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"...You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!..."
-Rocky Balboa to Robert Balboa from Rocky BalboaThe air was pure ice, and each breath he took shocked his lungs to the point of seizing. The white flakes of snow that he might have reveled in on any other day in any other situation were not the light and airy things he caught on the tip of his tongue during better days. Now their heavy dampness leaked through the guard hairs of his thick pelt and began soaking his downy undercoat. Now, snow on his fur might as well have been cement.
His paws shook, his legs trembled, his back was so stiff and so frozen in place that he felt any shift in weight would break it. If he lied down, if he could save his energy, he knew he might have a fighting chance. He'd been in that same position, hunched over, firm and unyielding, for hours...
...but it wasn't about him. The reason he faced off against the ferocity of the blinding snowstorm shook her head beneath him, regaining consciousness for a moment as she had been doing periodically during his vigil.
"Stupid farmboy," the red husky coughed as she went through the monumental effort to tilt her head so that her green eyes could meet his. "Stand down, quit hovering over me, that's an order!" Even during her weakest hour, Chavaleh managed to at least sound strong.
Normally, he might have smiled, but he only stared deeply into the bleak gray that surrounded them. "Yeah, yeah, disobeying an unlawful order, Boss. You can choke me when you're strong enough to." DJ hoped that he'd live long enough for her to reprimand him later, but more than anything, he hoped that she lived long enough to do it.
Perhaps it was several seconds or several minutes that passed. DJ had started counting time in snowfall rather than the usual method. All of his thoughts concentrated on the mantra by which he'd always confronted any other problem...'just a bit longer, ol' boy, just a bit farther'...'nothin' between a you and a job well done but givin' up'...'all you have to do is refuse to quit'.
His head dipped a tiny fraction in defeat. Before, those simple thoughts and morals...they had always been enough...regardless of the situation.
A rough chuckle from underneath his great Shepherd chest derailed his train of thought. "Farmboy...you know that stupid floppy ear of yours?..."
"Leave it to Chava to keep right on being a smartass in the face of frigid death", he thought. "Yeah, I'm familiar with it," DJ replied through a slight grin.
"Well...honestly..." She was fading again. He straightened his back in response, covering her with his own broader frame even more. With everything he had left, he would make sure that the bright red flame he'd come to respect and obey as a leader was not snuffed out on his watch. "...I always...thought......it was.........kind of.......cute......."
For a second, his eyes no longer felt tired, and his ears stood up straight regardless of the weight of the ice that hung at the tips of them painfully. If he'd ever been determined in his whole life before the storm, it was nothing compared to that moment.
"Good job, Red," he whispered into the storm, "right when I'm ready to think that dyin' here might just be a fitting death for even Rin Tin Tin, you go and tell me somethin' I'm going to have to rub in your face later. How am I supposed to be alright with missing an opportunity like that?"
All of his life, it had been his mantra...'just a bit longer, ol' boy, just a bit farther'...'nothin' between a you and a job well done but givin' up'...'all you have to do is refuse to quit'...
Those simple words and ideas he'd grown up with had never failed him before, and they weren't going to fail him now.
Giftart for DJ_359 and Artaith-21 of their Road Rovers characters DJ the GSD mix and Chavaleh the red husky. I have always loved these characters for their shared determination, and I figured having them face off against a storm together would probably bring out the best in the both of them...DJ's sacrificial nature and Chava's well-hidden softer side. Don't worry, Chava, badasses have their moments.
Yeah, don't ask me what it's been with me and snowy pictures lately. Maybe I'm just glad that the goddamn hot weather seems to be leaving my beloved Georgia now. Ugh. Wielder hates the heat *ruffles fur*.
Copic markers, micron inks, white gel pen, and acrylic paint on bristol board
Category Artwork (Traditional) / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Dog (Other)
Size 1280 x 922px
File Size 326.5 kB
"Life's only cold when you stop giving a damn"
We all need somebody to be there for us when things get tough and we get bogged down with the things that life throws at us. Whether it's a complete stranger or a good friend, it's always something to be thankful for. You did the blizzard scene on this very well and I'm sure the two of them will make it out of this just find.
We all need somebody to be there for us when things get tough and we get bogged down with the things that life throws at us. Whether it's a complete stranger or a good friend, it's always something to be thankful for. You did the blizzard scene on this very well and I'm sure the two of them will make it out of this just find.
"You must have complete determination. The worst opponent you can come across is one whose aim has become an obsession. For instance, if a man has decided that he is going to bite off your nose no matter what happens to him in the process, the chances are he will succeed in doing it. He may be severely beaten up, too, but that will not stop him from carrying out his objective. That is the real fighter."-Bruce Lee
I can match that quote about the man who won't stop in carrying out his objective with what DJ is doing in the pic. Even though he's going through hell on earth at the moment, it hasn't phased him from keeping Artaith's character warm from the outside forces.
I can match that quote about the man who won't stop in carrying out his objective with what DJ is doing in the pic. Even though he's going through hell on earth at the moment, it hasn't phased him from keeping Artaith's character warm from the outside forces.
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