Housepets!

Well... I'm thinking I'm very wrong about Steward being a red herring. Though he didnt flee until the cops showed up.

BUSTED!

Is he running because he's guilty or because Keene is there along with the Police? Yeah, he's guilty. Mystery solved, bring in the dancing lobsters.

Slamming a door OPEN is a new one.

It’s a wake-up call for Steward
as an old friend comes to call
“I wasn’t frightened of the Ferret,
I just don’t like cops is all”
He flees out through the door
but won’t make it to the forest.
Fido and Lois are out there
and will soon have their arrest.
And where is Marion hiding?
I bet he’s back in her house;
sneaking through the rooms;
a Squirrel as quiet as a Mouse...

Xane wrote:Who knew badgers could even move that fast?

Well, cartoon logic applies to an extent, but I did, actually. I saw one in action once when it wandered into my neighbor's yard and they had to coral it while they got animal control. Those things can move when they want to. It's kinda terrifying when you're nine.
Heck, it'd probably be scary as an adult.

That confirms it, the badger did it!

Nobody wrote:

Xane wrote:Who knew badgers could even move that fast?

Well, cartoon logic applies to an extent, but I did, actually. I saw one in action once when it wandered into my neighbor's yard and they had to coral it while they got animal control. Those things can move when they want to. It's kinda terrifying when you're nine.
Heck, it'd probably be scary as an adult.

From what I've read, even bigger predators are hesitant to tangle with a badger.

Come on Mr Badger, you thought no one would trace it back to you?

I feel bad for Jess here. I mean try explaining that A. the badger used to be human. B. the badger is most likely guilty of turning two other humans into animals. C. magic is real and all the Opener Cult stuff, while ridiculous, was grounded in some reality. D. the squirrel that was here that one night was once human.

D-Rock wrote:

Nobody wrote:

Xane wrote:Who knew badgers could even move that fast?

Well, cartoon logic applies to an extent, but I did, actually. I saw one in action once when it wandered into my neighbor's yard and they had to coral it while they got animal control. Those things can move when they want to. It's kinda terrifying when you're nine.
Heck, it'd probably be scary as an adult.

From what I've read, even bigger predators are hesitant to tangle with a badger.

Yet, apparently they're willing to work together with coyotes to hunt.

Regardless if he's told his landlord who he used to be, it seems Steward is often called upon to do the human thing around there. Lois must have gotten Jessica an even bigger sandwich if she let Fox and Keene in.

fenrirblack wrote:BUSTED!

Is he running because he's guilty or because Keene is there along with the Police? Yeah, he's guilty. Mystery solved, bring in the dancing lobsters.

"...It occurred briefly to him that anyone not making a dash for it when they saw Detritus knuckling along at high speed behind them was probably guilty of contravening the Being Bloody Stupid Act of 1581. But it was too late to take that into account. Someone was running, and they were chasing. They were chasing because he was running, and he was running because they were chasing.”
― Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms

Gbr23 wrote:Come on Mr Badger, you thought no one would trace it back to you?

Trace what? All they suspect him of, really, is being in possession of a coin. That's not a crime. He has fear, however, that they're out to arrest him for being Steward. I believe they were investigating him?

fenrirblack wrote:BUSTED!

Is he running because he's guilty or because Keene is there along with the Police? Yeah, he's guilty. Mystery solved, bring in the dancing lobsters.

Well, police are presumably still looking for human-Steward for embezzlement, so it might be Keene and Fox that prompts the run. But it makes him look pretty guilty.

Interesting that Jessica doesn't use his name. Wonder if hes been going under a different one.

Steward runs away the moment the cops ask about a gold coin. Yep, Steward's the prime suspect on the transformation caper. I am so gonna enjoy what's gonna happen next.

dr_eirik wrote:

fenrirblack wrote:BUSTED!

Is he running because he's guilty or because Keene is there along with the Police? Yeah, he's guilty. Mystery solved, bring in the dancing lobsters.

Well, police are presumably still looking for human-Steward for embezzlement, so it might be Keene and Fox that prompts the run. But it makes him look pretty guilty.

Interesting that Jessica doesn't use his name. Wonder if hes been going under a different one.

Yeah, I know this doesn't exactly prove anything about his innocence or guilt for this particular crime of using said coin but it is getting harder to deny. I mean if I screwed Keene like that and he showed up with the po-po I would flee too. Although on the other other hand, He could just have lied and been like "I am not the badger you are looking for. This coin, I found it near the scared ruin pile."

dr_eirik wrote:Interesting that Jessica doesn't use his name. Wonder if hes been going under a different one.

That is odd, now that you mention it. It could be just a nickname, but maybe when Steward first arrived at the treehouse he declined to say his name and Jessica just said "Whatever. Show him one of the free rooms".

fenrirblack wrote:

dr_eirik wrote:

fenrirblack wrote:BUSTED!

