Sketchdump 120514

A few drawings of Cyana's group of friends. Including:

Cyana:
I must have posted her backstory already. But in summary, she is a descendant of Viola, Sapphire's cousin. Her family, the true ruling line, were killed by an invading cat who then declared himself the new king. He spared Cyana so she could later be married off to his son (cats are now a rare species, and cats of royal blood even more scarce. Until then, they use her as a servant and she spends her young life in misery.

Micro:
Your typical “little mouse who wants to prove himself as a great hero”. He is on his way to the capital city to find the group of rebels plotting to overthrow the royal family. Always cheerful and optimistic, he can see the brighter side of life. Cyana learns all about the outside world from him. He teaches her how to find a moment of hope or happiness in even the saddest occasion. She slowly opens up to him due to his warm-heartedness and genuine concern for her well-being, which she has never experienced before. His country mannerisms are playfully laughed at by the city creatures, but he never changes who he is to please others.

Chip:
An armoured rat from the city. These rats do not wear armour as in to protect themselves in battle, but purely for decoration – they search and scavenge to find scrap bits of metal to dress themselves in, and then decorate it with colourful materials or stones. The most colourful and shiniest rats are those who command the most respect. Chip is a dreamer, very poetic in his thoughts and feelings, always questioning everything. He was cast out by the other rats for his “fancy ideas” - he believes they should pick a side in the coming war, or else be lost and forgotten in the wave of devastation it will cause.
Chip leaves his armour unfinished because he disagrees with the idea of materialistic gain giving status, saying “Respect should be earned for what is in one's heart, not because of how colourful they look on the outside.”

Tetchi:
Prickly by nature, this squirrel is a runaway who has been living by herself in the woods for so long she has become hostile towards any strangers. She has a fear of heights, therefore she's not a strong treeclimber and prefers to camouflage herself close to the ground. Tetchi eventually develops a strong bond with Chip, calmed by the rat's gentle nature.

Retti:
Captain of the royal family's palace guard, a hamster with a strong sense of duty.... yet a love for the soft lifestyle he has living within the palace walls. Will sometimes abuse his position of trust and steal extra food.
Has been sent by the prince to recapture Cyana, which he doesn't enjoy one bit. He switches sides eventually.

Ashley:
(Remember when I drew a colour-swapped Aston and Rusty? I used 'grey Rusty' as a basis for his design ) Ashley is the leader and mastermind behind the rebel plot. Everybody expects him and Cyana to marry after he helps her reclaim her kingdom and her freedom, since the legendary Lady Sapphire married a grey fox. But Cyana may have different ideas (and Micro gets very jealous of him)