TWWR Round up 7/24/2023– Out of the Chaos Came Cruelty

I’m going to be out of town for the weekend. I’m debating if I should go ahead and skip next week’s roundup. We’ll see.

 

Africa | Page(s): 329 | Patreon

As Chui ponders his decision to not chase the herd, a crocodile tells the leopard he should have followed the herbivores. He reminds the crocodile that when he tried to cross the river, it aimed for him, the only other predator in the area. The two begin to bicker as the large cat accuses the large lizard of trying to starve him. The unnamed crocodile reminds Chui he could always follow the herd. Sensing the other predator wants to make a meal of him, he declines. Before their conversation can continue any longer, Chui’s tracking collar goes off, and he’s darted by the humans in a jeep. He’s certain he’ll be taken elsewhere with plenty of prey.

At this point I wonder if the humans will move Chui closer to Africa in Ngorongoro Crater. Or if they’re just darting him to check on him. Honestly, it would be amusing if Chui woke up in the same exact spot. That said, Faida was right. He depends way too much on the humans for his newfound power. Someday he’s going to find himself in a situation where the humans either can’t or won’t help him. His tricks won’t work either. I’m going to relish that day. For now, it seems our antagonist gets yet another free pass.

 

Repeat | Page(s): 173, 174, 175, 176 | Patreon (N/A)

Babble and Tilter walk and chat about the various ways they’ve seen Sol die. Tilter then brings up the wolves who wanted to bury them alive, and Babble reveals they know about the rumor. Not only that, but the rumor about mismatched eyes is nothing but lies spread by Lun and The Dusk. Titler asks about The Dusk being a crow and mentions they saw said crow in a dream. Babble interrupts by insisting the cycle has to be broken. Running won’t help, but maybe a more permanent trap will work. Tilter notes the Dusk can just escape, and wonders if it’s possible to trap them both. The old wolf isn’t sure, especially if the Dusk is like the Dawn. The young wolf then ponders the possibility of breaking Lun out of the fog, like Sol was broken out.

Babble admits it probably won’t work on Lun because they’re ultimately cruel and heartless. Tilter suggests that Lun could talk to other wolves like Sol did, and Babble reiterates how awful Lun is. Not only did they not listen when Sol tried to talk to them, they’d be dangerous around other wolves. Ultimately, Tilter reminds Babble that trapping Lun didn’t break the cycle, nor did trapping Sol underground. The older wolf concedes his companion is correct and remarks how smart of a kid they are. The pair joke around before Babble stumbles in pain, noting that bones become sore when one’s old. (Something I can relate to as I get older.) Dawn observes them from a distance before reuniting with Sol.

The sun god ponders for a moment before rushing back to Babble and Tilter. The old wolf remarks that their partner is finally awake, and that the pack wanted Sol to go hunting. The sun asks Babble about their bones, and Babble quickly figures out Dawn was watching them and didn’t say anything. Sol then announces they’ve made a decision.

Tilter and Babble’s conversation about how to take care of Lun is good. Even though they’re young, Tilter turns out to be the voice of reason here. Trapping Lun probably won’t work, and it’s likely they’ll have to find their own way out of the fog. The problem is that Lun seems to be irredeemably messed up as an individual. They’re also not quite sane, which is probably the result of being the moon god– at least in this universe. How someone like that gets out of the fog of madness when they’re a god of madness is a conundrum. That said, I’m curious what Sol’s decision is after Dawn fused with them. Did the sun have an important realization after becoming privy to Babble and Tilter’s conversation?

 

The Realm of Kaerwyn | Page(s): Issue 20, pages 82, 83, 84 | Patreon

The Ordermen can hardly believe their luck as Lorelei is right in front of them. She smirks wondering when they would show up. Endymion tries to defuse the situation, and the Ordermen rudely inquire about his identity. When he replies he’s Orderman Endymion Gaelin, the two laugh at him. One of them then mocks Endy by claiming he’s Fahrook Draekon of Thaumaturgy, and the other laughs claiming he ought to pick a more obscure historical figure. The situation is deeply ironic. Confused, Endy begins to reply before Lore cuts him off. She notes that fascists only understand violence before violently punching a hole through the chest of one Orderman. She notes the punch was cool as the remaining Orderman stands shocked, and Endy gags and wretches from the bloody sight. Lore turns to the remaining Orderman offering him an encore.

