Between the ages of 10-12, I loved wolves. As much as I've always been a 'all animals are my favorite animal' person, I was DEEP into making wolf characters, different packs and dynamics. I wanted to make something like the Warriors series with wolves, and even wrote up a bunch of lore for the different wolves of the different packs. But one wolf was definitely my self-insert. Leader of the "Starlight" pack was a white wolf named "Phoenix." The very first instances of me using a name other than my given name were in regards to this wolf, and over time - first on YouTube, then DeviantArt, so on, the handle "Phoenix-of-Starlight" stuck. So to be clear, my handle didn't originate with a Phoenix character and had absolutely nothing to do with stars or cool lighting. It was a wolf OC made by a little kid. :P

This has been a redraw I've attempted a few times in the past, but only this round felt like it had the right energy to it. Drawing this felt like I was patting kid me on the head and saying "Yes yes, it's a very cool character."