Hehehe. Well. Pages proofs me right. Nothing else to say. No redemption arc for Hemlock. She is a cruel char and I will feel nothing for her.

she would kill cubs if she could . And so. kill her first

Her words making clear she is going for Genozide if she could

I second this, she is far beyond redemption imo

I had many discussions on this on this last page. redemption arc is something often forced too much on a character.

Which is exactly Hemlock's point lol.

Predators will kill cubs and eat them, so kill the predators first.

And her killing cubs is good?

Not what I said bro.

My point is that you're using Hemlock's logic.

If for argument's sake Rask started acting and thinking like her, or did any number of the morally questionable things you've repeatedly asserted he should do, what would differentiate him from Hemlock apart from being the protagonist?

Im in the middle here, I saw Hemlock and Yarrows as the same characters, two sides of the same coin...one had their chance of redemption taken from them...but what good does it do to take a second who still should have atleast a CHANCE to improve...now to be fair i've read this whole thing...but I dont think Hemlock is beyond redemption...shes on the brink leaning over the edge...someone just has to pull her back over and it wont be easy...and yes...Kumba is using Hemlocks logic...Hemlock sees predators as irredeemable ...this is false and to be honest they have nothing to redeem...however to say Hemlock is irredeemable ...is using her logic...thats not right either. Do I hate Hemlock? oh boy do I, but that doesn't mean she cant be redeemed and be better in the far future and she DOES show signs of good still in her soon coming up...it doesnt stay long though... but its trying to surface...kinda like when a Sith is resisting the plummet into the dark and is barely able to surface up signs of light before dropping back into the dark again... "I still see good in you" comes to mind.

urgh. I am not using her logic. I am speaking out what her logic is. XD those are different things XD I neither support her logic nor Yarrows Oo
Do I have to make it clear by an oath that I am NOT supporting her.. hell what ? XD

And I already said she is not redeeemable. She may only be willing to redeem. Those are different things. You can NEVER NEVER redeem killing someone. You can just learn and try to act different. But redeem.. you can't. THat is what I am trying to say. If she could be redeemable. Whay couldn't have been Yarrow? saying she can and he not, I want to know where is the difference. And don't say: because he is a pred. Because then.. why is the main character a pred that is trying not be a blood thirsty pred anymore?

That is what she is out for for sure. If she could she would do that. She killed a pinned down hunter when he was not ready to fight.

I think you missed that I don't want her to do that ???

Why not? The Hunter killed sprig not more than fifteen minutes before and Sprig wasn't ready or wanting to fight.

"As Grammy Flash said, an eye for an eye just leaves everyone blind." - Flash

hes just kidding around hahaha everyone who's sane knows that this is a quote for a reason XD but lets not lose a second character ...I dont like her but she should have a chance of redemption in the future > >... as someone who saw Hemlock and yarrow as two sides of the same coin...I'd rather not lose a 2nd redeemable character just because she killed the first... shes lost in a dark place and that doesnt excuse her actions BUT it doesnt mean she cant save herself.

Two pages in the same week? There's something that hasn't happened here in years.

"Depends on who's blood" says the one who almost killed her own teammate!

...almost? You think she’s not going for Rask’s now?

Well there are no witnesses now

This is one of those "I absolutely get it, but you're still a dick" kinda thing for me...I'll wait and see what happens. Hopefully Oren hears of this and finally does something about her destructive behavior.

Eh, I'm kinda with you on that. Sort of that "You're never going to change, and I hate you for being somewhat right" kind of moment.

In a way...yes... honestly after reading the whole thing I gotta say Oren's ONLY real fault here is that he knew how messed up her head was but still wanted to use her...im sure he thought he could save her somehow because thats just how he is... but ya Oren doesn't approve of spite and vengeance kicks in the slightest and holds none towards predators either... he just wants to keep his little colony safe thus is why they engage them at their borders before theyre discovered...if they flee then so be it but with Oren killings a last resort for sure.

