BH6 Heropets AU: Pep Practice by X-I-L2048 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

FINALLY getting around to posting some of the big backlog of art I've accumulated over the last couple of months. *cracks knuckles* Let's get down to business.

This is from an AU that crept up on me while working on my Darkpath AU comic and yelled in my ear until I caved and drew some art for it. Basically, in an alternate world saturated by potent magic and populated by mythological beings of every conceivable sort, humans are forced to constantly struggle just to survive. Looked upon as little more than savage – if also markedly resourceful and devious – animals by the majority of the magical population, humans are routinely hunted and captured as slaves, pets, and even as food sources for some particular carnivorous species. Most don’t even believe the creatures are truly sentient, and the upper echelons of magical society are quite happy to let the general populace continue to think that.

4 year old Hiro and 10 year old Tadashi Hamada are captured with their aunt during a routine raid on their village. After a long and convoluted turn of events, the boys end up in the possession of a nymph student alchemist, who bought them out of pity. She keeps Tadashi as her new pet and gives Hiro to the skinchanger who helped nurse them back to health (as she couldn't keep both because of Reasons and her tiny cottage was no place for an inquisitive 4 year old, what with all the alchemic equipment lying around everywhere). Begin main plot.

This initial set of sketches was to practice drawing a toddler Hiro. I nearly died from the cute. XwX The collar around his neck says "Pep" in the local magical language, which is his pet name both because of his natural enthusiasm and insatiable curiosity, and how he bounced back so quickly from his initial illness, injuries, and residual fear of the magical creatures who had rescued him.

Other Heropet works:
Pep Fullbody
Patch Practice Patch Fullbody
Security
Shelter