TWWR Round up 07/14/2025– Playing Tug of War with Emotions

Last Tuesday I had to make the heartbreaking decision to put down my dog, Star. I came home from work on early Tuesday morning, and she had been suffering from more seizures. Not only that, but during her waking moments, she cried out in extreme distress. It was a sharp turn from her condition on Monday where she either slept or paced the house. Waiting until the vet could take her was agonizing. Once we got there, they were able to act quickly to end her suffering. My husband and mother accompanied me as I said my final goodbyes. At the moment I’m just waiting to hear when her ashes will be ready for me to bring home.

It’s been a bit of a rough week without her here. She was 15-years-old at the time of her passing, and I had her for 14 years. The house just feels way too quiet without Star. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that she’s just gone.

I mulled over skipping this week or not. Have a shorter round up as a compromise.

 

Africa | Page(s): 430| Patreon

The frantic tug of war continues between the African wild dogs and the lions. It’s amazing the gembok’s guts didn’t come spilling out after this chaos. Instead, it snapped in half at the spine. I’m having a hard time believing that such a feat would be possible without some innards being lost. That said, I’m not about to ruin my YouTube algorithm or search history with researching bloody corpses just to know if this is possible or not. (If you know, please tell me in the comment section.) In the larger story such a detail isn’t of that much consequence. Doubly so since Africa has already taken a bunch of creative liberties including Chui’s radio collar having the ability to stun prey.

My two biggest takeaways from this scene are that Kauket is probably going to go through a bad time soon. Her being bitten and that open wound being exposed to swamp water likely means a bad infection. Even cleaning it off will probably make her sick. Also, everyone’s probably going to have a bad time eating that corpse which has been splashed with the same gross water. Speaking of tainted meat, the dogs have the end that currently has a tranquilizer dart in it. Will eating that meat negatively affect them?

What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 910, 911 | Patreon

I get the impression that Skua is actually behind Trout’s decision to promote Wrasse and Gull to advisors. I originally thought because of her body language and her recent fight with Sturgeon, that the queen was just apprehensive about having anyone else near her. However, a commenter pointed out that she’s really uneasy about the decision and Skua reassures her with a nod before she steadies herself. On one hand, the reasoning isn’t totally out of line. Trout feels as if everything has gotten away from her, and having input from the elders could help immensely. The downside is that Gull is directly responsible for the events that led up to Tusk being sent to the sea, and Hake leaving the Family. As for Wrasse, I think he at least has a thoughtful head on his shoulders, but like Gull he might use Thresher’s time as a point of reference for how the Family should be run.

I don’t think this would be an issue if Kelp had stayed behind (though she was correct in Hake needing her more) or if Sturgeon had better trained her siblings in case they were chosen as monarchs. I think she was so confident in being able to handle everything that she didn’t even once consider events getting away from her. At the end of the day though, it’s Trout’s cowardice that has won out. She’ll do anything to please the Family, and instead of punishing Gull for riling everyone up, she’s giving her a promotion.

Gull already used her influence once to get what she wanted in regard to Tusk. Now that she directly has the queen’s ear, things will only get worse. I won’t be surprised if Sturgeon is demoted or banished along with Tansy, the Daisys who joined the Family are kicked out, or she restarts Thresher’s failed genocide plan. (Note: We still don’t know what happened there.) The only wildcard in this might be Wrasse, since he has some decency left. He might either start working with Sturgeon or act as a counterweight to Gull, if he decides to take the new role.

Trout’s reign is shaping up to be potentially worse than Thresher’s.

Golden Shrike | Page(s): 320 | Patreon

Just as I thought, even though Antaras and his family were weary, them staying behind without the March is a nonstarter. They don’t know the lay of the land, and they would have never made it south without guidance. Though I can imagine it must sting to bring your concerns up to the group you’re traveling with for them to not only shrug you off, but have a laugh about it at your expense. In your face. Not only that, but the weather has turned out to be fine so far. This is Usma telling the story, and she’s already confirmed it won’t be fine. When disaster eventually strikes, it’s not going to be pretty. I do admire Antaras a bit for being able to find a smile for his mate and daughter among the ridicule, but it might have been better for him to discuss it with them.

As we can see, his temper is a lot shorter in the present. At the same time, it’s nice getting a glimpse of the deer he used to be. It just makes me all the eager to know how everything played out. On a darker note, I wonder how much of this March will survive whatever’s coming.

On hiatus:

Nothing.

Comics I’ll resume talking about next week:

In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 53, 54 | Patreon

The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 29, Page: 15, 16 | Patreon

Lost Scent | Page(s): 91, 92| Patreon

Home | Page(s): 924, 925| Patreon