Page 255

I would want to keep my hand too.

121 thoughts on “Page 255

  1. Sweet! I love the guy with antlers.

    This comic is gorgeous, can’t get enough.

  2. jajajjajaja Poor Meela, she’ll better behave from now on XD!

  3. Awesome! I just checked like a minute ago! >uu>

  4. That dude has such epic hair.

  5. Actually…she has been taught to steal XD

    1. Lol. So true! Totally forgot about that. Haha.

    2. Not well enough, apparently.

  6. eee what is jyaku’s deal man scaring poor meela

    1. Mhmm, wonder if Holland’s going to give him a stern talking to, being a bit protective of Meela and all.

      1. Or he might thank him. Seeing as putting a scare into her might be the best thing that could be done.

        1. EarthstarTheKitty

          But scaring her isnt going to help. Telling her its wrong will make her do it more. :L

        2. Though threatening to cut off her hand might XD

        3. Actually scaring people is a very effective tool when it comes to learning. She seems quite scared to me.

  7. pretty hair!
    perhaps she needs more ‘refined’ teaching of when is and when isn’t an opportune time to steal?

    Hey Piper! Let Meela buy a hat eh? You did steal Holland’s wallet. share the spoils? XDDD

  8. Gosh, every new page is just as intriguing as the one before. I just want to keep gobbling them up!

    1. D: Don’t eat them before I see them!

  9. …i was hoping for a completely different (tactful) development… oh well.

    also, these are human-animal hybrids… wouldn’t someone with great hearing/sight have noticed an masked man shoving a little girl around… nearly right after that scene she made at the weapon’s smith’s?

    i’ll never be as good of an artist as you guy’s are but this page seems so… forced…

    1. Well, he didn’t go far with her. They’re literally right around the corner behind the hat booth. Depending on how he moved with her, he could’ve avoided unwanted attention for a few minutes. Kids disappear in crowded places like this all the time without anyone noticing.

      1. Even the most watchful and conscientious parent can lose their kid. Our most memorable lost kid moment happened when I turned to ask a quick question to my husband and when I turned back around, my kid was completely gone. He didn’t get too far, which is a relief. So, I can totally see Feral and Holland missing her.

        1. true, from Feral & Holland’s point of view, they were sidetracked… generally when one of my kids goes missing due to the same circumstances as you said… OTHER people have noticed/paid attention.

          people, generally care… I would have hoped that was the norm.

    2. Boo on you! I’m sure people prefer to mind their own business, just like in a big city! Who knows what that masked man could do to someone interrupting his snatching; I certainly wouldn’t mess with him!

      1. I don’t know… if I saw someone shoving a little kid around after she loudly exclaimed that whole “you’re rich” scene, I would try to do 1 of 3 things depending on the child’s reaction to being mistreated (however justified):

        1) watch her for a little while to make sure no one thought of kidnapping her to get a ransom.

        2) actually walk up to child and ask what was so important/need to buy.

        3) obviously “absently drop” some $ near the child. This would test him/her . if child returned money I would buy child “reward” or let her/him keep the $.

        I have lived in big cities (L.A.) & small hamlets (Lisbon, ME), a little kindness goes a long way…

        1. You’re kinder than I am, I guess. I see kids screaming for stuff from their parents all the time, and I ignore it. I wouldn’t ask what the kid wanted or why, and I certainly wouldn’t drop money for them to find.

          I think you may be looking at this from an insider perspective. You know Meela and company intimately, so you naturally react differently than if they were strangers. Meela didn’t make that big of a scene (you can see around them nobody stopped to watch) so her further actions went largely unnoticed. Lupians are rough by nature and seeing a small scuffle between them isn’t unusual. Meela didn’t cry out in pain or call for help, so nobody got concerned.

          If I’m wrong about your reactions, then I apologize. But what happens here is basically true to real life.

        2. Eh, I would probably be concerned about a child being pushed around too, especially by someone that is very unlikely to be her guardian.

          However. Pardon me for this interpretation if it’s false, but this might be a culture that generally encourages minding your own business. Unlike the current “children must be protected at all costs” culture we’re looking at this from, there were plenty of occasions in the past where children that didn’t belong to you wouldn’t even register as being there. When in Meoley you have people like Mithrennon casually arranging for people’s deaths so openly that a prince can get wind of it, that might be a clue that heroic bystanders are not common. Plus, he didn’t take her too far to draw attention to himself, as noted.

        3. bluerosebud (sorry, it won’t let me reply to you),
          I suppose I would have to be there to experience what is happening. -how much did Jyaku\feral move when dealing with meela (quick movements tend to get my attention -ADD (YAY!))- positioning of shadows / How loud is meela compared to the other patrons…

          I suppose it’s just me… i guess i am looking at it a little bit from a “children must be protected at all costs” mentality… maybe not “protected” but ‘defiantly watched” to make sure they don’t do anything super dumb.

