Bone: Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border, is the fifth volume in the Bone series. It consists of issues 28-32, and is the second book in the Solstice Trilogy.
Summary
Fone Bone and Smiley Bone are out in the wilderness, trying to return the stray Rat Creature cub (Dubbed "Bartleby" by Smiley) to his kind. However, they find themselves forced to match wits with Roque Ja, a massive mountain lion who fancies himself master of the eastern border. Uniting with unlikely allies, the Bones will need to keep their senses if they want to escape.
This volume has examples of
- Bittersweet Ending: At the end, the Bones manage to escape the Rat Creatures...but Bartleby chooses to go back with them. Although this was what the Bones set out to do, it's a hard break for Smiley, who really took a liking to Bartleby.
- Breather Episode: The story is much more lighthearted here than it was in The Dragonslayer, and a breath of fresh air for what will unfold for the rest of the plot.
- Enemy Mine: Trapped on a cliff and narrow mountain path, the Bones and their animal companions are forced into an uneasy truce with the Two Stupid, Stupid Rat Creatures until they get to safety.
- The Swarm: the group is bedeviled by a swarm of locusts, a bunch of which try to carry off Fone Bone. The locusts are repelled by a medallion from Gran'ma Ben.
