S:tLE Contest Entry (with Fic!)

   The Summer solstice in Æzala is an exciting day. Each year, Mons for miles around pack their bags and head toward Dynamon City's annual ceremonial festival. On this most spiritual of days, they renew their faith and thanks by going Where Traders Gather^TM to get their pockets picked and spend the remainder of their savings on overpriced merchandise and Deep-Fried-Everything ©. After a few hours, they'll stumble home - robbed blind in one fashion or another - laughing and smiling while the first pangs of buyer's remorse settle in. Truly, none are immune to its charms.

    Well, MOSTLY anyway.

    About a mile away from the city lights, away from the screams and noise, on a small hill overlooking The Great Lake, sat a lonely young plusle. Her paws were caked with dirt; fur matted with mud. By her side lay a small toy boat, broken beyond all recognition. Although someone certainly seemed to have made an admirable attempt to repair it, a few large pieces were missing and it collapsed in on itself without them. She stared blankly at the water while the wind blew past. Little Innez was far from home.

    A few yards off, a barboach slithered across the main road. The boy's name was Boach - a bully of little repute - and he was heading to Dynamon City with a bag full of coins and a face full of smiles. As he passed, he spotted Innez staring off into space and grinned to himself. 'She really makes it too easy,' he said to himself as he moved toward her. "Hey carrot breath!" he sneered, "What the heck d'ya think you're doin?"

    "Nuthin'" she said, her face a blank slate, "I'm not doin' much of anything these days, really." Boach puffed up, "Well why ain't cha goin to the festival like everyone else, dummy?" She said quietly, "No time," then looked down, "and no money." Undeterred, Boach pressed on, "Well, why ya covered in dirt, slob? No time for baths either?"

    "I've been digging," she replied.
        
    "Digging?"

    "Digging."

    Boach was perplexed. He seemed to remember Innez being much easier to pick on than that. He looked around for something else to throw at her, and then he spotted the boat. "Aha!" said he, "You're still trying to repair that stupid old thing? You should just give up if that's the best you can do!" She looked up as he went on, "Lookit all the holes! This thing could be a block of swiss cheese!" "It's missing some pieces," she said, voice level, "I've been looking..."

    "JUST GIVE UP!" He said, slamming the boat's remains, laughing as Innez panicked, "that stupid thing was crushed weeks ago! You're not going to find anything!"
    
    "I can't give up," said Innez, voice slightly shaking, "my mom made it for me!"

    "Then just get that dumb old hag to make you another one," shrugged Boach.

    "SHE'S DEAD!" Innez screamed, voice cracking up now. Tears welling up in her eyes.

    The wind picked up as she began to cry in earnest, crouched beside a stunned Boach. She hated herself for crying, which made stopping even harder. Ten minutes later she still could not manage anything beyond a hiccup and a few angry coughs. As the breeze died down again, much to her surprise, Boach raised his tail to wipe Innez's tears. "Hey listen..." he began, "I'll...I'll help you look."

    Not yet calm, and very wary of the boy, Innez lashed out, "YOU? WHY WOULD YOU HELP ME!?"

    Boach cast his eyes at the ground, "...You're not the only one who's lost family," he said quietly before going down to the water's edge and beginning to dig.

    Innez was taken aback. Before she could respond, Boach piped up again, "Listen...if ya got no money...maybe later we could go to the festival together?" he added quickly "d-don't look too much into it or anything!"

    Innez wiped her eyes dry. As the wind blew once more, and the clouds left the sun, she could not help but smile to herself. Maybe the solstice is worth something after all? She ran down to where Boach had settled and started digging again.

    "Thanks." 
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This is my entry for 's contest for her comic, Shinka: the Last Eevee.

I had this big comic page planned, but because of my summer job (and my comic) I couldn't work on it, and realized today that there was no way I could make the July 30th deadline. But hell, that's what art experimentation is for right? 

So that's why this entry differs from my normal art style so much and why it comes with a fic. Honestly, I'm not completely satisfied with the picture itself and I haven't the time to proofread and edit the fic right now, but eh, deadlines, what can you do right?