        4. You forget the time and setting of this plot. It’s not modern, far from it. It’s set more in the medieval times, a time when people didn’t pay much attention or give much of a crap about people being mistreated. Regardless of their age. Given that most of these people are inhuman and have animal traits, I would think that would make them even more unlikely to interfere in something that they have no direct connection with. Even as it is, you have some nerve to jump on the artists/author’s backs simply because you don’t agree with what is going on. They are free to write/draw it however they want to.

        5. I would like to counter and say that you are right on one point – this is definitely set in a time frame different than our current “child worship” culture. But the people of Meoley do not “not give a crap.” If she had been actually mistreated in any way it’s likely that people around would have noticed. Meoley isn’t an uncaring culture, but a child whining for money and then getting pushed away isn’t a cause for concern. Lupian siblings are even known to get into fist fights/sparring matches. So bystanders mind their own business unless real harm is being done.

          And I don’t feel zwaan-cride was jumping on our backs, they were just expressing their opinion on it. Anybody is welcome to disagree with us as long as it is in a respectful manner, so I don’t mind.

    3. And I’m pretty sure that there is a lot of hustle and bustle going around in a market, making it pretty hard to notice her so easily.

  10. 0w0 *snuggles the pretty hair*

  11. Hmm…clearly he didn’t harbor any intentions of kidnapping her after all! XD

    I’m even more intrigued by this Cervian’s identity now than I was before, though. Granted, he could very well still be a minor character, but his sheer presence here has gotten my suspicions growing…

    1. This is definitiely Jyaku. same hair, same earrings, same old-fashioned talking style XD

      1. Who’s Jyaku? Anyone have a link to the comic?

        1. He’s actually in the character profiles, but he shows up first here: https://www.straysonline.com/2012/04/page-218/

      2. its not jyaku. the yair is too long, and not fuzzy

        1. I’m fairly certain it is Jyaku. He DOES have the same hair. The fuzzy ‘hair’ we see is very obviously a headpiece and in several shots of the character it’s very easy to see his hair underneath. Especially in the fight scene with the panther guy. From the back you can see the bottom ends of his hair sticking out from underneath the headpiece. And earlier in the close-up of his eyes/face you can see his bangs (or whatever) hanging around his face.

          It feels really weird seeing him without his mask and stuff though. He looks too young compared to how I pictured him haha Like some middle-aged wise shaman guy or something lol

        2. Well, after reading over Celesse and Algy’s comments here, they all but confirm it to be him. I have to agree that he’s definitely a good ten years or so younger than I initially suspected him to be, but it’s also true that he’d worn that mask of his in every scene until now–so it’s not as though there were any obvious indicators of his age to pick up on in the first place. XD

        3. EarthstarTheKitty

          My guess is it is Jyaku. I looked at the antlers on both people, and Jyaku has 2 diffrent shapes- a kinda sling shot shape, And a dolphin shape. Same exact shape for this guy. My guess? Yes, It is Jyaku.

  12. Jyaku looks like he has the potential to be very good looking. I can’t wait to see the rest of him!

    1. That… sounds soooooo messed up >.>

      1. LOL Indeed, indeed. I apologize. My intent wasn’t to sound inappropriate.

        1. XDDD I know, I know. I just had to point it out because I was laughing so hard.

  13. Mmm! Jyaku for the rescue! He probably dragged her away cause he wanted to protect her to get caught. ^.^

  14. When I can afford it, I’m totally gonna start buying the books. I just need to decide whether to buy them as volumes or chapters…

    1. We won’t be releasing the chapterlets anymore, we are just trying to diminish the remaining stock.
      The Volume 1 has the first 5 chapters and Volume 2 will have another 5 chapters, and so on. So I’d recommend going with the volumes.

  15. You know, Meela’s reaction here is pretty scared, even before he starts the hand-cutting-off thing. Anyone else want to bet she thinks he’s one of the bounty hunters after her…?

  16. well Jyaku, give her some other activities! how about pottery? jewelry making? hunting? maybe she can learn to turn fur into yarn and shave Feral and knit him a hat!

    1. That would be the best thing ever. Filler comic, anyone?

  17. Oh oh oh oh! Now I’m -sure- it’s Jyaku! In the previous page people said he had lighter hair. Well, ta-da! His hair gets lighter at the bottom and looks about the same style~ Victory!!

  18. I knew it was Jyaku

  19. “We you not taught the stealing is wrong?”
    Meela: ……… No ;3;… I live with a grumpy lupin who kills people for money, and a fox lady that steals for a living…. so…. No….

    1. heh, heh… yes I suppose they’re not the greatest of role models, but I don’t think piper would steal if she had $… or maybe she likes the chase?

  20. Haha, poor Meela. she’s so terrified. But I think he means not to harm her, or he would have just let it happen….
    Definitely Jyaku!

