Again, a pic depicting my two main characters: Jon and Draghi ( I really should try to diversify my drawing subjects... no?!? ). The elf and his dragon have been training to be accepted in the elven Order of the Ryders ( the suborder of dragon riders ). But through their training, Jon has became too dependent on his dragon to solve everything with his brute force, and because of this, Draghi himself has become overconfident in his own power. Jon's mentor ( Eryanor Windflight ) decided that they bolth needed to be thought a lesson. Jon needed to learn that he can't always depend on his dragon for everything, and Draghi himself needed to learn that beying big and powerfull is not always an advantage. Eryanor sent the two to the south-western corner of the Shade Forest, a place were there is a large nest of Fireflies ( wasp like insects, with the agressiveness of hornets but with the sting of a normal honeybee and a lifestyle similar to farmer ants as in they live of a fungus that grows on decomposing mushromes, and chemical light displays similar to actual fireflies ( with the exception that the colore is orange-red not green )). Of course neither of them knew what they would be facing here, but it would become all too aparent as they got too close to the hollow trunk of a dead tree were the hive was situated. At first everything was quiet but then the inside of the log lit up to a almost blinding light and an infernal buzzing sound shreaked through the darkness of the woods as at least two thousand fireflies swarmed from the log. The two needed to flee of course, for there was no way to confrunt them ( Draghi can't breath fire yet ). And not even Draghi himself is imune to the stings of the fireflies because his scally hide ( unlike that of reptiles ) is not compact. His scales are imbeded in to a softer leathery hide like feathers to a bird, and the atacking insects easelly got beneath his scales and stung him. In the end it was Jon that had to literally pull his dragon away from the nest with a swarm of angry insects on their trail. The reason I called this pic "The ghost" is because neither of them had ever seen such insects, and because Draghi could not detect the presence of any animal, the idea of a ghost did cross their minds. Of the two, Draghi is the most scared ( surprised? ), but he expresses his fear by trying to make himself look agressive and imposing ( and pulling his master's body closer to his own so he could better protect him in case of an atack ). This strategy would normally work against most willd beasts and even other foes... but not against these insects wich are not one bit impressed by his display. On a technical level, this is my first real atempt at drawing a fully frontal shot of a dragon, and so it's not exactly what I had in mind, but it's ok for now. I also could have done much more with the background, but I did not want to get it too complex least it would take the focus away from the chars... still, I could have done more... laysyness is a savadge enemy. And the terain is not flat, the two are standing on a flat surface arount the dead tree, after wich, just beyond Draghi's hind paws, the gound slopes downwards... is why the perspective looks a little scrwy. ANd I did not compleet the eyes of either char intentionally ( because when ever I do, they end up looking dum... ).