Is he running because he's guilty or because Keene is there along with the Police? Yeah, he's guilty. Mystery solved, bring in the dancing lobsters.

Well, police are presumably still looking for human-Steward for embezzlement, so it might be Keene and Fox that prompts the run. But it makes him look pretty guilty.

Interesting that Jessica doesn't use his name. Wonder if hes been going under a different one.

Yeah, I know this doesn't exactly prove anything about his innocence or guilt for this particular crime of using said coin but it is getting harder to deny. I mean if I screwed Keene like that and he showed up with the po-po I would flee too. Although on the other other hand, He could just have lied and been like "I am not the badger you are looking for. This coin, I found it near the scared ruin pile."

They might not see him as guilty, but they would surely confiscate the coin in that scenario and Steward can't have that.

Champion Wallace wrote:They might not see him as guilty, but they would surly confiscate the coin in that scenario and Steward can't have that.

Hmmm. That could be counted as theft. Let's see them prove it's connected to these disappearances. There's only one way to do that.

Likely his best option honestly. Even if they can't get him for the stuff he did as a human (no court is going to believe he turned into an animal) him losing the coin would be bad and they likely could prove some kind of trespassing/B&E depending on when he turned Marion at least. That would get him something I would assume.

I guess this is pretty definitive on whether or not Steward is guilty.

I mean, he bolted like a shot as soon as they mentioned the coin, so he's definitely been using it for some kind of skullduggery.

Here's what I think will happen:

They will stop Steward (bonus if it's Kevin with a tackle), and when they'll ask for the coin Steward will be like "I don't actually have it" and it'll be revealed that A TON of people have been transformed. That's where's my money is on.

Also I believe he is having some kind of sidekick tipe of help

I wonder if Keene knows it's Steward. I mean it is possible that they could think he's some random badger with a gold coin. At no point has he said his name to Marion and Jess didn't call him by it. Theoretically Keene could figure it out from adding the clues together but would still need real confirmation. The glasses are a dead giveaway but still. I wonder if Keene is thinking "It's Steward. Of course it is."

Welsh Halfwit wrote:

Champion Wallace wrote:They might not see him as guilty, but they would surely confiscate the coin in that scenario and Steward can't have that.

Hmmm. That could be counted as theft. Let's see them prove it's connected to these disappearances. There's only one way to do that.

Not if they called Steward a thief. The coin along with the rest of the treasure belonged to Henry Milton.

I still don't think he'd do it. His coin maybe but not him. I think he ran because of his human crimes.

Now that said while I don't think Stewart used the coin, if it was used, I wouldn't rule out one of the others except maybe Kari (he's too comedic to do it). But Kessica or Ink might.

Champion Wallace wrote:

Welsh Halfwit wrote:

Champion Wallace wrote:They might not see him as guilty, but they would surely confiscate the coin in that scenario and Steward can't have that.

Hmmm. That could be counted as theft. Let's see them prove it's connected to these disappearances. There's only one way to do that.

Not if they called Steward a thief. The coin along with the rest of the treasure belonged to Henry Milton.

Henry is dead. He has no ownership and, magic power aside, that single coin probably isn't worth enough to press charges of note over it. Misdemeanor at best.

Maybe Badger is innocent of creepy coinage chicanery, he's just overreacting to sixty unpaid parking fines.

After all, Stewart had no more choice about becoming a badger than Marion or Lois did about their transformations......

"Boy. That escalated quickly. I mean that really got out of hand fast."

D-Rock wrote:

Nobody wrote:

Xane wrote:Who knew badgers could even move that fast?

Well, cartoon logic applies to an extent, but I did, actually. I saw one in action once when it wandered into my neighbor's yard and they had to coral it while they got animal control. Those things can move when they want to. It's kinda terrifying when you're nine.
Heck, it'd probably be scary as an adult.

From what I've read, even bigger predators are hesitant to tangle with a badger.

He’s not naturally a badger. He may not know better.

Now that is suspicious.

Just a little bit, yeah...

So Steward, they've finally caught on to
All your scheming, tricks, and plans,
Fair justice is now come due,
You don't stand a chance.
You think you can slam the door open and run,
Get away from all your messmaking,
No, badger boy, your time is done
Using opportunities ripe for the taking.
The K9PD is there to bust you,
You think you can, but you can't outrun
Those determined dogs, for they're who
Will put a stop to all this 'fun.'
Steward's finally busted, we knew it all along,
But was he just a red herring? Will all our thoughts be wrong?

Hope Fox brought backup. Part of me wants to see ticked off Marion bring down Steward, though a squirrel probably wouldn't fare that well versus a badger.

Notice how he reacted to Keene first before the coin came up? Seems he's more afraid of Keene than being caught using the coin. Maybe both.

Either way, he's not putting a good impression on himself. Somehow I'm getting this flashback. https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/20 ... nd-humans/

Running from the cops: if they weren't going to charge you with something before they are now!

