#15 – Gnoll hunter
“You call us primitive, you forest people, you elves. Sadly it is true, most of my people have forgotten their past, we have faded. But there are some of us, who remember.” Slowly removing it’s headdress, the old gnoll shifted in the dark, it’s one good eye fixed on me as it then continued to sharpen the flint knife it had used to skin my comrade. My binds strained as I tried to fight the ropes, but I was trussed, neatly and brutally, my broken arm given no quarter, lashed to my back mercilessly. Blood filled my eyes, and the buzzing in my head almost drowned out the screams, which I vaguely realized were coming from me. Grinning, it’s fangs bared, it raised the flint blade, and lightning quick it’s taloned hand shot out to grip my jaw like a vice. “We were here before you. Before your people. Oh, you have delved into the mysteries of magic, and worked great sorceries, built wonders. You claim to be one with the forest, to be unequaled with the bow. But this shaft here,” and with a violent shake it rattled my neck, the arrow lodged in my collar shooting agony through me, “was from me, from my bow, gnoll- made, like in the old times. You know the forest. Pah.” As it shifted my neck , I could see the medallions, the bracelets. They were not elven made, dor were they human- With a horrid realization, I could see that they were wrought by taloned hands in forges fueled by blood in dim ages before we came down from the trees. I was washed with despair. And with a mighty lunge, the knife caught a glint of moonlight before it plunged below my neck.
“The forest says otherwise.”
Beyond awesome!! Wonderful color and light rendering!
Thanks, man! I love gnolls, and the very idea of a ‘dog- man’ race is fun to play with visually. I might draw another one for my next character.
The gnoll is amazing! Well done. I really like the story too.
Thanks man. I love me the monsters.