#Fox and Shadow

[zennertumbles]

(Indie Game related personal announcement)

Discord link available at Papercactusgames.com and @PaperCactusGame on twix!

[maxparkhurst]

[Following a package's arrival]

An autumnal chill crept inside, ushered by the drawn-back curtains. The sunlight peeking in shrank an emporium of vials, herbs, and dark shadows to its actual size. To what it was in truth. Nothing more than a simple shop owned and managed by two siblings. The elder of the pair perched on top of a ladder, dusting and facing the reagent shelf. She paused, dust rag clenched in her fingers, and peered at her brother’s reflection through a jar of pickled serpent eyes. Augustine lingered by the door, shifting on uneasy feet. A silk-wrapped parcel and an attached letter lay in his hands. The residue of a cordial smile remained plastered on his lips as he shuffled forward.

“It’s addressed to you.”

Max chewed the inside of her cheek. O’ how she had come to loathe letters and packages. They brought nothing short of disaster wrapped in twine. She flirted with the idea of a grimace, perhaps even a sneer, but remembered where and when she was. The jar of serpent eyes was turned and slid to the back. No audience would she humor. Then, after ironing out her wrinkled demeanor, she descended the ladder and faced her brother with a smile most pleasant.

“Thank you, Augustine,” she hummed, lifting the burden from his hands.

The tension in her brother’s shoulder began to unwind, and the uncertainty faded from his eyes. His hands fiddled with the hem of his shirt after Max freed him of the parcel. She could feel his expectant gaze follow her as she came to lean against the shop’s counter. “What is it?” he asked, craning his neck.

An absent hum passed from her lips. The item wrapped in silk was placed on top of an ever-growing stack of books. She regarded it with an initial air of indifference as she flipped the folded parchment between her fingers. The crimson seal caught the motes of escaped light, bringing an ethereal glow to the sunrise embossed in wax. Max paused. Then flicked her gaze up to meet her brother’s eye. A laugh, though it felt more like an incredulous expulsion, only furthered his bemusement.

“A gift from a previous- Ah.” Her gaze danced to the side, a microscopic line furrowing her brow. She humored the thought for a moment before dashing it away. She collected the silk-wrapped parcel from its abandoned perch and drifted towards the door stationed beyond the counter. “Simply a gift, I presume.”

“From who?” he asked, trailing behind Max. “And for what?”

Max turned on a heel, stopping her brother in his tracks with a simple look. He swallowed hard and took a step back.

“Right,” he muttered with a curt nod, “Business things.”

She rewarded him with a tap of her nose. “Yes. Business. The likes of which I shall look into later.”

It was rather late when she finally settled into her armchair, half-smoked cigarette in one hand and letter open in the other.

The hearth slumbered in its stone bed, casting the parole in a sepia film. Max sank into the over-stuffed chair. There was no one in the other. An end table sat in between, cigarette buds spilled over the ashtray - hours spent lighting, smoking, and repeating. Only when her lungs were black with smoke, and her head buzzed with nicotine did she break the letter’s seal. She read the first line.

Most dear and vexing Fox…

And set it aside. Another cigarette was lit and smoked to its near end. Then she read the note in its entirety.

Max chewed on the cigarette’s pipe, feeling her way through the unease that settled like hot, viscous syrup in her stomach. She reasoned it was from her sparse dinner of coffee and nicotine. Though, some part of her knew better.

“Esoteric as always,” she mused to the shadows as she carefully folded the letter.

The parcel found its way into her lap, curiosity guiding her hands as she unwrapped its silk covering. What lay inside truly gave Max reason to pause.

She breathed a soft exhale as her fingers brushed along the aged cover. Such a light, delicate touch. Almost affectionate in nature was the slow, deliberate turn of a stiff, crinkled page. She leaned in. Dove beneath the hearth’s shadows and hid within the parchment. Safety in that haunting smell. That musty, mushroom smell. She breathed it in, smelling the life -and the death- of this book. Centuries-old, she guessed, and passed between so many hands.

How long did she remain burrowed?

Max would’ve sworn she’d only sampled the bits of knowledge. Just a small taste - the first few pages were slow reading, alternating between draconic and common. They spoke about the Dragon Isle’s topography and what herbs could be found where. Hochenblumes were a common weed found in every region. Unlike Writhebark, which could only be harvested in the Azure Spans’ dense timberland. Bubblepoppy grew near rivers and streams, while Saxifrage hid in dark recesses. Not to mention all the variants in between and how they connected into a fathomless quantity of combinations and-

And then Max resurfaced, her reverie shattered by the chime of the parlor’s clock. She turned to look at the time, muzzle sodden from her feast, and drew in a sharp breath. Three ‘o’clock. Far beyond late, the night dangerously crept towards morning. She ran her tongue over a canine, gaze drifting down to the tome spread open in her lap. A laugh, arsenic-sharp, escaped as she eased it shut. She had been gifted a banquet of knowledge.

Yet those who knew Max intimately were aware

… that such a feast would only serve as an appetizer

For the hunger that gnawed in the fox’s belly.

“Ever a thoughtful Shadow.”

@longveil for mentions

[crowcrate]

Kinda wanna do more characters in this style it’s so silly and fun

Edit: And i did :)

🦔 🐈 🦇 🦔 🐝 🦎 🐊 | 🦔 👧| 🦔 🦊 | 🦔 🤖 | 🥚🪨 | 🦅🐦‍⬛🪿 |

[screaminjayfawn]

sonic movie style study

[lara-cairncross]

shadow gets adopted into the wachowski family and becomes the resident listener in a family that’s full of yappers send tweet

[rhymewithrachel]

One sided beef in every universe

[andrew-haaz]

Little guys they don't know what they are doing I love them 😭😭😭

[blueeblurb]

a helping hand

[anxiousandpessimistic]

[ona-fish]

two famous pairs of red and blue

[smallpwbbles]

This is my magum opus so far

YouTube ver

Audio

[crabapplesinc]

Some little friends joined the team!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mercurio-shadowz]

AT LONG LAST

My Sonadow fankid:

Spinner the Hedgehog!!! :DDDD

... So here I was thinking of maybe Explaining some things that don't really make sense if you only read these mini comics or providing info about Spinner n stuff,,, But I think it'd be more fun to see people lose it trying to figure out what the FUCK Mr. Artist meant by everything lol

SEND ME ASKS I LOVE ASKS GRRRR

[rooniearts]

yall i really REALLY love me a good dadow au it makes me cry my eyes out every time

[thatshadowcomic]

Amy might be stubborn, but she know's when she's beat. She doesnt mind being auntie to their chaos :) Click more to see the inspiration:

Inspired by this, because I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. "you really are all of you...! isnt that great?"

[lara-cairncross]

live footage of shadow getting adopted (he did not agree to this)