In this case, Lore isn’t wrong about fascists. I’ve no problem with them being punched, but opening up a new hole in the guy was a bit much. That said, I don’t feel an ounce of sympathy. It also helps that I’ve read a bit of Black Tapestries, which again takes place 1000 years in the future. I’ve seen a little bit of how The Order treats Lore and those they consider sub-human, which tracks for fascists. Rest in pieces, smug Orderman dude. That said, I wonder if this current plot in Kaerwyn is designed to overlap with Lore’s story from Black Tapestries. If her goal is using Sisari’s power to enact revenge against the fascists that made her life hell, I’m rooting for Lore in this case. That said, it’s still interesting that she’s dragging Endy, Niixa, and Callie along for the ride.

 

To Catch a Star | Page(s): 327, 328, 329, 330 | Patreon

Danger and Ray continue to hang out with each other. Ray tells the Dusky about his adventures traveling the world. Even though the Nova has traveled far, he hasn’t seen everything yet. Danger notes that she would like to see the world as well, and Ray invites her to join him, as he’d welcome company. Danger turns down his offer, as she has duties as the new alpha of her pack. Ray remarks that no one uses the term anymore and most wolves use “leader” or “boss.” He notes that his pack doesn’t have a leader at all, and everyone looks to his Gramma (Blaze) for guidance, but they function more like a family.

Danger doesn’t have anything like that in her pack as they hate each other, and there are no rules except she’s now alpha and has to be mated to the strongest wolf in the pack. She also notes the strongest wolf in the pack is a bloodthirsty, raging lunatic (Takedown). Ray then suggests if she’s the alpha, she can change the rules and convince the pack to improve their lifestyle. The Dusky states she doesn’t know anything beyond not wanting to be the same person and leader her mother was. Ray offers to help her, if she’d like his help. She does and thanks him.

Meanwhile, Backlash, Lupi, Shadow, and Hearth are back above the clouds. Hearth remarks that he thought he was going to go crazy from being below the clouds for so long. Backlash is curious and asks him if it hurts. The Supernova replies it didn’t, but it felt like he was missing something, and that something was sunlight. The young Dusky notes that he’s never felt that way, and Hearth ponders if he’s never missed anything because the Duskies no longer have a moon. Shadow pipes up, noting the missing moon isn’t the problem.

I’m going to focus on Ray and Danger. I like their interactions together. That said, it seems like they’ll be paired off just because. I don’t care for the pairing. The two just met. Why not spend more time together as friends before anything like a relationship even manifests? I don’t understand the author’s rush. The same with Backlash and Hearth. The only positive of Danger possibly getting together with Ray is that she doesn’t have to be mated to Takedown, who’s been shown to be an awful person all around. Still, they could have done this as friends, as it seems Danger wasn’t into Takedown anyway.

As for Danger’s actual predicament, I do think Ray is a good influence here. Sunny has shown that not every Dusky pack treats its members as badly as Danger and Backlash’s pack. Since she’s going to be the leader now, it’s a good idea to have an outside perspective and insight into how the pack could function without resorting to violence. That said, my only worry is that Takedown might be overly hostile to Ray. The only thing to likely save Ray’s insides from getting fresh air would be his mention of Backlash. I’m betting that he’ll immediately see Backlash’s resemblance to Takedown, and surmise this was the brother the former mentioned to him. This could have the result of this particular Dusky pack resuming their search for Backlash and Lupi.

 

What Lurks Beneath | Page(s): 662, 663, 664, 665 | Patreon

Wrasse apologies to King Thresher and Auklet for having to hear his conversation with the Dasies. Thresher assures the enforcer that he’s doing good by doing the gods’ work. Also, the Daisies have no business hunting in the forests. Wrasse notes they’re looking then, and if only they’d help themselves by praying to The Tide. As Thresher departs with his lionhearts, he coughs violently and Auklet suggests they head to the river for a drink. At night Sturgeon teaches Hake to fight while Petrel and Trout look on.

