There are woods, you know, which aren't just woods - there is magic in them, they are deep and mysterious. As are the people who live in them, and call themselves their guardians. I wonder what just caught this one's attention...

I found this painting stressful at times; being not exactly a specialist in knotworks they took too long to create, although I've always loved them. Additionally, I wrote an extensive walkthrough of the picture while creating it, so that bogged me down too... altogether it's one of my most time-consuming paintings.

Making of: Know your forest.

Edit note: I made some edits on this painting after getting so much useful feedback (fortunately, nothing major). That's exactly why I came here - thanks to everyone who commented and critiqued!