This week The Realm of Kaerwyn began updating after a one-week break. Also, Golden Shrike had a new chapter cover drop and will begin updating again on June 1st. I’ll begin covering that comic next week. As GS comes out of hiatus, The Order of the Black Dog will rotate back into hiatus as it takes a break. This is normal, as Rebecca Raptor often takes off to plan between issues.
Africa | Page(s): 321 | Patreon
Africa goes to Faida to complain about Safari not wanting to eat. The hyena matriarch admits she’s surprised the cheetah held on for so long given his condition, especially at the end of the world. Africa angrily retorts that Faida said he would survive. To that the hyena informs the leopard that Safari would survive if he ate AND stayed strong. She then muses that it might be time to let the old cheetah pass on and focus on the younger members. Upset, Africa asks Faida what she would do when it’s her turn as the second-oldest member of the group.
Unsurprisingly, Safari and Faida are in indirect agreement about his condition and focusing on the younger generation. Africa isn’t having any of it and pulls the “what about you???” card on the older hyena. That said, Faida might not have any problems going once it is her time. After all, she’s lived a while and has seen a lot. In comparison, Africa is pretty young. Either way, I’m sure Faida will smoothly change the subject.
The Order of the Black Dog | Page(s): Issue 26, page 30| Patreon
The fox and the tanuki astronauts are cleared for release. Between their quarantine cells, they silently stare at one another. Suddenly, the fox smiles and the tanuki grins back, her face now obscured by the black starry smoke that was visible at the start of the issue.
First, I misgendered the tanuki from the beginning of the issue. It wasn’t until this page that it was clear she was female. As for the rest of the page, while the astronauts are seemingly cleared to return to society, whatever happened in space is still very visible. I don’t think whatever is happening is directly related to the Black Idol. Now if this smoke (which can be perhaps turned on at will) provides protection against the effects of the Black Idol, or is another ploy by other aliens is another matter. Again, we’ll have to wait for the next issue. It’ll be at least a month until issue 27 is released– if it directly continues where issue 26 left off.
Repeat | Page(s): 149, 150, 151| Patreon (N/A)
Tilter frets as Sol still hasn’t woken up. He notices the yellow stripe on the Sun’s back is gone before lamenting that everything happening is confusing, and they just want their friend to return. Hungry, they set off to eat fruit from the bush Planter provided. Honey then appears and provides them both with fish. The bear then remarks on the Sun still being out cold. Honey reveals they’ll be staying in the area for a while longer visiting family. Later, Sol finally awakens and the two begin to share a meal before Tilter mentions the yellow stripe is gone. The red wolf muses the Dawn must be off roaming. The blue wolf pup then wonders if they should call the fox “Dawn” or “the Dawn.” Speaking of which, the Sun’s servant appears and says they would not mind either name.
First, I admit it’s kind of hard not accidentally gendering these characters when the author has stated they have no gender. So proofreading before I post these roundups is a must. Getting back to Repeat, it’s nice to see Sol and Tilter reunited. Let’s see how long it takes before they’re separated again by Lun or the Dusk’s machinations. Also, I fear having Honey around might make the bear ripe for falling under the Dusk’s influence again. For now, it is good to see the Dawn sticking around. I’m curious to see how their dynamic adds to the group overall.
The Realm of Kaerwyn | Page(s): Issue 20, pages 61, 62, 63 | Patreon
Lorelei kindly reminds Niixa that although she’s ordered Tunc to kill Neek, she could easily kill him at any time. She’s giving Neek a fighting chance if he minds his own business. Furthermore, the Xarax-hil should remember that if she chooses to fight the drifter in the future. Not wanting to back down, Niixa is annoyed that all Lore can offer are threats to force her compliance. Finally, Endymion asks Niixa to go along with the dragons for now, as there’s not much that can be done. Lore acknowledges that Endy is making a wise decision before she opens the rifter and the group prepares to step through.
Not much is happening on these pages, but I stand by my assumption that Lorelei is playing the long game. Her working for Sisari and threatening Neek’s life seems so out of character for her. Would she take the effort to save him a few issues past just to kill him on a whim? At the very least, she gave Neek a variety of clues and had Renard accompany him. So it may be up to Neek to figure out said clues on Kaerwyn while everyone else visits Creedmoor.