Petrel asks Trout if she’s sure she doesn’t want to learn to fight, and the future queen is certain about her choice. Fighting looks angry, and she’d be content to catch food for everyone. Someone else can do the fighting for her. Petrel insists that it’s good to know how to defend yourself, as Trout may become queen. Trout notes that her father has a lot of scars, but it’s okay as she’ll have lots of lionhearts to protect her. Petrel agrees and they note it’s a good idea. Trout then proposes they could be her lionheart, as they’re so tall no one would attack with them around. Petrel reminds Trout they’re a Daisy and wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the queen.

I completely missed it, but commenters have been suggesting that Sturgeon could be slowly poisoning Thresher with the lavender she’s been gathering lately. In fact, she can be seen gathering that lavender on page 659. Lavender is toxic to cats, and respiratory distress is a symptom of lavender poisoning. Perhaps this is her and Petrel’s plan to ultimately take down Thresher. That said, either this plan doesn’t work or it was never the plan because the King ultimately offers himself as a tribute at the beginning of this story. Still it’s an interesting idea, and I hope some readers were on to something, even if it’s not used in trying to get rid of Thresher.

As for Trout, seeing her conversation with Petrel is heartbreaking. We know that the Daisy will later try to assassinate her during her coronation. Those lessons about taking self-defense will also come back to bite Trout hard in the ass later. Maybe she should have taken Petrel’s advice. It’s fascinating to see this particular Daisy impart words of wisdom to Thresher’s heirs. I just wonder what they were thinking when they decided to try and kill Trout. Perhaps that will be touched upon in the future.

 

Tofauti Sawa | Page(s): 386, 387 | Patreon

Miwani tells the others to leave Silver alone because they need to get back to the pride after wasting so much time. Leeto asks Silver if he wants to come with them, and he begins to tell the cub “no,” when Dembe insists. There’s kill left over from a hunt, and giving some of it to Silver would make a great apology for Miwani trying to get Kamau to fight the pale lion. Miwani insists they don’t owe him anything says Silver can starve after calling him a freaky bastard. Annoyed, but playing it smoothly, Silver decides to take Dembe up on her offer just to spite Miwani. Frustrated, the gray lion leads the group as Silver takes up the rear with Dembe and Leeto.

Again, it’s nice to see other lions treating Silver well, especially with everything he’s gone through. Of course Miwani has to be the sour one of the bunch. That said, I hope Silver’s able to take some meat back with him, instead of meeting with more trouble. I also wonder if Sahara is going to wake and wonder where he went. If she tracks him and sees him with the other lions, I suspect she may think he’s left her to join a pride.

 

A Doe’s Salvation | Page(s): 182 | Patreon

Absaroka reaches the matriarch’s den and is beckoned by Sierra Nevada. She gasps in shock as soon as she enters the cave. The older doe wants her to meet her good friend, Gore. The doe smirks back at Absaroka and Sawtooth looks on with a neutral expression.

A short, but impactful page. Gore is the reason Sierra learned that Beartooth was cheating on her with Judith. Additionally, if Gore had not mentioned this fact to the matriarch, it’s likely Judith, Gallatin, and even Crazy might still be alive. Instead, Absaroka lost her entire family because Sierra wanted to punish Judith and Beartooth for the relationship. (Though it seems like Beartooth should have borne the brunt of that punishment since he lied to Judith and didn’t admit he already had a partner.) Anyway, I can’t imagine the future matriarch will take seeing the doe who ratted her family out well. (If Absaroka doesn’t escape the cult herd with Snowy first.)

