The Trainer (Commission) (Patreon)

*Cue upbeat advert music*

« Too much fat? Not enough muscle? Need more stamina? Meet Hirtar, the most eminent specialist of the famous Izaran military training. Skilled and experienced, this top-class soldier has already trained many members of the royal family of Izara. The perfect coach for you to (die by exhaustion) ahem, hit your goals. »

Commission time!

This was done for the kind and patient Cpat, and it represents a scene from my Azarian Stories universe, specifically one set in the cold, inhospitable region of Izara.

Hirtar (“dark smoke” in Azarian) is a high level military trainer, one of the best of Izara.

If this guy looks kinda familiar, it’s because he is! Hirtar was initially inspired by Ryu, from my comic Chakra ( http://chakrabattleofthetitans.wikia.com/wiki/Ryu ). About a year ago, as a test, I created an Azarian version of him: https://www.patreon.com/posts/green-with-rage-8162583

However, for this commission, he has a more realistic look: instead the green fur, he sports a black silver smoke pattern, and his ridge became an ornament made out of redwood.

His tail is very long for an Izaran, and this peculiarity was a source of mockery and bullying during is childhood. His tough beginnings made him particularly brutal and vicious when he became an adult... a perfect candidate for training the young members of the royal family (see below).

And what about that pair of legs to the right? Those are Nazur's legs (remember, the heiress of Izara, daughter of King Nirjeth https://arven92.deviantart.com/art/Azarian-Stories-Heiress-Nazur-PATREON-REWARD-683915329 ), who, after an already long and exhausting day of training, was ordered to perform a terrible series of pull-ups… with just one arm. And the more she roars with pain, the more Hirtar pushes her to continue, and to be faster. 

You probably noticed: Nazur has no more fur on most of her body, and there is a lot of fur on the ground. Yes, she has been shaved! 

Izara is a harsh region, conservative, and with a very hard and painful military training. One of the traditions of "welcoming" young recruits is for them to be completely shorn, combined with the total ban on wearing any clothing (a form of "double nudity" so to speak). This is made for hygiene, to assert discipline, to toughen the future soldiers up, and to humiliate them (without fur on, an Azaras feel like naked humans, shy, bashful, afraid, vulnerable).

And the members of the royal family are not exempted from all these practices. On the contrary, for it’s even harder for them than for ordinary Izarans: they are personally trained by the most brutal instructors, in the most hostile places, with less pity and tolerance, starved, beaten, pushed to they extremes limits. They must show the example, and become soldiers ready for anything.

Here, we have the young Nazur (18/19 years old), recently incorporated, in the end of her first day of training… and her complete formation promises to be long!

If you're very attentive, you may notice that the fur on Hirtar's clothing is the exact same color as Nazur's... That's right, it’s made with her own cut hairs. It’s yet another tradition in Izara's training methods: the instructor takes the fresh-cut hairs of his recruits, and flaunts them on his outfit like trophies (the same treatment reserved to war prisoners). It’s a manner to assert dominance, and motivate his students. Something along the lines of: “Your fur is mine now! You want it back? Work hard, became a real adult, and offer a strong warrior to your homeland!”

This is madness, I hear you say?

No,

THIS.

IS.

IZARA!

:D

In the attachment to this image, you can find concept art on how the commission came to be, as well as the lineart of the two characters, and the un-blurred version of the piece. Enjoy!