox bowed his head so he could glare at the floor once more. "Yes, Your Majesty."
King Lionel turned to the grand doorway and called out, "Sterling, you may enter."
The doors flung open with startling speed and a young eagle rushed in to kneel beside Knox. "Your Majesty! I'm happy to report that I just finished patrolling the city fifty times! Oh, um, about that, nothing to report! But it was still really good training! If there's ever an emergency, my leg muscles will be ready."
Knox rolled his eyes. 'Fifty? Yeah, right. Who'd ever believe that?'
"That's... very impressive, Sterling, although perhaps a bit excessive. I've called you in about the mission we discussed prior. As it is your first, Knox here will be assisting you," King Lionel explained.
Sterling looked at Knox with shining eyes and extended a wing to him. "My name is Sterling, and I'm really looking forward to working with you! Let's train hard and protect Newleaf together!"
Many years ago, Knox might've said something similar to the other knights... but he and this eagle were not the same. 'You're no different from the others, are you? This is a front. You're really only out for yourself.'
"...Yeah. I'm Knox." He shook Sterling's wing.
They were given a few days to prepare for their mission, and then met in front of the city gate to begin their journey into the forest.
"I've packed thoroughly for the both of us! I mean, I'm sure you packed for yourself too, but I did this just in case! Plus, you can never have enough weight training." Sterling adjusted his satchel, filled to bursting, and smiled proudly as they walked down the path.
Knox stopped in his tracks. With a confused expression, Sterling slowed to a halt as well. The rooster shot him a glare. "Look, you're not fooling me, kid. I don't trust you one bit. Let's just get this over with."
The younger knight looked stunned for a moment, then gave him a sad smile. "If that's how you feel, well, I'll just work doubly hard until I've gained your trust." Knox scoffed and continued walking ahead.
Sterling jogged to catch up with him. "And um, Knox? I don't think you're a bad person. You haven't done anything to make me doubt you."
Knox's eyes widened for a moment, and a heavy feeling pricked at his heart. He shook his head and started walking faster. "Whatever. You're not going to get into my good graces by sucking up to me."
Sterling made no response, but sped up again to match Knox's pace.
They made their way into the forest, and then travelled further still. Sterling pulled a scroll from his satchel and read over it. "According to King Lionel's instructions, we must first make it past a reclusive dragon before we can reach the realm of the Guardian of the Forest," he said, "We should be prepared for anything, Knox."
Knox nodded, and just ahead, past a dense patch of brush, a small cave came into their view. From the darkness, two yellow eyes glowed. "The bugs told me you two would be arriving soon."
Knox reached for the sword at his hip, but Sterling stayed his wing and asked, "Hey, what are you doing?"
The rooster raised his eyebrows incredulously. "The dragon might attack at any moment! What are you doing?!"
Sterling's eyes widened in anger and disbelief. "This dragon hasn't done anything yet! Just what kind of knight are you, Knox?!"
Just then, the dragon stepped out of the cave with a yawn. "Oh yeah, um, I don't feel like fighting or anything. I'm Drago. I was just wondering if you wanted some of my pocket candy. I don't get many friends coming over out here in the woods, aside from the bugs, eheheh." Drago scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
At the sight of the sheepish, friendly dragon, Knox's wing fell limply to his side. He stared blankly forward in horror. 'Yeah, what am I doing...?'
In his stunned silence, Sterling stepped forward and bowed politely. "Thank you, Drago, but I'm afraid we'll have to decline. I'm Sterling, and this is Knox. We're knights of Newleaf, and we're on our way to see the Guardian of the Forest," he said with a calm smile.
"Okay. The Guardian of the Forest lives just past that river up ahead. Be careful crossing the log, it can be a little slippery sometimes," Drago turned around to go back into his cave. "Pocket candy, all for me~!"
Waving goodbye to the dragon, Sterling began walking again. Noticing Knox wasn't following, he turned around. "Knox? Come on. We've gotta push forward."
Shaken from his thoughts, Knox responded, "Y-Yeah, you're right." After that, they continued onwards into the depths of the forest. The rooster cast a sideways glance at Sterling, but couldn't read his expression. 'Maybe I was wrong about Sterling... I was wrong about Drago. What else have I been wrong about? There's no doubt that some of the knights in the order are corrupt, but...
'Maybe I was wrong about myself being any different.'
