"We'll go Hunt it!"
That sounds a lot like a lot of horror movies when the townsfolk decide they can take on the monster and then get absolutely torn to shreds.

omg bless Egg, I love how supportive she is of Rask. I hope Hemlock keeps control of her shit bc having Rask help them hunt and fend off predators really gives them a step up above the enemies, even if he is just a pine marten, that species is hella scrappy

So he now has an opportunity.

Yeah, Rask has the right idea. Careful of your choice of words.

Don't promise the world. Just try.

"shh big one, i have a maw too"
out of character but the joke is real x3

AS long as Hemlock doesn't take this as a chance to get rid of him...

She will. She's not a predator. She has no idea how to hunt. How to bide her time. Rabbits flee. They run when they should stay still. She may be a killer, but she's not a hunter. When Rask gets tired of her shit, my money's on him. Right now, he's still trying to play nice.

True..it is in her character now to try it. But you aren't wrong...someone is bound to get tired or her eventually

Don't get me wrong, she's a good antagonist. But as far as villains go, she's a bit of a dumb bunny. She's shallow, predictable, and easy to manipulate. I have a fox OC who would enjoy making her run in circles before tearing out her throat. And most of his best friends are mice and rats.

I gotcha..and I agree..she is a good antagonist, even if I don't like her at all I can admit that too.

I feel you are severely underestimating her.

No, not at all. Her actions, reactions, and next three moves are easy to read. She's not complex, nuanced, or particularly devious. If she wasn't using a spear, she's be a blunt instrument.

Rask is a nuanced, three-dimensional character. Hemlock barely has a second dimension. I was going to compare her to Umbridge, literarily, but that wouldn't be right because Umbridge, though one-dimensional and blunt, didn't have a back story to give her depth. Hemlock, at least, has a back story and some fleshed-out motivations, even if they don't really change who she is.

Just because you despise her doesn't make her two-dimensional. Certainly she sounds more interesting than your kinda psychotic sounding Fox oc.

From a writer's POV and someone who doesn't hate her, she is simplisitic in her intentions with Rask.

Oh yeah absolutely, but that doesn't make her entire character two-dimensional just because she's that straightforwards with the protagonist.

Yes, actually, that's exactly what that makes her. As a writer, a character's dimensionality refers to how fully fleshed out they are.

Dolores Umbridge, whom I used as an example before, from the Harry Potter series, is a one-dimensional character. She is evil in pink, with no greater characterization than to be a foil for every step of the hero's journey. She's simplistic, always predictable, and has no redeeming qualities to make her sympathetic or even likeable. We're meant to hate her and so we do. But she lacks all nuance and depth.

Hemlock is a step up. Her motivations are at least somewhat sympathetic. She killed her offspring rather than let them be toys for predators, and she abandonned her only living fellow prisoner to save her own skin. She has some depth, and we can understand her to a certain degree, but she's far from being a fully fledged character. Right now, she's a seething bag of hate and bile with a need to kill things she doesn't agree with. Others have told her to give Rask the benefit of the doubt, but she refuses, preferring to (and I'm taking a stab in the dark here) bide her time until she can kill him without getting in trouble. I suspect, rather, that she will attack him and end up killing someone else, blaming him anyway, and possibly be exiled, spiraling her mental state down a proverbial and possibly literal rabbit hole from which she won't recover. She can become more three dimensional, but right now she's just too simple, too easy to dissect, as it were.

And then we have three dimensional characters. They have detailed backstories, lots of character development, and story arcs that show them growing as people. We have none of those here because it's still far to early in the story for a proper arc to complete, much less to delve deeply into someone's background. We've seen Rask's, Oren's, and Hemlock's all start, but only time will tell which of them goes anywhere.

(NOTE: I was giving Rask the benefit of the doubt before when I said he was three dimensional. He certainly appears to be heading in that direction, and I look forward to reading more. I hope Hemlock fleshes out more, too.)

My comments are pure critique. It's the kind of thing I would like to see more of on my stories, but sadly no one actually critiques the written word anymore. I just get likes and faves. I suppose that's just as good, but it doesn't help me grow as a writer if I don't get feedback. That's why I provide it to the people who post their works here.

There's nothing negative in saying a character is shallow, or easy to read. Early in a story all characters are shallow because we're just getting to know them. It's up to the author whether they remain shallow.

Aaaah then I misunderstood entirely, apologies.

Not a problem. It doesn't help when technical language overlaps with conversational language. I have similar discussions when talking about logic and debate, because a positional statement is called an argument. The misunderstandings are gloriously rampant.

I love how cute Egg is looking at Rask and being cut off.

Poor Egg probably doesn't even realize why it would have been an issue to say all of it.

He can try, never make promises~

I just read the whole thing. Can't wait for more!

Yes! Use a predator to hunt more dangerous predators, that's a good niche Rask could fill while still getting to eat meat. I mean I'm sure he could use fish for a while, but I mean... he still has to eat when the river freezes over. Interested to see where this heads, though I have a feeling things are going to go bad. Who knows, maybe Rask will show his use enough to get Hemlocke to shhh a little bit. Begrudgingly.

He could grow to like nuts or something

Pretty sure he's an obligate carnivore, though. Otherwise I'd agree with yeh

1) If he's like real world pine martins he's not obligate. In fact there are very few species that are obligate carnivores, and the only mammals I know of are felines.
2) We don't know how being anthro affects their diets. It's entirely possible that all anthro species are omnivores of some degree with "prey" simply preferring plants. Sprig mentioned something like this back on page 111.

I see Rask is into nose boops. 👀 And somehow I am sure Rask will get the short end of the stick if he succeeds.

It's more stopping Egg before she reveals how he was just talking about how much he missed hunting prey.

and muzzle holds. I've always been fond of a full muzzle hold

...well, in media. In real life, not so much

"He was just saying how..." much he missed hunting. Yeah, that may not have gone over too well.

RIP ;(

Egg is a bit too enthusiastic.

Well done there Egg. You nearly made Hemlock want to kill Rask again. You should know what a hair trigger she has. (pun there fully intended)

But as expected and thanks to Sprigg for bringing it in. Best way to clear who it was and finding the culprit withsomeone that is a hunter by heart. For once Rask doesn's get antsy when he smells blood but gets fully focused and he knows how to bide his time and wait for his prey to make an error. Hemlock is getting there, after all she is biding her time to dispose of the Marten.

Hopefully Hemlock can put her differences aside long enough to work with Rask to find out what may have done this.

that wrinkle on Egg's face is the most adorable thing in the world I justcan't

How the tables have turned. The prey becoming the hunters and asking a predator to help. Hopefully, this gives Rask the chance to work things out himself and dispel Hemlock's misgivings about him.

I love how this comic is progressing and how much thought goes into it.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is what the Stone Hollow is!

Best not to give Hemlock any ammo

I'm liking this squirrel more and more

Me to, she's got a damn cool design, almost like a rat with those blood red eyes and charcoal fur. Definitely a fun character.

Love the determined look on Rask's face in that final panel, wanting to help his new friends and also to prove himself in their company... wonderful, wonderful work!

I was kind of hoping this would happen... Rask can show them how he can help the colony...

LOL egg is kind of going over board trying to support Rask....

Something interesting I noticed is how toothless Egg looks in the 5th panel from that angle. Now it finally weighs on me the impact of losing her canines.

whats that old saying "there is nothing sadder then a toothless Lion"