Super emotional, very strong!

Damn thats brutal

I like how you capture the 'playing with their food' that cats are notorious for. I mean, yeah other predators do it, but it's usually felines most minds go to. Makes it really dark when you add sentience to it all :"D

I love it.

Humans do it to their own food all the time.

... and to each other.

"other predators" also equals humans, as we are a predatory species. I personally don't play with my food, but I don't deny that sickos exist in this world.

yeah, well... that's cats in a nutshell

*shrugs*

like it or not, that's normal cat behavior. I grew up with cats and love 'em to death. they are cute, they are adorable... buuut they also like to play with their prey.

Godddddd Hemlock, honey... ohhh hun I knew there had to be something really traumatic behind that distrusting behavior but.
Cats 'toying; with their food is already a bit distressing irl, but when it's given sapience and put on creatures that have enough free will to choose NOT to do that, it's a whole new level of disturbing.

[[ Side-note to people describing this as just 'playing with food like cats do', fun fact. Cats actually are not 'playing.' They catch and release prey repeatedly because they are trying to get the perfect vantage point to bite and snap the neck. They 'release' prey if it's not in the perfect position, because they want to avoid as much damage to their own face or neck from prey that might be able to fight back. So, while IRL cats don't 'play' with their food... these lions are merely playing a game for sport. ]]

This is horrendous enough to someone who's never had kids.
I literally cannot fathom Hem's pain from that, hearing your own daughter being tortured and maimed, dying slowly while you have to sit there and listen.
That's enough to break anyone, much less a mother. I'm honestly surprised Hem didn't beg them to kill her, after experiencing that. I suppose that despair either had to harden or break her... and it looks like it took the former path.

Honestly anyone at this point that thinks Hem has 'no excuse' for her behavior need to zip it. Sure she should still be held accountable for future mistakes she makes just like any other person... but jesus.
No amount of hugs is gonna help that old wound.

Yeahhhh... she's absolutely doing some messed up stuff though and it's not helping her or anyone.

But god damn you can see where the hate comes from, I honestly think she's taken on the herbivores of the stone hollow as her surrogate family and she's determined to not lose another family.

Exactly. And there's clearly children there... Mothers who have lost so much tend to be very 'adoptive' in their behavior in stories like this. They look at unrelated loved ones and see their child they 'failed to protect,' and wish to redeem themselves.

I love that this story is already showing that this premise is very complicated, and nobody is free of mistakes/sins in the past. Even Oren himself cheered for Egg's teeth to be removed, until he realized just what was going on.

I'm so loving the way the characters and world are being set up.

Correcting myself, SPRIGG cheered for Egg's teeth being removed before realizing it was wrong, not Oren.

I agree with everything you said for Hemlock, definitely. But is that really true about cats o:? I've watched my own cats toss a mouse into the air, pounce, then toss them up again, then leave the damn mouse on the ground, covered in slobber and bites and alive. ...maybe my cats are just demented :'D

Idk if it was aimed at me saying that, but I wasn't excusing their behavior or anything ;-;

Oh no it's just a really fascinating subject!

I think with house cats, the instinct is still there to toss them about and nip at them, but usually they lose the desire/need to finish the prey off, which is what the tossing around is for in the first place. Barn cats tend to be a lot more fatal with their 'toying,' because they've kept those old instincts better and were raised to be mousers. I think we see domestic cats as 'playing' with their food because they don't often go for the kill at the end, because they don't toss their prey around with the intention to eat it. They usually have no need to, since we feed them easy food that doesn't need to be killed.
Plus, our cats don't have the moral understanding of 'you shouldn't hurt a living thing to the point of maiming if you don't plan on killing it for food,' while these Lions absolutely were capable of that understanding. I guess that was more the point I was trying to make? The fact that what these lions did was not 'eh cats just toy with their food irl, so yeah what did you expect.'

And nah it wasn't aimed at you specifically, sorry about that heh.
I'm usually a bit more on-point with analysis and such, but it's been a sleepy few days xD; I probably dawdle around my point quite a bit in my comments.