The rush of the river and waterfall below was the only sound that interrupted the two's long silence. They crossed the log bridging the river carefully, and just beyond the opposite shore, the forest was strewn with feathers in an array of beautiful, vibrant colors. Knox took a deep breath. 'Alright. I'm not going to try to offer any excuses. When we meet the Guardian of the Forest, I'll show Sterling what kind of knight I really am.'
He glanced at the young eagle again. Sterling was taking in the sight of the gorgeous feathers with a look of excitement and hope. There was no lingering trace of anger or resentment in his face. Knox smiled bitterly to himself. 'Or maybe I'm really just showing myself.'
A flurry of feathers appeared from nowhere, swirling violently in the clearing before them. Sterling yelped and jumped back, and Knox shielded himself from the lashing winds. When the feathers settled, there stood a magnificent peacock glaring down at them, clothes glimmering with hundreds of gems in the same rainbow of colors as his feathers. "Pavé demands to know what you are doing in Pavé's realm. Dancing into here uninvited would be one thing, but the two of you march most ungracefully."
Swallowing, Knox explained, "We are knights of the kingdom of Newleaf. We have come for the Rainbow Feather, on order of King Lionel."
Pavé narrowed his eyes. "So you plan to take it by force? Because if you want to dance, Pavé is more than willing!" He slid fluidly into what could've been either a fighting stance or the beginning of a dance.
"N-No, that's not—" Sterling tried to protest, waving his wings in front of him placatingly.
Without saying anything further, Knox laid down his sword. "Of course not! A true knight would never do such a thing!"
Sterling stared at him in momentary disbelief. "Knox..." A huge, relieved smile came over the eagle's face. "Yeah!" Still beaming, he set his sword down on the ground beside Knox's.
"...So you expect Pavé to simply give you one of Pavé's precious, glorious Rainbow Feathers?" Pavé asked coldly.
"...Urk." Sterling grimaced, fidgeting uncomfortably.
'Yeah, this isn't going well. But I'm not giving up yet.' Knox knelt down and bowed his head. "Please! It's Sterling's first mission as a knight," he gestured to the eagle beside him, "It'd be one thing if it were just me returning empty-handed to the king, but the order needs more knights like Sterling! I've seen what a kind heart he has, and so I want to make sure he succeeds in this more than anything! I... I believe that Sterling can change things, but he won't have the power to do that if he can't gain the favor of the king first. So, please!"
For a long moment, Pavé silently stared at the two knights. "...Ahahaha! You are very lucky. Pavé likes your boldness, almost as much as Pavé's beloved feathers. Pavé will give you one—just one! But it will not be for free. When Pavé requires a favor, Pavé will call upon your kingdom for aid. When that time comes, you best keep your word, or else. But for now... VIVA FRIENDSHIP!!"
With an expert twirl, a feather appeared in Pavé's outstretched grip. It held all the colors of the feathers scattered about the woods, and even seemed to sparkle in the sunlight that shifted softly through the leaves. Though briefly stunned by the beauty of the Rainbow Feather, Knox reached out to take it from the Guardian of the Forest. "Thank you!" Knox said, "I'll make sure the kingdom of Newleaf won't forget this."
Pavé smirked and turned to leave, but then glanced at them over his shoulder. "One more thing. If you wish to negotiate with Pavé again, you negotiate with dance." With another spectacular spin, a flurry of feathers swirled around Pavé until he was no longer visible. When they settled, he was gone.
"...Whew! We did it! Mission complete!" Sterling raised his wing high in the air in triumph. "You were a huge help back there, Knox. I don't know if I could've completed this mission without you."
"Heh, well, don't celebrate too early, kid. We still need to get the Rainbow Feather back to King Lionel."
"Pfft! As if that's going to be a problem!" Sterling strode back the way they came, chest puffed out proudly. Smiling too, Knox followed him. "Oh, and I'm glad that I wasn't wrong about you!"
"...Me too, Sterling."
The feathers strewn about the forest floor grew fewer and fewer as they reached the banks of the river once more. Humming triumphantly, Sterling hopped onto the log and skipped across. 'I can't remember the last time I was so happy to complete a mission. I guess I'm not too old to prance around a little bit too.' Knox thought as he hopped onto the log behind Sterling, and attempted to give a twirl like Pavé had done. Sure, there was no way he'd have moves like that guy, but—
Knox's train of thought cut short as his foot slipped awkwardly on the damp log. He scrambled futilely, but felt a sinking dread in the pit of his stomach at the same time he felt his body become weightless. Sterling realized something was amiss and spun around.
