I think I will have to break one rule of mantled beasts and not have a chest plate. If that means I can't call him that then that's fine, I can also run with "design inspired by mantled beasts".
I love these moments when I realize how my drawing skills have improved.
I used to be unable to draw creatures without fancy fur patterns because I didn't know how to apply good fur shading. This lead to many flat areas that made the drawing look boring.
With the current one, though, I have a single fur color and it looks great!