I think it's a very Earth-like setting, the griff is just extremely excitable. :)

Thank you so much! ^_^ This was done in Krita (it's free and open-source) using its charcoal pencil brush. Here's a screenshot of the brush:

THIS
IS
AWESOME
(so cute I'm gonna explode)

Hope she's off-duty at the moment!
(The character belongs to @ItIsWingman)

But the perseverance of living beings was even stronger. They ventured into the most unwelcoming places, pushing the boundaries inch by inch. :)

And some preliminary sketches.