Chase: Bounty Hunter for Hire

So this is another oldie I dug out of my archives. This was the first drawing I did in 2018, and it's pretty obviously inspired by Clint Eastwood's character in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

I looked up my old FA post, and I actually wrote a bio for this guy. I've made some minor improvements, but it's been copy-pasted mostly intact, below:

***

From an early age, Chase wanted a life filled with adventure and exploration. He was no more than ten years old when he packed his bags, gathered up maps, candy bars, and a compass, and slipped out of his village to hike to Mount Verdant, the tallest peak in the region. Three days later, with all of his provisions used up, and his paws caked with dirt and mud, he hadn't even made it half way. He was strong willed, but not that strong, and after an hour of trying to pit his growling belly against his pride, he admitted defeat.

He spent the next two days slowly making his way back while dreaming of warm baths and a warm meal, hardly caring that he'd be in for one hell of a scolding from his mother, who at this point must have been worried sick. On the third day, as he crested the hill that overlooked the village, his eyes went wide and tears welled up. His knees felt weak and he collapsed, his heart beating as he overlooked the smoldering remains of his village.

Chase was found by bounty hunters, hot on the trail of the bandits who had caused all of this destruction. The leader of the bounty hunters, a grizzled old lion named Hector, told him that the bandits had caused some kind of altercation and it escalated until they decided to raze the village. There was little more to be told, and little more to be known. Chase was the only survivor.

Unwilling to leave the boy to his fate, which would surely be starvation at best, Hector took him in and began training him. The bounty hunters, who totaled five in all, became a surrogate family for Chase; Hector as his adoptive father, and the four others as his brothers and sisters. He learned everything from them, first by observing, and later by doing. As his body and mind matured, he was able to take a more active role in the team, and soon became a skilled bounty hunter himself.

He stayed with them for ten years, and during that time, his eyes never left that one goal: to find the bastards who killed his mother and burned the village... and make them pay. For years, Hector did his best to keep up the chase. He did more than humor the boy, and spent considerable resources to look for leads and follow clues. Nevertheless, with time, the trail ran cold. There were easier bounties to be had, and bills that needed paying.

Chase refused to give up; refused to write his tragedy off without retribution. And so, against Hector's pleads, when Chase turned 20, he left the group. Since then, he's been a one man army, dead set on his goal. He'll take jobs in whatever town or city he finds himself in, but he never stays long; there's vengeance to be had, and miles to go before he can rest.