"Knox!"
The rooster managed to wrap his wing around the log at the last second. 'It's no good!' Knox struggled to maintain his grip on the wet, mossy trunk. The rest of his body dangled precariously over the rushing river. In his other wing, he still clutched the Rainbow Feather.
Sterling leapt forward and reached out to him. "You can't fly in your armor! Just take my wing!"
Knox winced as he kicked his legs, unable to pull himself back up. 'I've gotta get the feather to Sterling first, to make sure I don't drop it—' A dark thought came to him unbidden. 'And if you do that, what's to stop him from just leaving you behind? An opening in the upper ranks would be nothing but beneficial to a newbie like him...'
Knox clenched his beak. 'No! I know Sterling isn't that kind of knight! I trust him!' He thrust the Rainbow Feather up towards Sterling's extended wing. "Take this first!"
"Ugh! You're so stubborn!" Sterling swiftly pinned the Rainbow Feather to his tunic and hauled Knox back up over the log.
Carefully, the two of them finished crossing the log together, and collapsed in relief on the sandy shore. "What the heck was that, Knox?! 'Take this first'? Your safety is way more important than some stupid feather! But you didn't look like you were gonna let me help you if I didn't take it!"
Knox laughed. "Yeah, you got that right, kid."
Sterling looked like he wanted to make a retort, but instead shrugged and shook his head in defeat.
Looking at the feather, Knox smiled. 'Well, Sterling showed me that I was wrong about a couple things already. It wasn't a great feeling, and yet... I sure hope I was wrong to doubt King Lionel, too.'
"Alright, Sterling, let's get moving again." Knox stood and dusted himself off. 'In any case, I'm not going to fall prey to that old mindset ever again.'
The rest of their return trip was peaceful, and soon they were back in throne room, where Sterling proudly presented the Rainbow Feather to King Lionel.
"You both have done a fine job. I'll make sure that you're rewarded well for this," King Lionel said.
"...Um, Your Majesty, I've been wondering something," Knox pointed to the Rainbow Feather. "That thing... it's not just some pretty little rarity, is it?"
King Lionel beamed. "You still have your quick mind, Knox. The Rainbow Feather is said to possess immense powers of love, healing, and beauty." The king stared out the window into the city, with an expression of hope and determination. "I want to use it to restore my knighthood to the force of good it was always meant to be, and to bring further peace and prosperity to Newleaf."
He faced the two knights again. "Not that I think its power was needed on you. I'll need your help going forward to make this dream a reality, my true, shining knights."
'Heh. This is why I wanted to become a knight in the first place.' Knox closed his eyes and smiled. "...Thank you, Your Majesty, Sterling... I look forward to continuing to protect the kingdom of Newleaf, as one of its proudest knights."
The king smiled quietly in return, and Sterling nodded firmly, eyes full of determination. The light that shined through the large windows of the throne room caught on the armor of the two knights, who gleamed gold and silver.
But he soon came to learn that most of those so-called knights were only in it for greed, power, or glory. A cloud passed over the sun, and with it, the brilliant gleam of their armor disappeared as if it was never there. He sighed heavily. "Why am I even still working here...?"
"Sir Knox! Sir Knox! The king is calling for you! He didn't share many details with me, but it's probably, like, really important or something!" His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling out to him. Knox turned to see the young page, Rosie, staring intensely at him from the ladder.
Knox closed his eyes and exhaled. "...Tell him I'll be right there."
"Sir, yes, sir!" Rosie saluted and zipped back down the ladder.
"You wished to see me, Your Majesty?" Knox asked flatly as he kneeled before King Lionel in the throne room.
The king nodded. "We have a new knight, by the name of Sterling, joining our order. He has excelled in his training and thusly, I am assigning him his first mission. I would like for you to go with him to assist him. You will be retrieving the Rainbow Feather from the Guardian of the Forest. It's said to be a remarkably rare treasure of immense beauty."
His head bowed and expression hidden from the king, Knox narrowed his eyes at the floor. 'Is that why we joined your order of knights, Your Majesty? To satisfy your greed?'
"...With all due respect, Your Majesty, I do not understand why you have chosen me for this role," Knox said, looking up to face him.
