A new player enters the game.

Fast forward to the next day and Mark (who of course only drank juice or milk yesterday and therefore was not susceptible to the consequences of imbibing too much alcohol) meets Joey at an undisclosed location to go look at those barrels. Joey is quick to offer the services of his Jeep (even though the vehicle in the first panel doesn't really look like a Jeep) and an unwitting Mark accepts. Bad idea, my friend. I would have offered to drive my own vehicle that only I could start and I would have also hidden a spare set of keys somewhere in case Joey tried to take the vehicle and angrily threw the keys away when he couldn't get it started. Their plan made, the two quickly leave civilization behind and head out into Lost Forest where we are treated to the wonder that is panel two.

Panel two is interesting in that it would seem that contrary to my belief, Joey is not under the control of the Avians and is in fact working with an entirely different group of shadowy figures. The panel also shows us that at least in matters concerning the environment, some members of the Avian Empire are willing to put their differences aside and join Mark. (I would call it a fragile truce. Of course, it would also seem that they had little choice in the matter since what's in those barrels probably kills indiscriminately, and if it harms the environment, where will the Avians live and how will they be able to stay close and monitor Mark's activities?) They also seem to have lawyered up since we last saw them, something that I personally would have liked to have seen play out, men and women in suits conversing with sparrows, hawks, and pigeons, writing up contracts, and later celebrating with a little seed. But this alliance is not the only thing revealed in panel two, for it also introduces us to a group that has up until now remained silent, choosing to watch the action rather than step in and join it. I am of course talking about the Plant Kingdom. It would seem that the grass at least has had it up to here with people walking on it, driving on it, pulling it out of the warm earth, and dumping barrels on it, depriving it of sunlight and causing it to grow sickly. It would seem that this outburst indicates that the Plants are on Mark's side, which I consider to be a good thing seeing as how Mark lives in a forest surrounded by trees and grass and flowers and all manner of growing plant life. It is as yet unclear how the Plant Kingdom and Avian Empire view each other, but it would seem that, in this story at least, the different factions are willing to put their differences aside in favor of the greater good. We'll just have wait and see how long it lasts.