TWWR Round up 02/02/2026– Life and Death Decisions

It’s already February? How time flies! Things have been pretty stable on the personal front. I’m looking forward to catching up with a lot of movies I’ve been meaning to watch for Black History month. It will be a good time.

On the comic news front, there’s not much happening. The Black Blood Alliance ComicFury site has been updated with a sample of an upcoming scene. You can really get a feel for the slight shift in art style (more sketchy), how the story has been changed, and expanded. Kay explains the scene on Bluesky.

Jumalanpelko had two mini comics released last week. Both are very short. These will be included in the physical book, but are also being put online. They serve as expanded scenes for some parts of the story. Go read them.

With that out of the way, on to the round up!

Africa | Page(s): 459 | Patreon

Faida brilliantly does her job of distracting Kauket. I felt a ping of sadness at seeing how little of what’s left of Safari. The old cheetah’s body has been picked completely clean. Greeting him as a way to grab the lioness’s attention worked well, as Badru was able to slip by. Though it’s funny, Maat at least was civil at their last meeting. Kauket is fairly rude and dismissive, but any sane lion wouldn’t trust a hyena, or vice versa due to being rivals and mortal enemies. Certainly a lion and hyena could probably get along in this universe, but it’s not this particular story between this clan and pride.

Especially as Faida has made it her job to stall the old lion as long as possible. Even so, Bes’s mother is turning to leave, and the former matriarch’s actions may have to become more extreme. I’m fairly certain that she will attack Kauket in some way. What does the old hyena have left to lose at this point?

What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 973 – 974 | Patreon

Trout is worried about Thresher. The fact that she has room in her heart to care about her awful father goes to show how well he treated her (and Hake), and how good of a job Sturgeon has done hiding his worst tendencies from her siblings. If they really knew how awful the King was, especially to Daisys, they’d likely be indifferent at best like Kelp is. On another note, I do love how compassionate Hake is. While he’s worried about his father, he’s also worried about Petrel, but is mentioning that they’re okay as well.

I do have to give it to Trout, as frustrating as she can be, she’s perceptive in a way that eludes Sturgeon and even Hake sometimes. She’s noted that Petrel is likely upset with her. Although the Daisy will likely never show it to her face (until the coronation ceremony), that look of betrayal when Trout called Snapper was quite clear. I wonder if the future queen will be wary of the older cat from now on?

In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 77-78 | Patreon

I was correct in my guess. The royal was going to try to bribe the Therian. Giant Tears are a pretty good bargaining chip if they can actually grant everlasting life. Not that it matters, because Kay quickly reveals that the royal’s vial of tears is fake, while she has the real thing. Actual Giant Tears glow. While this particular royal was dumb enough to offer a fake item in exchange for his life, our former royal protagonist isn’t much smarter.

This guy was passing off an item off as fake, but at least one member in the elite noticed while the others may have been fooled. Notably, he also has a diamond marking on his forehead. So it’s safe to say he’s also from the old guard, but maybe switched sides by pledging his loyalty, or was a collaborator with the Therian from the start. Either way, he’s doing a lot better than the other royals who find themselves in the arena. I’m also guessing the royal family might have been large, like the Saudi Royal family, rather than a tight-knit clan. Anyway, Maximus might already know the tears are fake, or would have realized sooner or later after taking them. What was to stop the police from hauling this guy back to the stadium? And of course, the elite royal could have just pointed out the attempted con job.

As for Kay, she’s not much smarter because she’s revealed the Giant Tears she’s holding, and Critters will likely figure out she’s spent time among them. She’s only back in The Lion’s Den because someone had her kidnapped. Under those circumstances alone, she’s better off keeping her mouth shut, and letting the scene play out. That said, her brutal honesty might work in her favor, as the elite royal might vouch for her, letting her survive. Then again, there’s nothing stopping the guards from just taking her tears. This girl must be a lawyer’s worst nightmare of a client with her ability to blurt out valuable information at the worst times. I’m betting Kay has just enough dumb luck on her side to get out of this stadium alive. As for the other royal with the fake tears, yeah, I’m certain he’s about to be lion food.

Lost Scent | Page(s): 111 | Patreon

That’s that, the girls are spending another night on the Shearwater. It’s for the best as they’ll have time to rest up before tackling the cliff they must climb. It’s cute that Motte and Morgan have spent another night in each other’s paws. The other dog piles are cute, while Tulpi spends some time with PIG. I do appreciate that after being woken up by the beam of moonlight, the Akita mix took the opportunity to snuggle up at Motte’s side. I’m glad she’s taking the initiative. She looks so much happier at her friend’s side.

And the authors noted that this is the last page of the chapter. Next week’s update will just be the chapter cover.

Golden Shrike | Page(s): 344 | Patreon

I have to admire how Eve never relinquishes a moment to antagonize Antaras. Since the God-caller has her bound, she can at least make his life emotionally miserable. As she belittles the Northerner, we learn a bit more about Halvs. While some of this has been stated or demonstrated in the comic itself, it’s nice having it laid out here. A Halv cannot survive without its deer, but without a Halv, a deer is only half of itself. We’ve seen what happens when deer kill their Halvs, at the very least, they cannot reproduce. Much like Gitta and Prue complained about when they were still alive. They also cannot communicate with the sky, and I’m guessing their souls aren’t carried to back to the stars when they die.

A deer can exist without a Halv, but a Halv cannot exist without a deer. The two are bound in life and death. In other words, Eve could probably bring back Oudia’s other half if it were the only one dead, but she cannot bring the doe back nor her Halv if they’re both dead. Going by my theory from last week, I’m going to say once a soul has departed a body, it’s gone for good. Either eaten by Loss or returned to the sky (perhaps both), and that’s likely a one-way trip. Or Eve could be lying to Antaras, considering how he has her bound, and she is refusing to do all but the absolute minimum. It is curious how she asked about the other deer a page earlier. At this point, it’s not yet clear if Eve’s powers are limited to birth, or if she’s just giving the God-caller a hard time because she can.

Either way, Oudia isn’t coming back. However, there’s still an unborn fawn. Perhaps the unborn don’t receive their Halvs until birth, so there might be hope for Antaras’s child at least. I’m still thinking the God-caller made a deal for Eve and Loss to remain with him until his fawn is born and healthy. That seems reasonable on the surface, until you look at all the other fawns that will be born dead, all so one guy can have some part of his wife. His reasoning isn’t trivial, but it is incredibly selfish. I love how gray of an area this all is. Our stag isn’t a mustache twirling villain, his actions make sense to a degree, but the outcome is the same as if he were evil.

I’m amazed Usma didn’t run off sooner after all this mess her father created.

Off for the week:

Home | Page(s): | Patreon (Technically not off, but the next page won’t be up in time for this week’s round up.)

On hiatus:

The Order of the Black Dog | Issue Page: | Patreon