King Lionel stared out one of the throne room's large windows, and murmured, "...Because I don't want to see either of you become tarnished, too."
"I don't believe I heard you, sire."
"It was of no importance. It is as simple as this: you will be the one to assist Sterling in this mission. I will accept no other."
Knox bowed his head so he could glare at the floor once more. "Yes, Your Majesty."
King Lionel turned to the grand doorway and called out, "Sterling, you may enter."
The doors flung open with startling speed and a young eagle rushed in to kneel beside Knox. "Your Majesty! I'm happy to report that I just finished patrolling the city fifty times! Oh, um, about that, nothing to report! But it was still really good training! If there's ever an emergency, my leg muscles will be ready."
Knox rolled his eyes. 'Fifty? Yeah, right. Who'd ever believe that?'
"That's... very impressive, Sterling, although perhaps a bit excessive. I've called you in about the mission we discussed prior. As it is your first, Knox here will be assisting you," King Lionel explained.
Sterling looked at Knox with shining eyes and extended a wing to him. "My name is Sterling, and I'm really looking forward to working with you! Let's train hard and protect Newleaf together!"
Many years ago, Knox might've said something similar to the other knights... but he and this eagle were not the same. 'You're no different from the others, are you? This is a front. You're really only out for yourself.'
"...Yeah. I'm Knox." He shook Sterling's wing.
They were given a few days to prepare for their mission, and then met in front of the city gate to begin their journey into the forest.
"I've packed thoroughly for the both of us! I mean, I'm sure you packed for yourself too, but I did this just in case! Plus, you can never have enough weight training." Sterling adjusted his satchel, filled to bursting, and smiled proudly as they walked down the path.
Knox stopped in his tracks. With a confused expression, Sterling slowed to a halt as well. The rooster shot him a glare. "Look, you're not fooling me, kid. I don't trust you one bit. Let's just get this over with."
The younger knight looked stunned for a moment, then gave him a sad smile. "If that's how you feel, well, I'll just work doubly hard until I've gained your trust." Knox scoffed and continued walking ahead.
Sterling jogged to catch up with him. "And um, Knox? I don't think you're a bad person. You haven't done anything to make me doubt you."
Knox's eyes widened for a moment, and a heavy feeling pricked at his heart. He shook his head and started walking faster. "Whatever. You're not going to get into my good graces by sucking up to me."
Sterling made no response, but sped up again to match Knox's pace.
They made their way into the forest, and then travelled further still. Sterling pulled a scroll from his satchel and read over it. "According to King Lionel's instructions, we must first make it past a reclusive dragon before we can reach the realm of the Guardian of the Forest," he said, "We should be prepared for anything, Knox."
Knox nodded, and just ahead, past a dense patch of brush, a small cave came into their view. From the darkness, two yellow eyes glowed. "The bugs told me you two would be arriving soon."
Knox reached for the sword at his hip, but Sterling stayed his wing and asked, "Hey, what are you doing?"
The rooster raised his eyebrows incredulously. "The dragon might attack at any moment! What are you doing?!"
Sterling's eyes widened in anger and disbelief. "This dragon hasn't done anything yet! Just what kind of knight are you, Knox?!"
Just then, the dragon stepped out of the cave with a yawn. "Oh yeah, um, I don't feel like fighting or anything. I'm Drago. I was just wondering if you wanted some of my pocket candy. I don't get many friends coming over out here in the woods, aside from the bugs, eheheh." Drago scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
At the sight of the sheepish, friendly dragon, Knox's wing fell limply to his side. He stared blankly forward in horror. 'Yeah, what am I doing...?'
In his stunned silence, Sterling stepped forward and bowed politely. "Thank you, Drago, but I'm afraid we'll have to decline. I'm Sterling, and this is Knox. We're knights of Newleaf, and we're on our way to see the Guardian of the Forest," he said with a calm smile.
"Okay. The Guardian of the Forest lives just past that river up ahead. Be careful crossing the log, it can be a little slippery sometimes," Drago turned around to go back into his cave. "Pocket candy, all for me~!"
Waving goodbye to the dragon, Sterling began walking again. Noticing Knox wasn't following, he turned around. "Knox? Come on. We've gotta push forward."