Well Steward is definitely afraid of something here. Whether he really is guilty about Marion and Lois or maybe since Keene is there he thinks the ferrets found him out is yet to be seen, hopefully we'll know in just a few more comics.

D-Rock wrote:I see he still knows when to call it quits.

You gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away and know when to run....

Xane wrote:Who knew badgers could even move that fast?

Indeed!

Welsh Halfwit wrote:Slamming a door OPEN is a new one.

You're assuming he actually opened the door.

Well...I guess the theory that Steward did it was true, going by the last panel...or maybe he left the stove on and went to check on it.

Let's remember this coin is part of a temple raid, temple belonging to the Miltons, part of an elaborate plot so yes, theft.

So far, Steward has been living calmly thinking the worst that can happen is he gets sent to the zoo, but if the way we treat bears in our reality is any indication, the law is probably not going to be so lenient on a badger breaking and entering into a privately-owned temple with the explicit purpose of taking stuff from it, accomplice or not.

Also it took me a while to parse that "Slam". I'm so used to seeing it as the sound of a door closing, I had trouble seeing it as the sound of a door opening (and yes, I know Rick has done it before)

They really should've had someone block off the escape routes.
Mission failed. We'll get 'em next time.

FoxyBoi wrote:They really should've had someone block off the escape routes.
Mission failed. We'll get 'em next time.

Fido, Marion and Lois are absent from this strip. I wonder where they might be waiting?

trekkie wrote:Hope Fox brought backup. Part of me wants to see ticked off Marion bring down Steward, though a squirrel probably wouldn't fare that well versus a badger.

Don't forget that he's got muscle with him in the form of an equally ticked off girlfriend who is now a muscular bobcat. Also, Marion has already taken down a camel.

This is mostly me holding dearly onto my "Steward is a red herring" theory, but it still works with a bit of alteration. Keene has acually been unaware of what became of Steward since he vanished. Steward has been trying to flood the ECP with new applicants to expand it so that he could slip in without being noticed (right now it's directly overseen by the ferrets. Down the road, it might not be if it gets large enough). His reaction to Keene and Fox is purely about him thinking they finally tracked him down for his human crimes. The gold coin he might think is that they know that he's not originally a badger and how he became one.

I think it's possible that Steward still has no idea that Marion was once human and nothing about Lois at all.

So, what will the next three strips be? Arrest of the badger, him possibly confessing to some crimes, but not the transformation stuff. A Christmas time-skip showing Marion and Lois setting into their new lives and a hint about the real culprit.

Does Steward really think that he will be able to get away quickly and easily from the K-9s? I have seen Fox without his collar on. He’s a HUNK! Steward won’t be able to outrun him. Not to mention they probably figured he would try to run and have Mungo standing someone as a barrier or Kevin will pounce him.

Amazee Dayzee wrote:Does Steward really think that he will be able to get away quickly and easily from the K-9s? I have seen Fox without his collar on. He’s a HUNK! Steward won’t be able to outrun him. Not to mention they probably figured he would try to run and have Mungo standing someone as a barrier or Kevin will pounce him.

Well, if they're any kind of police professionals, Mungo, Kevin, Terrance, maybe even Sarge are waiting out there to apprehend ol'Badge.
So maybe we'll get some questions answered, like:
1. Is transforming someone against their will a crime? Did THE COIN do it? Did Steward? Why? Why not?
2. If Lois and Marion are restored, will Steward also be returned to human form (and will he still have poison ivy?)? How about Thomas?
3. When did Jessica get so relaxed with PDK9?

Stay tuned.....

NHWestoN wrote:

Amazee Dayzee wrote:Does Steward really think that he will be able to get away quickly and easily from the K-9s? I have seen Fox without his collar on. He’s a HUNK! Steward won’t be able to outrun him. Not to mention they probably figured he would try to run and have Mungo standing someone as a barrier or Kevin will pounce him.

Well, if they're any kind of police professionals, Mungo, Kevin, Terrance, maybe even Sarge are waiting out there to apprehend ol'Badge.
So maybe we'll get some questions answered, like:
1. Is transforming someone against their will a crime? Did THE COIN do it? Did Steward? Why? Why not?
2. If Lois and Marion are restored, will Steward also be returned to human form (and will he still have poison ivy?)? How about Thomas?
3. When did Jessica get so relaxed with PDK9?

Stay tuned.....

I'd say the answer to #1 could be covered by an assault charge of some kind

#2, I don't think any of these characters are going back to their human forms, but if Lois and Marion do then I don't see why Steward and Thomas can't be. Unless their transformations have different causes and cures.

#3, She has let them in before (like when looking for Sasha) but it might be that she doesn't really like the badger all that much so she let them in.

I suspect that there are more K9's around. At the least Fido should be just off-panel, or he's outside. It is interesting that it is much later in the day now. They didn't go straight to the treehouse. It's at least dusk in June, they must have spent time getting things together.