This sounds like the start of a beautiful justice system

Oh Hemlock...The problem with a tormented soul who's only experienced the depths of pain is determining whether they can climb back. Hemlock isn't going to ever change. She's never going to see any way but the bloodiest.

She’s become the same kind of monster she’s set out to protect this group from.

I would say that waht she's doing is an inevitability when people like her are as tormented as Hemlock is...But that's not technically true. Rather than work through her pain, she's chosen to take it out on everything and everyone that she can. Any predator will do to satisfy her rage. But her rage will never subside, so neither will her hate. And thus...She'll never stop.

She was right until the end. "Hunt them before we are hunted" that part is wrong.

its all wrong lol... Yarrow and Hemlock are the same characters...both insane and unhinged...trust me when I say Oren would not approve of this... she IS redeemable though its not too late yet...Yarrow was clearly showing signs of breaking into reality before she stupidy acted out of emotion instead of letting Rask take care of it...he afterall did all the work... but ya I do hate hemlock quite allot but to deny her a chance to redeem herself would mean Yarrow didnt deserve one either... cant have both without the other they are legit parallels ...only heres who lives and who dies as the comic had said...

wow that escalates quickly.

on one side she is right - he have killed already too much of them. But this fight shows that she cant win a face to face battle. she only got luck... again. And he is right too, she doesnt understand.

Well, the difference between carring a weapon but dont know how to use it and carry no weapon is: You know that you have better chances to survive if you run as fast as you can.

They need to be trained in using those things - otherwise they will never evolve.


good comic btw. And thanks for the second page this week.

"Training" suggests the passing of knowledge and experience from experts to novices. The thing is, here there is no prior experience to draw from, they are literally establishing the foundations of armed combat right here and now. They're going to have to figure it out for themselves, and the only way that's going to happen is with practice and, unfortunately, trial and error.

I second this

well on one point you are right. on the other point: If they wouldnt smal out the teeth of every pred they want to have arround, they might could get some help in training. In fact, now they have (or had) a preddy-friend who IS trained in closecombat and who can train em all.

That stuborn hemmlock should realize it in the moment she got beaten by in just a second.

I think Rask's got a "Kylo-Ren Injury" going there. He's not going to be on his A-Game if Hemlock decides she wants to rumble.

I'm expecting Oren to get involved, probably just before Hemlock is getting ready to deliver a killing blow. This is his little society he's trying to build here. If he wants to be its leader, he's going to have to step in when needed, and that would be one of those times.

One on one they stand no chance trained or not...the predators in this comic are insanely powerful lol...they need numbers as Oren had said previously... but I wont get toooo into that.

At least Hemlock is having a relatively calm discussion with Rask now instead of trying to kill him. In her own damaged way, she seems to have accepted Rask. Or, at the very least doesn't fully see him as one of "them" anymore, a hunter.

I mean that last panel honestly looks like she's psyching herself up to try and kill an injured rask tbh!

Maybe. I don't know, I guess we'll find out in the next page. It just seems to me that, considering that they're alone here and there's nobody to hold Hemlock back, if she really wanted to try and kill Rask she'd just do it rather than stand there and take the time to explain her point of view to him, point out that Yarrow could've killed him too.

Don't worry...he outclasses her 10 to 1... he wont attack her but in self defense mmmm he could easily dispatch her but most likely he'd just run...hes timid and doesn't wanna upset Oren tbh and vice versa...

Team Hemlock

Wow..she's really incorrigible.
Even when Rask already saved her.

yeah kill them before they kill us leads to a long war...

Do they have the concept of war, though?

they might not call it a war, but the best term to describe Hemlock's reasoning.

oh yarrow, why didn't you listen?

hemlock is definitely an interesting character
wonder where her arc will take her. will she learn to bend, or break? and who's to say which is the wrong path in this world?

your comic is fantastic, as always. I'm always conflicted on how I feel about all the characters. and eagerly anticipate each new page.

keep up the fantastic work!

I wish I could disagree with her about his dad, and yet I have to believe that they can learn to still trust each other despite their pasts(even this).