 

Golden Shrike | Page(s): 227 | Patreon

Kasko asks Boneslav why he’s so small. The large buck ponders if he’s small to the other deer. Kasko admits he’s large compared to them, but compared to the other stonekrovn, he’s small. The stonekrovn admits he’s smaller because he’s always been sick. When pressed about the sickness, he’ll only admit that his heart ails him. Nero then asks if his sickness will slow them down, and Runi demands that Nero stops being rude to someone helping them. He then asks his sister why she’s so far behind the group.

Judging from Boneslav’s pained expression, his heart probably does bother him in some capacity. That said, he had no problem taking down Nero and smashing his head into a boulder. I honestly don’t think the larger deer will slow the group down. That said, given Runi’s pinned back ears, and lowered head, I wonder if something is bothering her. Previously, I figured she might be lost in thought. Now I’m curious if she’s physically hurting, or she’s tired from all the travels. Her energy is uncharacteristically low.

 

The Order of the Black Dog | Page(s): Issue 27, page 3 | Patreon

An open book with blank pages sits on a table. At the bottom of the pages a white line runs horizontally. A digital scanner sits next to a couple of white sheets of paper. At the same time the scan is happening, a gloved hand dabs the open pages of the book with a chemical. It reveals writing in an ancient script and below the writing is a summoning circle. It’s similar to the large circle in the desert.

There’s not much happening here other than a simple transition page. I believe the summoning circle in the book is similar to, if not the same as the giant one in the desert. The person handling the ancient book is a mystery at the moment. It could easily be Rhoda before she heads out to the desert or after her work on that circle is done. Or it could be Melissa or Julia doing their work for The Order of the Black Dog. And it’s possible this is a third, unrelated party. I guess we’ll find out in the next update.

 

Home | Page(s): 807 | Patreon

Roamer explains that he watched Kargo die in front of him. He no longer has the luxury of sitting back and hoping everything will work out. Or that if he spares a dog, the dog won’t come back and present a danger later. Anyone who attacks dies, and he doesn’t care if it makes others see him as a monster. Kargo admits he doesn’t see Roamer as a monster, and agrees with him, even if Ronja wouldn’t. Roamer is then reminded of what his mother (Niita) once said back on Earth. You can’t survive in the world unless there’s a killer inside of you. Kargo agrees that she’s right, especially on Aedra, and it doesn’t change how the older dog sees his younger friend. The pair embrace. Kargo changes the subject and admits Roamer might have been right about his strength not being gone. He then admits it felt good to toss the raider dog in the air earlier.

I wouldn’t have too much of an issue with this page IF Roamer hadn’t murdered a dog in cold blood. Again, he killed an unarmed dog by sneaking him with a knife, after the dog already obeyed Kargo’s command to leave. It reminds me of the story of a woman who shot her Uber driver in the back of the head, ultimately killing him. She did so because she feared he was kidnapping her, though nothing indicated he had any intention of doing so. In this case, Roamer feared the dog might come back to cause harm later. However, none of the raiding dogs harmed the Meteor Tribe and more or less came to illegally evict them. The Baron disregarded his Viscountess’ commands and put the entire tribe in danger by needlessly killing one of the raiders. If they only intended to evict the Meteors, this action may give them the ammunition needed to escalate their actions in the future.

 

On a quick note, I want to address Niita’s words from Asmundr. First, we the audience are left to assume she repeated these words to her son at some point. After all, she uttered these words to Grayson after he and Vilda saved her from Ranulfr. In context, having a killer inside of you was in reference to self-defense, not randomly killing other dogs just because you can. I feel like everyone in the old Asmundr pack would be disappointed in Roamer. And if Ronja was any kind of leader worth her salt, she would have punished him, or demoted him in some manner.

This was a conscious choice Kique made as an author. Roamer is completely out of character, as it’s hard to imagine him killing in cold blood, unprovoked. He got into a fight he lost embarrassingly, and it feels like he killed the raider to save his own pride. He could have been portrayed as defending someone from the raider, and it would have felt more in character for him, especially as the Asmundr pack only killed to save others. Finally, if he’s going to try to kill someone attacking him, maybe Roamer ought to seek better training. Whatever he’s been doing since Kargo died isn’t paying off, which is kind of sad.