This feels more like a test than an actual finished piece. I mean look at the line quality. My biggest reason for doing it this way was just to get myself reacquainted with doing artwork again. It's been a stagnant process but I've had to force myself to sit and draw. Ironically, I haven't been using my Cintiq for lines simply because it just... didn't feel right. I've resorted to traditional pencil and paper-- something to get my muscle memory back in tune with its natural element. Feels weird to be working on 8.5x11 again...

Anyway, this is a small segment of Juju's story when he was much MUCH younger.  tehfizzle is in it too! D'awww her 7 year old self is adorabllle.

Let's dig deeper into what transpired through this sequential segment.

====

"Haha.... oh man..." Requiem blurted randomly, everyone looking at him as they; Motoya, Juju, Gustov and Requiem himself, sat around.

"What... what's so funny?" Juju asked.

Requiem looked at Juju dearly, remembering an endearing moment which still amused him to this very day, "Juju you remember when grandmaster Jirai first paired you up against Motoya?"

"FOHK! Why you gotta bring dat up mang?!" Motoya barked.

Gustov and Juju burst into laughter, Juju remembering the moment clearly.

"Yeah, Nessy was there! Ah man and David... I really miss that guy." Juju mentioned.

"Yeah Pawfox was pretty neat." Requiem added.

"Seriously? We're gonna talk about dees?" Motoya asked annoyingly.

Gustov sat back in his seat, relaxing quaintly, "Tell this story." His thick Russian accent purred.

"DAMNETT!" Motoya hollered.

"Ah man 15 years back as I remember it..." And Juju began to get lost in his gauntlet of cherished memories:

"Every enemy... is an opportunity. A test..." An aged, astute old man said as six young men and a very absorbed child, kept close to the ground by their knees, posed with their hands over their hips as they paid attention to the older man, "A test which all of you will begin today... and this is a special day, as the youngest kin of the Hakuda clan has come of age to enter this world with us on this journey."

One of them, a slithery, snake-looking, pale-skinned creature of a man glanced at the young boy the older man was talking about and winked his sharply crafted eyes and frowned unamused, "What. You mean dees fledgling of a boi?"

Everyone looked at the strangely constructed young man, Juju taking most attention as his comment was directed towards him but sat silently just like the others. There were murmurs from a nearby crowd, a several few allowed to witness the beginnings of this organized training session. The old man winked, staring blankly at the snake-appealing individual and called him out, "Motoya, stand."

The wild-haired, pale-skinned young man grunted under his breath impatiently and stood up, dusting himself off.

"Approach me." The old man said.

Motoya did as he asked, making his way past the remaining other trainees and Juju.

"Stop." He called as Motoya did.

Motoya was now standing before every single one of the other still at their knees respectfully.

"Sanji..." Juju perked his head up to the call by his formal name and awaited his command, "rise and stand next to Motoya..."

Juju did as he was told and the both of them looked upon one another, Juju getting a good look at Motoya.

"Face each other." Grandmaster Jirai called again.

"Old mang is this another one of your 'tests' because if it is--"

"Face each other." Jirai ordered again, sounding more stern as he thumped his walking stick into the dojo's ground as its resonance echoed throughout.

Motoya and Juju faced one another.

"Students... rise and move away from the challenge grounds and join our witness bearers." Jirai commanded.

The remaining five did as they were told, moving away and absorbing into the small knit group of people who had come to watch the event which was about to unfold.

There was an awkward, disturbing silence though Juju remained composed, Motoya becoming edgy and anxious until Jirai continued his speech again.

"Every opponent is an opportunity. A chance not only to defeat him, but to know one's self all the better... no matter what field you fight on and against who; remember that you should never. NEVER. Underestimate him."

Motoya and Juju stared back at one another again. Juju winked up at him while Motoya slowly curled one of his toothy, shark-like grins, his unearthly jaw taking on a smile that was impossible for most people except him, "Looks like we're gonna rumble you and me, chico."

Juju frowned, grimacing from Motoya's eagerness and shifted in his stance a little.

"You will see here exactly how this will unfold... ..." Jirai turned slowly towards Motoya and Juju, "Motoya... prepare yourself."

"Are you keeding me?! Prepare myself? Augh, in dat case I weel take off my SHIRT!" Motoya commented off handedly as he began stripping his shirt off of his body.

Motoy'a body glowed a haunting aura of white from his pale skin that reflected off the dojo's lighting and showed a dimension of physique which was both trained and twisted. Juju kept still as Motoya flexed what morbid muscles he could, a surprising amount of them morphing in front of Juju as he watched Motoya becoming more eager to engage.

Several of the witnesses began laughing quietly about Motoya's jestering, his light-hearted appeal towards the training seeming all the more playful while he stood in front of Juju.

