This week turned into a search-and-rescue mission, if we want to be generous with our interpretation. Robbie, Ian, and Ernie went hiking through the woods to try and find Rusty to apologize for shaming him by not sticking up for him when Robbie got awarded for a photo that Rusty took. Still, Ian and Ernie supposedly hadn’t realized their treachery until overhearing Cherry politely reaming out Scoutmaster Ranger Shaw for Robbie’s deceit and Ranger Shaw’s complicity.

The boys found Rusty in a clearing with Rusty in some kind of overlord position surrounded by a group (or “gaze”) of raccoons. As the kids began to apologize, Rusty kept his disdain for them visible. At this point, Jules Rivera added some commentary about the raccoons becoming agitated, though it was difficult to tell, owing to the crowded panels. But the boys grabbed Rusty from inside the circle of raccoons, which then ran off. One of the rescuers turned out to be Robbie, which left Rusty perplexed and Robbie making excuses. Well, it’s kids. What can you say?

So if there really was some kind of raccoon rebellion going on, we’ll just have to go with it. Rivera could have given more panel space to make it more obvious. But any actual danger was largely absent and only implied. Again, it’s the symbolism over the reality, as a few raccoons hissing at us human readers must suffice for the impression of danger. Though Ian and Ernie apologized for their earlier behavior, Robbie did not. Maybe there will be a few follow-up strips in a few weeks to close out the adventure.

The chicken makes for an unusual Sunday topic, but it has its wild side, as well. Actually, the time and path of the chicken crossing the ocean to get into the Americas is still debated. They could have come into South America via Polynesian sailors and settlers long before the Europeans showed up. Domestication of the chicken has been observed in archaeological finds in China that go back to around 6000 BCE. There actually are large groups of feral chickens in Florida, America’s favorite dumping ground for exotic pets and formerly domesticated animals. But the chickens have been left in the wild since the early days of the Spanish explorers (i.e, conquistadores) and are becoming a larger nuisance these days. I’m surprised that the Burmese Pythons, alligators, Nile Monitor Lizards, and other predators (mostly imported and released) running around Florida are not doing a better job of keeping the feral chicken population under control.