I read in a book once that the instinct to hunt in housecats is separate from the instinct to feed. Wild cats have to learn quickly that prey is for killing and eating, but housecats often are never taught this by their parents. So when they manage to catch something, their hunting instinct just goes... nowhere and they keep acting it out. Excessive playing with a caught animal would indeed be super risky for a wild cat. The prey gets so many more chances to escape or injure the hunter.

that's pretty interesting, I never knew that even though I've been surrounded by cats all my life lol XD

though in my defense, me and my family tend to keep them in the house to avoid the risk of... you know... mother fucking petnappers -.-

Aka some of the worst god damn people. I can't believe folks like that actually exist. >:[

agreed

See... stuff like this is the kinda thing that'd make Solomon Kane go, "Men must die for this." To cause unnecessary pain out of boredom is one of the most evil things out there. The kind of evil that, if left to fester, will just get worse and worse, and continue to prey upon others. It needs to be killed before any more suffer.

If it were just farming, keeping the prey fat and happy, then killing them quick to feed their families, it'd be a bit easier to stomach. Still pretty messed up as you'd be allowing sapients to eat each other, but at least the prey would have a chance to live a somewhat happy life. And no lingering, painful death as they struggle.

As it is, teaching everyone to farm fish would probably go a lot further to uniting the species.

It gets worse... so much worse...

This also just goes to show that Hem is acting out after a traumatic experience at the hands of what I HOPE is the minority in predators of this world. From what we've seen, it's not commonplace for predators to torture their food for sport. Most of them seem to hunt and kill simply for food, and perhaps a dash of instinctual thrill.
This, though? This was beyond cruelty. There was no reason for this, morally.
Those lions acted out in a way that has now scarred Hem into feeling no predators can be trusted. A skewed, incorrect view... but one that comes from a place of honest trauma.

All we can hope is that predators with sense like Rask and Egg can help her see the OTHER minority among predators. Those with empathy, sense, and a desire to see things change for the better.

I have a feeling her views will not change no matter what proof is given to her. I am a patreon member.

It's not even been a week so far in the narrative. You don't heal wounds like this in a week.

Indeed. She hasn't even been presented any strong proof yet. (I'm patreon too.)

hopefully she is presented some, won't know till more of the story is told. In my own opinion though I don't have high hopes sadly. I just hope she does not run rask off/he gives up before that might happen. Either way even with her history is not a full excuse to want the death of all other predators and be prejudice to the point of wanting to disfigure them. which is the vibe I was getting before this page so far.

and if she does change I would hope she will nicely apologize to Rask and egg for how she has treated them.

I hope she still changes, but I guess the story is strong with heartache, and her story arc is possibly over, soon. (I have cable TV)

yay more patreon members, this artist deserves them. As for strong proof how about egg and Rask not killing anyone yet, I would say that is some proof.

Gotta give the story time, dude XD She's not gonna make a turnaround that big so early. That's just bad writing/pacing. *is an author as well

She'll either see that some predators can be changed and reasoned with, or she'll be a cautionary tale of what happens when you lean too stubbornly into your prejudices.

But given that Teagan seems to like and value Hemlock, I'm leaning towards the former.

Also, maybe don't add to comments with 'I'm a patreon member' cuz you can disagree with me all you want... but don't lowkey spoil things by basically saying 'I've seen further in the story, you're wrong.'
Have some responsibility/restraint my dude

GRIMDARK.

Consciousness enables you to choose. To do good or commit evil. Such is freedom.

They broke her so bad that day now she won't allow herself to recover now... Poor Hemlock needs a hug, even more than Rask, which says a lot!

I share Oren's face right there.

Also will Patreons stop spoiling the surprise please?

With the language barrier, it must sound something like Bowser's laugh

Is it weird, that I ship Hem with Rask, regardless of this?

Yes

Oh well, we all have our vices...and I live in hope for them to bridge the gap between then.

I’ve seen a couple of other people ship them, so you’re not alone. Definitely hope that Hemlock can come to terms with what happened, and make peace with the fact not all predators are like those that killed her kids.

Honestly, even if it's not my personal cup of tea, I can totally get where you're coming from.
'Shipping' is all about 'I think these two characters would have an interesting dynamic, whether it's good and I want to see it happen, or bad and I want to watch it like a train wreck,' to me.
So I can see where you'd find Rask/Hem appealing- since in order for that to happen in the first place, Rask would have to move past his fear of Hemlock, and Hem would have a LOT of character development to go through to finally see Rask as another person instead of a wolf in sheep's clothing, waiting to kill them all.
That kind of stuff is my JAM with other character ships.