"I don't like this..." A young female voice called near Requiem, Requiem looking down to see a familiar red-furred Canidaethrop girl who'd come to the dojo frequently for some time now.

"What do you mean, Nessy?" Requiem asked softly, his Hong Kong accent pulling through as she looked back up at him anxiously.

"Motoya is sooo creepy! And he's so flexible it's, EW! I don't think Juju stands a chance!" Nessia cried.

"Aye, I'm with her on this one... Motoya's one hell of a fighter. What's the teacher up putting the little guy up against that anyway?" David, the only anthrop among the training group, asked.

"Proving a point." Requiem mentioned.

"You're saying he's willing to throw a lamb to the slaughter?" David asked, an uncanny British accent escaping his muzzle.

"I'm saying I've got fifty pounds against you that Juju is going to wreck him like no one is going to believe." Requiem incited.

"You're kidding..." David replied unbelieving.

"Are you on or are you on, Pawfox?" Requiem asked, putting a hand out to him as David looked down at it then back up at his face directly.

"I'll take that bet," David took Requiem's hand, squeezing it and gave it a single shake before releasing, "But I've gotta tell you, you're a sick man to lose this bet."

"We'll see..." Requiem said with unfaltering assurance.

"Warriors... ready..." Jirai shouted, calling their attention as well as those about to watch these two fight.

The whole dojo came on edge, eager to watch this fight unfold though a disturbing appeal to watch a child fight a seasoned brawler, especially one as uneasy to look at as Motoya, were pit against one another. Juju took a short, shifted stance while Motoya bobed about in place, shaking his arms loosely by his side, readying himself.

"Ohhh nooo..." Nessia whimpered, putting her hands up over her eyes.

"No, no Nessy watch. Trust me." Requiem called out to her, David glancing back at Requiem while Nessia peeled her hands off her eyes though she didn't want to watch what was about to happen.

"FIGHT!" Jirai raored.

Juju quickly leapt back, breaking several feet away from Motoya who laughed aloud from Juju's quickened pace to back away from him, "Oh SCARED are we?! You should be, chico!"

Juju braced himself and remained solid, silent, as he waited for Motoya to come near, "Oh I'm gonna ENJOY DEES!" Motoya cheered fanatically as he leapt in Juju emitting a perfectly sounding hiss like some unearthly beast, his jaw dropping severely, seeming unhinged having dropped so far as this long, serpent-like tongue reeled out; Motoya looking for the highest effect of intimidation in hopes to break the young boy's spirit.

"Oh this isn't good." David commented to himself.

"YOU'RE DONE CHICO!" Motoya cried as he pounced in but was suddenly caught by surprise when Juju swiveled his footing aside the oncoming serpentine styled joker.

"What the--"

Before Motoya could react, the act had been done.

WHAM!!!

A powerful blow to the side of Motoya's face in an unexpected closing of distance from the simple side step where Juju had manipulated the forces of his own momentum along Motoya's and conjured a powerful blow to the freakishly pale fighter. Motoya's flimsily, unhinging jaw rattled in open space frantically as the rest of his body went ragdoll from the immensely calculated blow. The carried energy catapulted Motoya on a finite trajectory which defied gravity for a few seconds, though as everyone watched it seemed to go on much longer than it seemed in a dramatic display as Motoya's twisted physique kited through the air before dropping and plowing onto the ground terribly.

Motoya's body coincidentally dropped just before Nessia, Requiem and David who were huddled together and David rose his arms up expecting Motoya's body to ricochet off the ground and hit him while Nessia put her dainty hands up to her muzzle in surprise. Requiem remained calm, his assurance proven as all that was left of Motoya standing was a single hand propped by his body's own mangled distribution.

"Oh F--"

"HAHAHAHHAHA!!!!" Everyone but Motoya laughed aloud.

"Dass not FUNNEE MANG!" Motoya roared.

"Yeah but you learned your lesson, right?" Juju still giddy as short bursts of giggles escaped from his chest and tried his best to stop laughing.

"Mang, eff dees. You guys SOHK." Motoya continued in his displeasure.

"Like you'll do anything about it, Motoya." Requiem added, laughing.

"He was ten years old when he broke you?" Gustov asked, catching his breath from laughter.

"He got lucky!" Motoya attempted to defend himself.

"You were careless!" Requiem corrected.

"FOHK! If thees iz how you guys are gonna be I am OWT!" Motoya cried, picking himself up and beginning to walk away from his teasing compatriots.

The three of them tried to reel Motoya back in with words but Motoya was unmoved as he disappeared to go cool off for a bit.

"Ahhh come back Motoya! Come on!" Juju pleaded, "I'm sorry I whooped your ass as kid!"

Gustov and Requiem lost themselves in hysterical laughter again as Juju got up and hurried after Motoya to reassure him that they didn't mean anything personal against him of the playful attack against his pride.

=====


I really hope I get started on RED95 soon...