Older art, from 2013.

Artist’s description from DA:

Another sketch thing I did in between commissions because I felt inspiration slap me in the face again. o3o

So, another little preview for <ins>Requiem</ins>, this time of a few residents of Appleloosa. This features Chief Thunderhooves, Little Strongheart, and Braeburn. I really like how Little Strongheart and the Chief came out, considering this is like the first time I’ve ever drawn a buffalo. C:

So this is how I see these three, and how they will appear in Requiem. In my headcanon, Little Strongheart is pretty tiny for a buffalo; she’d be a young adult instead of a child, but is still growing. She won’t get any bigger than Braeburn, however (probably be just a tad taller than him), possibly because of some rare growth defect… or just because she’s simply a runt. Despite it, her tiny size and leaner form allows her to move with far more speed and agility than a normal buffalo could pull off, more than compensating for her lack of bulk.

On the other hand, Chief Thunderhooves is among the biggest of the buffalo tribe (bigger and taller than Celestia), and the scars he bears shows that he’s earned his position as the leader. He was blinded in the short-lived civil war between his tribe and the citizens of Appleloosa, said war resolved through a compromise both sides agreed to. I can also easily see the chief as Little Strongheart’s father (I’m not sure if that has been confirmed or not in canon, so for now I’ll just call it headcanon o3o )

And of course, Braeburn. Younger than Applejack and Big Mac, Braeburn acts as an extension to the Apple Family’s business, and as such, faces just as much trials as his cousins. Possibly more so, since Appleloosa seems to be just along the border of Equestria.

Personally, I think the pairing Little Strongheart and Braeburn can be cute, so long as LS is old enough for it. Maybe the citizens of Appleloosa and the tribe members don’t really support it, though, despite their relative peace amongst each other, which would lead to a sort of forbidden romance thing. I dunno, I haven’t really sorted that little side-plot out yet. o3o