So while nah I don't ship them in particular... that sort of shipping dynamic on its own drips with potential and I can still see why you'd be interested in it.

I actually don't. Though, I can see, in my minds eye, Hems realisation that Rask and others like him, are good and kind -- as she draws her last breath. He may have tried to save her life.

Hemlock is female

Scars that run deep. I can understand her hate but..she can't lump all of them like that. Because if she does, she'll eventually become them, Like the old badger, soon no teeth is enough. Next it's no claws, then no feet to run, then sever their hands...hate turns you into something very ugly

She’s a good character, even if she’s not a good person. It’s usually a sign of good writing that we can feel for an antagonist.

Oh wow... yeah no I get her.

Very nice story and artwork. I look forward to seeing more and can't wait for the next post.

Also I agree with others on here. If you're a patron and have read ahead of where the public post is at please keep spoiling comments to yourself. Let those of us live in the Wonder of feelings that could be without adding definite comments of what is.

You really know how to convey an emotional story. 😮

That, unfortunately, is cats for you.

This page is absolutely heartbreaking, especially Hemlock's expression in the third panel.

And the baby she's holding too. The fear. OMG Makes me tear up thinking about it.

I also just realized that from the previous panels, that Hemlock is wearing the skin of a cougar cub.. so she's definitely got her pound of flesh..

Oh..... oh no you're right

Oh Hemlock you didn't, did you???
An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth-
a cub for a cub is too far.

I'm interested to see what the story is behind that skin she's wearing cuz holy crap I hadn't noticed that.

Yeah, I was wondering for the longest what kind of skin Hemlock was wearing until we saw these pages.

I expected her story to be tough.

That said, becoming a monster is still makes you a monster.

This makes me wonder how plentiful groups like that are.

i absolutely love how emotionally intense this page is. the color choices, expressions & the extra impact with the angle of her having to look up at them. this is such great visual storytelling. I really appreciate the rawness of this as well as finally getting insight into what drives hemlock to be so guarded the way she is. After being in a position of such extreme helplessness it's easy to see why she seeks to maintain so much control over things, especially interactions with predators.

can't wait to see how she eventually escapes!

And suddenly, the "HEMLOCK EBIL; BANISH HER, KILL HER" is silenced.

I will say what I said before, Hemlock may be "evil" to some degree, but she is necessary evil I am afraid. And at any rate, based on her experiences, she is valid in what she believes.

not really. his or her trauma is no ground or justice for violating peace.
just because you had hard past doesnt mean you can do whatever you want. e.g. rask had it all the same - still portrayed as respectful

Considering him coming to the valley already upset the peace of mind for a lot of people?

Look, I'm not saying Rask shouldnt live with em or her antagonizing him is not disruptive. But half the people in this comment section, for like the entire comic, are so small minded, only seeing the story from Rasks point of view because he's our protag and "omg the poor marten" and applying societal norms and values that obviously doesn't fit into this setting.

Hemlock is a necessary evil because she is scary enough and good enough at her job that even predators like Rask and Egg find her terrifying. Her being there probably gives a lot of the people in the valley a peace of mind, because they know if some predator finds his way into it, she will take care of them, and then leave the corpse as a reminder to other predators to what happens.

Besides, Justice is, again, one of these very human concepts.

Hemlock.. the politically correct term is gravitationally challenged. please.. your story is of course interesting, but let's not revert to plain barbaric labeling. snort, snort.

Who wouldn’t want to kill and return the hate in kind, after something so hideous.😞

God the expressions and your use of color on this page are spectacular <3

I still cannot sympathize with her at all here. Because there were essentially bigger fish in the ocean (term) that evolved and outsmarted her, she now has a hatred complex to all carnivores even though it was felines being typical jerk felines here with their food? Sorry but no I cannot feel any sympathy towards her here at this current point since she should be angry at felines, not every walking carnivore on the planet. She is no different then the very same cougars who kidnap others for sport. She has become the very thing she hates so much, and that garners zero sympathy at all.

... what.

I don't get why you're expecting her to differentiate at all, do you expect her to wait and see if the *other* meat eaters are like this? Perhaps let wolves hang about and not even so much as worry that they might devour someone she cares about?

What is the reasoning here?

Yeah I gotta agree with BR up there, I do not get your reasoning either.