It'd take a lot of time and effort but, not impossible IMHO.

I think the big thing would be Hemlock, as Sprig said, not biting the same stone over and over. She's refusing to believe that Rask's Heel realization is genuine and as such won't stop seeing him as a THREAT rather than as a potential ally. It's causing problems and will do for some time.

They're both armed, Hemlock is in something of a ready pose. I get the feeling we're about to see the start of the "Final Battle" on the next page.

I hope not, I want the story to keep going another year!

Poor Hemlock

Everyone's real tough on Hemlock and I get it but I can't help but feel bad for her. Of course she doesn't trust predators, ESPECIALLY after what she's been through.
This probably won't be a story with a clear cut Happily Ever After but I hope she gets some degree of healing.

As always excited to see where this goes. :) Every update has me on the edge of my seat!

I honestly expect she gets a Death Equals Redemption scene, in which she goes out in a bloody blaze of glory, but saves a lot of lives. Given the survivor's guilt she harbors, it's the obvious trope to play.

Strike First, Strike Hard, No mercy?

It’s going to be interesting to see where both their character arcs go from here. It’s clear Hemlock is going down a very dangerous mindset whereas Rask is trying to hold onto his humanity. I have to wonder when his humanity and empathy will be tested and if he will change for the worse. Or the better. I think those who are just hating on Hemlock are missing out on a lot of growth that can be gained from going down this route and what it will do and change Rask. What she did was wrong and her mindset is warped but that doesn’t mean she will fully become a un-redeemable character, but we’ll have to see.

I do believe she's about to do something stupid.

About to?

I'm fairly certain that Rask's patience with her antics is about done. She will not enjoy fighting him when he's no longer concerned with the opinions of others. Rabbits have size, but martins can lock their jaws. Bite down on the neck and when the rabbit tries to shake you off, it breaks its own neck. Then, sweetbreads... YUM!

I'm aware of the capabilities of a marten. I was implying that she's already done many stupid somethings.

Tolerance for stupidity is a requirement for being a patient hunter. Lull your prey into thinking they can do anything and you're just going to take it will lead them into their fatal mistake. Bang, snap, lunch.

This makes me think of how I've seen stoats hunt rabbits. They'll come out into the open in plain view of the rabbit and start running, jumping, and bouncing all over the place like a lunatic while the rabbit watches them like "whatever this motherfucker is on had to be laced with angel dust or something" then all of a sudden BAM! Stoat pounces the rabbit out of nowhere. The stoat just makes the rabbit think it's an idiot and lulls it into a false sense of security before goes in for the kill.

What you described is called the weasel war dance, and the purpose is to confound the prey. It doesn't make the rabbit feel secure; it freaks it out to the point the rabbit can't physically move, and can even induce cardiac arrest in rare cases.

Thanks, I was already terrified of stoats for their ability to crawl into rodent burrows, now I'm even more terrified

*wicked dragon grin*

The more I encounter Hemlock, and the more I am able to see her past and hear her perspective, the less I am able to view her as an incorrigible, irredeemable, cruel character and the more I see her as a tragic one that I have begun to like (or is it have pity on? Sometimes relationships with characters is difficult to define).

She has been through terrible things no one should have to go through. She does not want to experience that ever again or allow anyone else to experience what she has. She's a (warped) image of a protective mother. A good thing taken to an extreme, making her a danger to herself and others. And considering the dynamics of the predator/prey relationships in this world, at the fundamentals she is not incorrect to draw the conclusions she does.

And Rask is... being very naive here. These are creatures out to kill her (and you, don't forget why you sought refuge in the first place), Rask. You can't just be nice to each other and hope you all get along.

What would Rask's argument to the others have been, even if he'd managed to stay Hemlock's hand? "Look, I know he's already killed two of you, but he's my Dad and I'm sure if you just give him a chance..." Yeah, I'm sure that would've ended well.