Shaken from his thoughts, Knox responded, "Y-Yeah, you're right." After that, they continued onwards into the depths of the forest. The rooster cast a sideways glance at Sterling, but couldn't read his expression. 'Maybe I was wrong about Sterling... I was wrong about Drago. What else have I been wrong about? There's no doubt that some of the knights in the order are corrupt, but...
'Maybe I was wrong about myself being any different.'
The rush of the river and waterfall below was the only sound that interrupted the two's long silence. They crossed the log bridging the river carefully, and just beyond the opposite shore, the forest was strewn with feathers in an array of beautiful, vibrant colors. Knox took a deep breath. 'Alright. I'm not going to try to offer any excuses. When we meet the Guardian of the Forest, I'll show Sterling what kind of knight I really am.'
He glanced at the young eagle again. Sterling was taking in the sight of the gorgeous feathers with a look of excitement and hope. There was no lingering trace of anger or resentment in his face. Knox smiled bitterly to himself. 'Or maybe I'm really just showing myself.'
A flurry of feathers appeared from nowhere, swirling violently in the clearing before them. Sterling yelped and jumped back, and Knox shielded himself from the lashing winds. When the feathers settled, there stood a magnificent peacock glaring down at them, clothes glimmering with hundreds of gems in the same rainbow of colors as his feathers. "Pavé demands to know what you are doing in Pavé's realm. Dancing into here uninvited would be one thing, but the two of you march most ungracefully."
Swallowing, Knox explained, "We are knights of the kingdom of Newleaf. We have come for the Rainbow Feather, on order of King Lionel."
Pavé narrowed his eyes. "So you plan to take it by force? Because if you want to dance, Pavé is more than willing!" He slid fluidly into what could've been either a fighting stance or the beginning of a dance.
"N-No, that's not—" Sterling tried to protest, waving his wings in front of him placatingly.
Without saying anything further, Knox laid down his sword. "Of course not! A true knight would never do such a thing!"
Sterling stared at him in momentary disbelief. "Knox..." A huge, relieved smile came over the eagle's face. "Yeah!" Still beaming, he set his sword down on the ground beside Knox's.
"...So you expect Pavé to simply give you one of Pavé's precious, glorious Rainbow Feathers?" Pavé asked coldly.
"...Urk." Sterling grimaced, fidgeting uncomfortably.
'Yeah, this isn't going well. But I'm not giving up yet.' Knox knelt down and bowed his head. "Please! It's Sterling's first mission as a knight," he gestured to the eagle beside him, "It'd be one thing if it were just me returning empty-handed to the king, but the order needs more knights like Sterling! I've seen what a kind heart he has, and so I want to make sure he succeeds in this more than anything! I... I believe that Sterling can change things, but he won't have the power to do that if he can't gain the favor of the king first. So, please!"
For a long moment, Pavé silently stared at the two knights. "...Ahahaha! You are very lucky. Pavé likes your boldness, almost as much as Pavé's beloved feathers. Pavé will give you one—just one! But it will not be for free. When Pavé requires a favor, Pavé will call upon your kingdom for aid. When that time comes, you best keep your word, or else. But for now... VIVA FRIENDSHIP!!"
With an expert twirl, a feather appeared in Pavé's outstretched grip. It held all the colors of the feathers scattered about the woods, and even seemed to sparkle in the sunlight that shifted softly through the leaves. Though briefly stunned by the beauty of the Rainbow Feather, Knox reached out to take it from the Guardian of the Forest. "Thank you!" Knox said, "I'll make sure the kingdom of Newleaf won't forget this."
Pavé smirked and turned to leave, but then glanced at them over his shoulder. "One more thing. If you wish to negotiate with Pavé again, you negotiate with dance." With another spectacular spin, a flurry of feathers swirled around Pavé until he was no longer visible. When they settled, he was gone.
"...Whew! We did it! Mission complete!" Sterling raised his wing high in the air in triumph. "You were a huge help back there, Knox. I don't know if I could've completed this mission without you."
"Heh, well, don't celebrate too early, kid. We still need to get the Rainbow Feather back to King Lionel."
"Pfft! As if that's going to be a problem!" Sterling strode back the way they came, chest puffed out proudly. Smiling too, Knox followed him. "Oh, and I'm glad that I wasn't wrong about you!"
"...Me too, Sterling."
