Seeing as Oak is also the one who does the introduction speech in Gen II, I had a lot of fun twisting his in-game dialogue to fit the character I established for him in these comics.
Some of it may be slightly paraphrased. :)
Some of it may be slightly paraphrased. :)
There's a little mammal popping in to say hello because smaller burrows have been found branching off from orycto burrows, and it's thought that mammals may have done their own tunneling inside the burrows.
I'm really grateful for everybody who enjoys my art (and maybe my writing)--I'll keep doing my best to create a bright spot on an Internet that can get really scary sometimes. Let's all be kind to each other--that's what really makes things better.
It was a couple of hours after lunch on the third day that they found the ruins. The landscape had become more and more familiar to Isengrim these past few kilometres—this was land that he had not only traversed before, but had once roamed regularly. Even individual trees were familiar now. There was the thick old pine with the knots like a twisted face in its trunk. Here was the oak where he and his packmates found gold buried under the roots. The memories came flooding back to him. A look around at the other Werelupes’ faces told him they were experiencing the same thing.
Through the mist, Isengrim could see a number of immense fallen conifers, moss-covered and long stripped of their needles, stretching toward the approaching company like the spears of a hostile guard.
One of the Werelupes drew a sharp breath. “We’re close now,” she whispered. “Those are the trees that toppled when the keep fell on them.” Her packmates nodded.
“Let’s keep going,” Isengrim said. Now back on foot, he led
them through the blockade, beneath rotting trunks that sat propped on the
remnants of undergrowth where they landed nearly fifteen years before.
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7
Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13
For the rest of that day and the first half of the next, they travelled further south, deeper into the ancient Woods. The rain continued off and on, which Isengrim appreciated as it drowned out any scent trail they might be leaving. Nevertheless, he did not see any more V’s slashed into trees. He guessed that Vakhtang probably operated more northward, where there were towns to raid. This increased their chances that the iron-hearted Werelupe hadn’t stumbled upon the artefact—but not enough for Isengrim to stop worrying.
If there was any upside to the situation, it was Connor becoming slightly more personable. Although still quiet and far from chatty, he no longer seemed so sulky, and by the twitching of his ears seemed to actually be listening to the others instead of outright ignoring them.
Isengrim was not sure if the pup had taken to heart his
companions’ promise to protect him, but it looked as though Connor at least
found them better company than Vakhtang. Although the dark-furred Werelupe
could hardly consider that a compliment. He was fairly certain a mutant Kiko
with the Sneezles would be better company than Vakhtang.