The plot thickens. It must be the cornstarch.

Well, it looks like Mark is going to have to investigate this water shortage before it reaches Lost Forest.  I'm sure that the Inspector will be glad to have his help.  It looks like I might have spoken a little too soon about the Avians having nothing to do with this.  They're either somehow involved, or are conducting their own search by using members of the Empire that need water, and therefore would be able to seek it out.  We'll just have to keep an eye on them and see what their next move is.  (It could also be possible that they're now recruiting the trees, which are slowly making their way to the cabin where an unsuspecting Pops is talking with Mark.)

(And be sure to look at both sets of ducks, whose condition may indicate that this shortage is not only a water shortage, but a color one as well.  They may also have fallen prey to the water shortage as well and after a brief visit to the taxidermist are now trapped in perpetual flight.  Very sad.)
Don't let the rustic forest setting of this comic fool you.  Mark Trail is apparently on the cutting edge of technology (and his high tech gadgets seem to work a lot better than Dick Tracy's) as evidenced by the teleportation device that Mark and Cherry seem to have perfected.  (Either that, or they are hopping back and forth between Comic and TV Realities, which would be neat too.)

I don't like the looks of that bird in the last panel.  The Avians have been pretty secretive about their workout regimen, and their plans in general, and if they're trying to work up their strength to where they can wield axes and other weapons, I think we're all in a lot of trouble.