Perhaps so and perhaps not. It certainly includes darker elements than the sequels do but it also includes many aspects of the sequels that were never thought about when the original was created. Here are some more images including an excerpt from the scene depicted. It is about a "game" called "Poking":
Something hit Cera with such a force against the flank that she was hurled over and couldn’t breathe. She barely recognized that it was Chasma who had knocked her over before she landed on her back and remained lying on the ground and gasping for breath. With a great effort she made to welter, get on her feet, and look back over her shoulder. Chasma had the rock and rolled it forward with her forefeet as quickly as she could. She had lowered her head and seemed to be ready to run over anything that might get in her way. But Chasma’s doom didn’t get into her way but came from behind. Ira, not slowed down by the necessity to roll a stone forward barged Chasma away to the right as if she would be a member of the other team and took possession of the rock. Chasma staggered some steps to the side before she found her balance again and snapped at Ira as if she wanted to bite her. Chasma’s eyes sparkled and there was nothing left of the calm dignity she had displayed in her face before. Dinah and Dana sallied at Ira with a joyful cry. Dana was too slow. Ira and Chasma passed her and he was unable to catch up with them. But Dinah jumped right into Ira’s way. Cera wanted to shout something, tell Dinah to dodge or urge Ira not to be to tough with the little ones, but Cera still gasped for breath by jerks and was unable to say anything, much less shouting anything.
Here is a very rough posture study I made for a more detailed image of that scene. In the final version the two characters Ira and Chasma are in different poses though:
Personally I am not too happy with the way the final picture (Finished on December 8th 2002) turned out. Every single character's legs are way too long and too thin. I also think that there ought to be a stronger resemblance between Cera and her older Sister Ira (who would look better with five rather than seven "knuckles" on her frill). Also the characters seem to be a bit too far apart from each other (Helmhead who is approaching in the background in particular). The perspective doesn't look right either as the horizon is set too high (it looks as if it was on some slope while it is supposed to be level ground). I like Chasma's expression, but appart from the thin legs the too thin and fragile looking horns as well as the unsymetric pattern on her frill are disturbing the overall impression. It is also a very tidy forest with not a single leave or a stick lying on the ground. Anyway, I guess I have now sufficiently torn apart my own work