To Catch a Star | Page(s): 297, 298| Patreon
The howls that interrupted Backlash and Hearth’s conversation were from the Supernova. Cloud immediately begins to gather the pack. Those that can fight will fight, while the sick and elderly will hide in the cave. Blaze cowers in terror at the thought of being forced to go back with the Supernova, and Cloud vows to protect her. The Nova from the original pack Backlash met above the clouds warns the young Dusky he should run, as a fight will break out. Instead, Backlash offers to help defend the pack. Meanwhile, the Nova glares at Hearth declaring he’s on the wrong side and should join his Supernova friends.
This week only saw a two-page update as Sleepy forgot the usual Friday update. It happens.
As for the new revelation, it’s unclear what these Supernova are up to, especially since Hearth was tasked with retrieving the Sun. These two don’t appear to be a part of that mission, otherwise they would have accompanied him. No, I think these two are here to find and drag Blaze home for her perceived betrayal of the Supernovas. Yes, I do think these religious zealot wolves are petty enough to continue to harass the old woman and her grandson long after they’ve fled the group. However, there only seems to be two wolves, which makes me suspect they’ve greatly underestimated the ability of Dusky and Nova to team up. As for Hearth, I feel his actions will actually parallel when Backlash was confronted by members of his own pack and decided to save Shadow and Lupi, despite the danger to himself. After hearing Blaze’s story, Hearth will likely join the mixed pack in driving off the other Supernova. After all, his mission doesn’t align with whatever they’re doing, and will likely start to break his trust in Scorch and the Supernova in general.
Tofauti Sawa | Page(s): 370, 371 | Patreon
Silver insists on staying put and getting his sleep. Sahara agrees they’ve been walking for a while, but demands the lion walk a bit further. He soundly rejects her prodding and she gives up and calls him a lazy bastard. Satisfied, Silver smirks as he closes his eyes to rest. The hyena notes that she’ll wake him when the sun sets and he agrees. Time passes and the stars come out. Silver wakes up and finds Sahara soundly asleep next to him.
These two pages are an nice touch of humor. I especially like Silver’s frown to smile, as Sahara gives up on pushing him. That said, even though she’s manipulating Silver into inadvertently helping her on this ill-fated revenge quest, he’s not someone she can just push around. She used to have a clan she ruled over, where everyone was at her beck and call. That clan is gone now, thanks to her own actions. Sure, she’s found an ally, but she’s going to have to cooperate with him if she wants to achieve anything. This may be the lesson she’s slowly learning. To be honest, I’m hoping Silver’s easy-going nature will help balance out some of Sahara’s self-destructive tendencies.
What Lurks Beneath | Page(s): 647, 648, 649 | Patreon
Sturgeon reveals that Krill was disguised and Skua didn’t know until after he made the kill. Wahoo decides that he needs to speak to Trout and apologize. Sturgeon panics and tells Wahoo that the queen has decided Krill’s involvement will remain hidden from the public, because she’s been through a lot, and it’s what she wants. Furthermore, the Tide will judge Trout’s attempted assassin in death, so the living don’t need to know. Wahoo thinks it unfair that cats are allowed to keep pleasant memories of his treacherous mate, but he’s grateful nonetheless. Sturgeon also reveals that no one can know that he knows about Krill. The other disguised cat with Krill had amber eyes, like Wahoo’s and others may suspect his involvement. Horrified Wahoo screams he would never betray Trout, but Sturgeon insists that if anyone knew that about Krill’s plans, they would accuse him of helping. She then asks him if he knows who the other attacker is, which he doesn’t. Finally, she reveals that Krill said other cats were speaking of treason and wants to know if Wahoo knows. He pauses before considering his next words.
I admit, it’s kind of amazing to see how Sturgeon continues to weave her lies. She knows that the second cat who was with Krill had nothing to do with him, because that was Egret– Kelp’s actual son who Sturgeon has been looking after since he was a kitten. Plus Skua and Wrasse are looking for a cat with a cut on his nose, so Wahoo is actually in the clear regarding that. Still, she can’t just come out and tell Wahoo that Trout planned to have him serve the Tide, otherwise he might be feeling a bit treacherous as well. The plan to possibly have Wahoo keep an eye out for others who might want to harm the queen while keeping mum about Krill’s involvement is one way to tie up loose ends.