The feathers strewn about the forest floor grew fewer and fewer as they reached the banks of the river once more. Humming triumphantly, Sterling hopped onto the log and skipped across. 'I can't remember the last time I was so happy to complete a mission. I guess I'm not too old to prance around a little bit too.' Knox thought as he hopped onto the log behind Sterling, and attempted to give a twirl like Pavé had done. Sure, there was no way he'd have moves like that guy, but—
Knox's train of thought cut short as his foot slipped awkwardly on the damp log. He scrambled futilely, but felt a sinking dread in the pit of his stomach at the same time he felt his body become weightless. Sterling realized something was amiss and spun around.
"Knox!"
The rooster managed to wrap his wing around the log at the last second. 'It's no good!' Knox struggled to maintain his grip on the wet, mossy trunk. The rest of his body dangled precariously over the rushing river. In his other wing, he still clutched the Rainbow Feather.
Sterling leapt forward and reached out to him. "You can't fly in your armor! Just take my wing!"
Knox winced as he kicked his legs, unable to pull himself back up. 'I've gotta get the feather to Sterling first, to make sure I don't drop it—' A dark thought came to him unbidden. 'And if you do that, what's to stop him from just leaving you behind? An opening in the upper ranks would be nothing but beneficial to a newbie like him...'
Knox clenched his beak. 'No! I know Sterling isn't that kind of knight! I trust him!' He thrust the Rainbow Feather up towards Sterling's extended wing. "Take this first!"
"Ugh! You're so stubborn!" Sterling swiftly pinned the Rainbow Feather to his tunic and hauled Knox back up over the log.
Carefully, the two of them finished crossing the log together, and collapsed in relief on the sandy shore. "What the heck was that, Knox?! 'Take this first'? Your safety is way more important than some stupid feather! But you didn't look like you were gonna let me help you if I didn't take it!"
Knox laughed. "Yeah, you got that right, kid."
Sterling looked like he wanted to make a retort, but instead shrugged and shook his head in defeat.
Looking at the feather, Knox smiled. 'Well, Sterling showed me that I was wrong about a couple things already. It wasn't a great feeling, and yet... I sure hope I was wrong to doubt King Lionel, too.'
"Alright, Sterling, let's get moving again." Knox stood and dusted himself off. 'In any case, I'm not going to fall prey to that old mindset ever again.'
The rest of their return trip was peaceful, and soon they were back in throne room, where Sterling proudly presented the Rainbow Feather to King Lionel.
"You both have done a fine job. I'll make sure that you're rewarded well for this," King Lionel said.
"...Um, Your Majesty, I've been wondering something," Knox pointed to the Rainbow Feather. "That thing... it's not just some pretty little rarity, is it?"
King Lionel beamed. "You still have your quick mind, Knox. The Rainbow Feather is said to possess immense powers of love, healing, and beauty." The king stared out the window into the city, with an expression of hope and determination. "I want to use it to restore my knighthood to the force of good it was always meant to be, and to bring further peace and prosperity to Newleaf."
He faced the two knights again. "Not that I think its power was needed on you. I'll need your help going forward to make this dream a reality, my true, shining knights."
'Heh. This is why I wanted to become a knight in the first place.' Knox closed his eyes and smiled. "...Thank you, Your Majesty, Sterling... I look forward to continuing to protect the kingdom of Newleaf, as one of its proudest knights."
The king smiled quietly in return, and Sterling nodded firmly, eyes full of determination. The light that shined through the large windows of the throne room caught on the armor of the two knights, who gleamed gold and silver.
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I put her in a lot of fun fantasy settings and I think it's a good fit for that, although I definitely want to give her a more mundane/real-world look at some point too.
So without further ado, welcome one and all to my newest gallery post!
I made a few prototype lanterns before starting on this one (and I'm so glad I did LOL). My first attempt wound up being a paper slinky, then I managed to invert the shape of the lantern, but got it right on my third attempt and moved on to make my actual entry. I used one sheet of patterned paper for the base of the lantern (the pattern reminded me of scales, which I thought would be a nice touch for the Year of the Dragon 
), then used a strip of another piece for the handle. Then I cut strips of gold foil paper for the top and bottom of the lantern, and added some dots with metallic gold paint. I don't consider crafts my forte but I've been hoping to get better at them, and even if it's not anything super fancy I'm quite happy with my end result here! ( ･∀･)b
He's painted with acrylic paints (and teeny tiny nail-art brushes), with the bush made from an old sock, scraps of green felt, and chalk pastels!