  21. Aaand I now stand completely corrected. >.< Sorry about that, guys! That is without a doubt our masked cervian crusader.
    Look at Jyaku, being all motherly and harsh with the belittling "awkward pups" phrase. It's like he has a personal interest in her safety.

    1. …Holand is a prince. I think it would be in his best interest to make sure anyone associated with him to stay out of trouble…

      or, could be, he was Meela’s dad/mom best friend or something…

      1. *(2nd line) he= Jyaku

        1. Heh, I didn’t think of that. Yeah, he could be going for a “don’t embarrass my charge!” on the next page.

  22. I think we see some maturity on Meelea’s part here. I was glad to see that she did not bald face lie to her retainer and was more honest.
    It’s great that your characters actually show that their learning.

    1. maybe Jyaku & Piper should sit down + have a real long talk… or just a staring contest.

      1. *(2nd line) he= Jyaku

  23. <3 Jyaku. That is all.

  24. O_O oh wow… What’t gonna happen???
    Keep up the great work!!!!

  25. she could have said “i was just going to try it on and see how i looked.”

    1. Yes, she could’ve. But unfortunately Meela hasn’t developed a quick wit yet. She’ll probably kick herself later for not thinking of that.

      1. LOL, don’t we all! xD The best come-backs are always thought of after the fact! v.v

  26. I’m really starting to think that that guy is Jyaku. The end of his hair is similar to that of page 242

  27. AHHHHH! XD The guy is so hot! Don’t exactly know if he’s who I think he is but I’ll let the story tell :) I love the mysteriousness, keep up the good work!

    1. Wait… I checked the previous pages of Jyaku and maybe he isn’t him? I don’t know but the hairstyle is very different… MAN THIS SUSPENSION IS KILLING ME! DX

      1. Check the scenes where he’s fighting Visrial–that fluffy hair we see him with is part of his headpiece, and the light tips are visible underneath.

  28. I love how Meela keeps progressively increasing her number of totally awesome guardian dudes. And I love this guy already. =D

  29. Queary, are those antlers actually part of his skull? Or just decoration?

    1. They are actually part of his skull. He’s a cervian, a deer person.

  30. i wish i had antlers…
    :3

  31. Oh, and do the deer people (their proper name escapes me) shed their antlers and regrow a bigger set every year like real deer? :)

    1. i’m curious about that, too… It’d be fascinating if Cervians (i think that’s how it’s spelled) did that, like real deer; although i have to wonder about it, since Jyaku’s antlers are remarkably small if that’s the case, but maybe Cervians’ antlers grow in proportion to their humanoid form??

    2. They grow with velvet until they reach maturity around 18 years of age, then they shed the velvet. By then, their distinct antlers are permanent and are in proportion to their humanoid appearance. In their animal form, the appear larger.

  32. Do female Cervians get antlers?

    1. They probably only would if they were like caribou – with those members of the ungulate family, both males and females have antlers.

    2. They do, but they are never large and extravagant like males. They usually only have one to two points.

  33. Am I the only person that noticed Feral’s expression in the first panel? xDD

  34. I LOVE this. Aww Feral’s like, ” Oh brother” or something..

  35. I just noticed how dark the lines around Meela’s eyes are compared to people like Holland! It makes it look like she’s wearing mascara (but I assume it’s a lupian thing since Feral has it too) and really emphasizes how wide her eyes can get.

  36. Meela: Aladdin! Where are you!? D:
    Looks like he’s definitely Jyaku, since now I can confirm the light colored tips of his hair. He sounds more mean than I thought he would. :( Though, I suppose that if he’s just lecturing, then it’s probably more of a preventive thing, which would be a lot better than if someone else had caught her stealing. Hmm… Piper’s playing a dangerous game. She probably shouldn’t have been trying to teach a kid to steal, either.

  37. umm… no… piper told me otherwise! :)

  38. Lol awkward.

  39. OMG ITS WHATS HIS FACE WITH THE MASK ASKDHFAKDCENC

    Outwardly wigging out right now alskdjfad ;; I love this webcomic so much

  40. I swear to god, I have fallen in love with this Cervian. However I’m curious.

    Cervians have been a rather unmentioned race until now. However, they also seem to show a distinct trait for being rather quiet and secretive, and judging Jaku’s(that’s his name, right?) occupation, fantastic spies. Is this perhaps purposeful? Is there a further plot behind this?
    *laughs*

    I’m just trying to pin down just what exactly the Cervians and the Avians are doing on side lines. I’m infinitely curious as to how Meela plays out through this all, though I feel as if I am gaining an insight now on the plot line for this comic. ^_^

    1. Deer are naturally quiet and do their best to go unnoticed, so yes, I am trying to show that trait through Jyaku’s movements and habits. I’m glad it’s being portrayed well! Cervians as a race are very small in numbers, which is why there hasn’t been much info on them.