Messy ends that Sturgeon created, mind you. I still believe that Krill wouldn’t have attacked Trout if Sturgeon hasn’t appeared to give him her backing OR she actually told Trout and Skua about his plans and he served the Tide. But no, in trying to prove how dangerous the family could be she created an even worse situation. Now, it’ll be interesting if Wahoo stays quiet as the Daisies are blamed for the attempted assassination. Or if someone completely unrelated to the web of lies figures out what Krill has done and reveals it to the public. Hell, Tansy is loyal to Sturgeon, but she could very well be listening in on the conversation. In short, please stop lying Sturgeon. One of these tall tales will come back to bite you in the tail.
A Doe’s Salvation | Page(s): 174 | Patreon
Teton reveals that Moccasin is his new partner. Shocked that the buck is ready to move on from Gallatin so quickly, Absaroka is taken aback. Teton explains that he still can’t believe Gallatin is dead, but realized his partner is never coming back. So moving on is the best course of action, especially since he’s young and wants to live a happy life before he’s sacrificed to the mountains someday. Absaroka can’t believe he’d dare move on and runs off before anything else can be said. Teton calls to her while Moccasin feels awful about the situation. The buck isn’t surprised, but still looks dejected. Sawtooth offers to talk to the future matriarch.
To be honest, I’m kind of surprised that Absaroka is upset that Teton has moved on. Abs and Sawtooth killed Gallatin so SHE could become the next matriarch. Granted, she did this because the current matriarch would have had her brother killed anyway, and possibly Teton. Second, Gallatin turned out to be a massive narcissistic asshole, who planned to steal his sister’s fawn to raise with Teton– until said fawn was sacrificed to the mountains. In that entire time, he didn’t grieve over Crazy’s death, but instead fumed over Absaroka possibly ruining him getting together with Teton. Third, if Teton knew the true Gallatin, it’s doubtful their relationship would have lasted.
Yes, Gallatin was her brother, but knowing all of this it feels unfair that Absaroka is upset over Teton wanting to find a new partner. She doesn’t get to dictate another deer’s happiness. I’ll give her a little mercy here since she just recently found out that Beartooth is her father, and did nothing to protect her mother and his grandson from being sacrificed to the mountains by the current matriarch. Plus, she just learned the mountains aren’t real, so she’s caught in her feelings, to put it lightly. She’s a complicated doe, which makes A Doe’s Salvation so enjoyable to read.
Kargo muses that he might leave Meteor Tribe territory depending on Ronja’s decision, but he won’t go too far away. Roamer decides that he doesn’t want Kargo to leave his side again, and he doesn’t care if the decision is selfish. Kargo objects because they’d still see each other. The two dogs continue to go back and forth with the younger dog insisting that their leader hasn’t made a decision yet, and the older dog stating it is safer if he’s not too close to their territory. After all, Kargo is wanted by the Capital and being harbored by the Meteors would make things worse for everyone. Roamer doesn’t care and in a callback to the earlier chapters, states “let them come.” He’s prepared to kill other dogs if it comes to it. Putting an end to the conversation he notes that they should sleep while Kargo is visibly upset– possibly for Roamer’s wellbeing.
It’s amazing how Roamer’s personality has seesawed. He went from an adventurous youngster, to a doormat for Rogio’s problems, to an edgy Stu. His personality didn’t change because of story events, but was changed to fit the story, which is why he feels so out of character. It’s understandable that he regrets seeing Kargo die and maybe even regrets breaking up with his original love in the first place. That said, he’s thrown all caution to the wind and is unreasonably upset. It’s the difference between letting someone you care about know that you’re worried about them, and actively trying to keep them under lock and key because of that worry. I feel like Kargo would be more than willing to listen and talk to Roamer about his concerns, but the latter has been with Rogio’s toxicity so long that he’s forgotten what healthy communication is actually like. In short, I don’t like the path Roamer is taking.
On Hiatus :
Golden Shrike | Page(s): | Patreon