I imagine getting Yarrow to speak in their language would've gone a long way

If anything new is going to happen, if they're ever going to do more than hide, a different way than blood must be found. If all it can ever be is blood for blood, then the only thing that gets increased is Death.

Diplomacy is a hard thing to invent. If you see someone approaching that looks like the "others", you're going to assume a fighting position because that's the normal thing to do, you're not going to assume those are gifts they're bearing. If you see someone that looks like you, you're going to get very suspicious and assume a fighting position.

Part of the premise is "change is coming". If Hemlock is right, the only change that will come is death. First the death of predators at the hand of prey, and then the death of prey at the hands of each other.

Yes but there will always be resistance to change, and that resistance can be actually quite logical when viewed on a short enough time scale

Yeah, and not everyone is going to be friendly. I don't think any of us are expecting that the path forward here is going to be smooth, but if all the encounters start with suspicion and bloodlust, then there's really no hope for the future.

There’s an old saying; “when seeking revenge, dig two graves.”

I am so glad I focused on life just so I could read up to this point :3

I think a lot of people are looking at this as no redemption for Hemlock, but my take away is the fact that she's expressing concern, not JUST for the prey animals in her community, but ALSO for Rask here. She may have a strong genocidal mindset, but it's cracked. She may not realize it NOW, but her world view is breaking, enough to put Rask in the camp of "individuals who might get hurt, and I wouldn't entirely like that". She has a long way to go but I don't see this as the final nail in the coffin.

That's right! She did say "We"! That is a new development! Almost as big as Rask calling Yarrow "Dad" again!

Oh, fascinating! Good catch!

Hemlock is right, there's no reason to take a risk like that

Hunger rules the predator and fear drives the prey -- but change is coming."

Change can't come if she's right.

Everyone's in a grim race to survive. Hunger kills just as surely as teeth.

Both Hemlock and Rask are right. She did have to kill him. He was beyond redemption, but Rask is also right that if all they continue to do for the stone hollow is kill and not give smaller predators like Rask an inch, things will never change.

“Nothing will ever change by spilling more blood.” If only our species could learn that lesson.

The problem is both sides in a conflict need to learn the lesson

Hemlock cries tears of blood

And now unless something happen's real quick, she'll turn her spear on him. Oo.

P.S. Still abit odd seeing Hemlock without her second fur coat. Oo.

WOW, just found this comic and binged the whole thing. FANTASTIC STUFF cant wait for more!!

Yep, Hemlock isn't ready for change.

I'm seeing a difference in Hemlock. She could have tried to kill Rask (again), but she's talking to him instead.

She probably realises that a spear is no defence against an enraged marten, having nearly been killed by Yarrow. And the fact that Rask saved her means he's not an enemy to be killed, but a person to be reasoned with.

There's no way the hold could have taken in Yarrow after he'd already killed two of them and tried to kill a third. And she spared Rask the choice of killing his own father or being expelled.

So there is a possible redemption arc already in place.

Not a single moment of "NOOOO! DAAD!" at all?

*stab* *die* "Ey what'd you do that for?"

Bit weird that. But the page is great!

Lol, I feel this.

Heck, he's not too upset that she just literally killed his own father in front of him.

Holy shit.

Interesting. Rask does not seem as upset about his own father being killed before him, compared to the death of his uncle. I assume shock.

This settles it, Hemlock is irredeemable. She aimed to run them both through when she ran in. Still wants to kill Rask after he saved her, and killed his dad even though he was no longer a threat. She has been extremely hostile this entire time and I honestly don't care that she has a tragic backstory anymore. She's been using it as an excuse to go on the warpath and become just as bad as those who she wants to fight. I really hope she will get what's coming to her, she's just way to cruel and violent and scared, and is almost definitely going to try to off Rusk if its the last thing dose. Rusk had the gaul to look for help, and got treated like shit from minute one. He deserves better than this. He's been nothing but helpful. He's been so lonely for so long after the Cull and with his uncle died he no longer had any family. And then when one does show up she kills him even though he was already subdued. Screw her!