      1. I just love how you and Algy go into such detail like that. One of the best perks about this comic. Keep it up! :)

  41. Oh come on. How did he know she was going to steal it? I mean, you can touch stuff that you’re going to buy, right? Doesn’t mean you’re going to steal it right away. It’s not Oblivion.

    1. She was telegraphing her intentions pretty loudly. Nervous expression, uneasy stance, glancing around a lot. It wasn’t hard to assume what she was going to do.

    2. Eh, I’m with you on this one, Reiu. I wonder if he always jumps to conclusions like that.

      The only explanation that makes sense to me is that he was able to predict Meela’s actions because he had been getting information about her somehow. As far as I can recall, the one clue that could possibly point to that is the brief conversation he had (if this guy really is Jyaku) with Holland in the last chapter when he mentioned Feral traveling with “a pup” and he told Holland to keep him informed. However, I didn’t think we were supposed to make such a big assumption about such a vague clue, if that’s what was meant to happen…

      1. Really? I didn’t think it was a big assumption at all. He sees her argue with Feral about buying her something, she looks at the owner nervously, seems to make an internal decision, and starts shakily reaching for a hat while the shop owner is looking distracted. The only conclusion I could come to was that she was going to steal it.

  42. o_O I’d like to keep my hand, too…

  43. Pony tails o.o

  44. I love Feral’s face as he looks to Holland. He’s like saying ‘Like I care that Meela ran off I am glad!’ Lol. Man I really love this comic so much. Feral is my favorite. I must admit for the longest time in the beginning I thought Meela was a boy. When just chapter one and two and three were out. But now I know she is a girl. Hehe. But I love the storyline so many twists and turns and mysteries but interesting none the less. Feral is my favorite for sure though. And I can’t wait until the next page. :D

  45. I like Jyaku. It seems to me that one reason he had shown himself to Meela was to keep her from actually getting her hand cut off, or getting into more trouble. I think he is protecting her in a sense. I like him. ^^

  46. You know I have a really big questiom for this comic. Okay, if these people can turn into animals, why do they EAT animals? Wouldn’t they find that as a form of cannibalism?

    1. Maybe because it’s natural for animals to eat other animals? It’s not like they’re eating other wolves. Humans are animals too, and we eat all kinds of other animals. It’s not cannibalism, it’s nature.

    2. It would only really count as cannibalism if they ate the same animal they were (for example if lupains at a wolf, which they wouldn’t do). Cervians are vegetarian, so they don’t eat other deer, and they would be the only race I could think of that might end up eating themselves.

      1. Maybe the rabbit people would to. I already forgot their names though XD. Something starting with l…?

  47. What I wonder is… why is Jyaku looking out for Meela… though I do like that he is trying to make sure she won’t do anything that could harm her, but I just wonder… what is he getting out of it or what his reason is for looking out for her.

  48. aawn poor Meela
    ok… does someone besides me thinks that this is Piper fault? o_o/

    1. Ohh yeah..xD

    2. It is totally and completely Piper’s fault! She was the one who taught Meela how to steal!

      1. AND failed to advise her on the times it’s best not to try. Like in markets. >_>

      2. XD She obviously didn’t teach her very well.

  49. Erhmeh gerd, Aladinnn!

  50. OMG….Are these hand drawn?

  51. what an ASS!

    1. Nononononononono…. what a DEER. XD But seriously, he’s probably giving her a good lesson on what would’ve happened had she been caught by a shopkeeper instead. I don’t think he’s being mean.

  52. Ooo… cutie with antlers…. this should be interesting…. hurry up with next page lol you’ve got my curiosity perked here, & the anticipation is murder.
    lol Just kiddiing. I love this comic though.

  53. OMG!! I just totally realized that if you put the buffalo mask on him it’s totally Jyaku. wow…. he’s a lot yonger than I thought…. was expecting a much older man, not a foxy young buck. XD

  54. whoa man, im starting to like and more and more of Jyakus, character, and what i thought how him at first was kinda wrong xD and he appears to be much younger then what i thought. celesse will we see more of him in later on the books, he doesnt look like an alley, but is here because of holland. hmmm

  55. I am now 99 percent certain that is jyaku. on this page notice the shot of the back of his hair. you cant see much of it but the bottom portion as well as the length and color are the same. https://www.straysonline.com/2012/10/page-242/

  56. There is no punishment for stealing.
    There is only punishment for being caught attempting to steal.

    1. Technically, if you’re caught after you stole the item (like it’s found on you or someone rats you out) then, yes, you are punished for stealing. It stops counting as an attempt once the item is on your person.

  57. This dude is awesome
    I like his hair

  58. Is every punishment getting your hands cut off?

  59. Anyone think he’s the guy with the mask?

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