"Boo hoo she lost her only children, friends and family in a brutal fashion to predators, her hate is unjust."

That is not how these kinda things work. Besides, her tale is not finished yet even. And from what we have seen from Rasks tale...yeah other predators arent necessarily better either. Maybe not quite as malicious/hedonistic/sadistic as the cougars, but hell, the wolves were INTENT on hunting down Rask, even if said hunt was a waste of energy, just because he spited them.

Like I said, right now "at this current point", I cannot find sympathy towards her. Her logic is that all creatures who eat meat are pure evil. Well wouldn't that make say my own opossum species "pure evil" since they need both meat and vegetation to survive? Or how about otters? Are they falling into this pure evil category as well for needing to eat meats as well? Or how about a grasshopper mouse or dozens of other omnivorous and carnivorous species?

As for Rask and the wolves, like you said, he goaded and spited them. Cause and effect. So of course the wolves would be mad and coming after him. Cats enjoy playing with their prey before killing them. So from the information i've been given so far in this story, it feels flimsy to assume every carnivorous (or omnivore) should be considered pure-evil with zero chance of redemption or kindness.

Not to mention, our of pure spite and anger, Hemlock kidnapped Egg, smashed her head and teeth out, and is now forcing her to stay at this place against her own will. From this point of view, I can see where Hemlock is coming at, but it is completely skewed and making me feel little to no pity for her anymore. In the present time of her telling the other person her story is basically like her arguing with a person in front of her, and then randomly decking the person on the side lines just because they have similar interests to the person in front of her who she has the beef with. (no pun intended)

I think 'similar interests' is moving the goalposts a tad.

They eat people like her and the other herbivores. For them it's natural, for Rask it WAS natural and expecting Hemlock to differentiate between one group of predators that'll kill then eat her and her new family and another group of predators that'll kill then eat her and her new family is perhaps expecting a bit much.

Or would everything shes been doing be entirely justified if Egg and Rask were cats?

Okay, first point off, you ask me about labelling certain species as evil, when your own setting literally has several pics of your character condemning all otters to slavery and execution because they are all "evil traitors", to make a point, but deem Hemlock evil for doing the same? Kinda ironic but whatever, I only glanced over your stuff, maybe the point is that your Trash king is gone off the deep end.

He didn't goad them, unless you consider "not laying down and getting eaten" as spiting someone? He just ran for it, and when one of them caught him by the leg, he used the spark he had with him to burn one. Hardly a "haha eat me you fucking wolves" gesture.

Well, you can say that as an outside watcher, but hell, so far? We have beheld Wolves that enjoyed the thrill of a hunt and hunting for the fun of it, cats cruelly playing with their food, and Wolverines who slaughtered Rasks family despite having already having their fill, just so they could sate their bloodlust and cull the competition for food. And that was from Rasks's and Hemlocks viewpoint. Even Rasks uncle was a cold blooded killer, but only as much as he needed to survive. Based on that, and the fact that Hemlock didn't encounter any friendly carnivore before, it is pretty easy to assume that most carnivores, like Squirreldude said, don't give a flying fuck or second thought to eating smaller creatures, especially herbivores who cannot fight back. And might get a kick and enjoyment out of it besides having a full belly. Rask and Egg are literally the only 2 we met who started to have second thoughts.

While Hemlock abducting Egg was an evil act, based on our morals at least, there was a "good" in-universe reason for it. A. Rally the other herbivores and give them some peace of mind by reinforcing the idea of "We can fight back now, these preds are not match for our weapons and tactics" and b. She may have assumed Egg was not lost, but snooping around the forest for the Valley. Last point is speculation. Again, Im not saying it wasnt a horrendous act, and not all herbivores were on with it but, well, look at the cheering crowd in the background. Certainly was an effective strategy it seemed.

Depends. Do your opossums kill out of sadistic glee when they have full awareness their victims are sapient beings as well?

Just damn. OO.

"So dark!! You sure you're not from the DC universe?!"

Urgh... My heart. ;w;

sad but real this would not happen for obvious reasons in nature because animals do not know how to raise farms but humanity works and this page made me rethink if they are wrong to be vegan. Nature is cruel but fair to a certain extent, but humanity is unjust and in cases like you and many other people, beautiful and full of culture, wisdom and many advances. thanks this made me think about life and the true sense of being a good person