#National Prairie Day

[rabbitcruiser]

National Prairie Day

National Prairie Day, on June 1 this year, celebrates the beauty and ecological value of this often-overlooked ecosystem. Spanning more than a dozen American states and several Canadian provinces, the North American prairie is a vast grassland that offers more biodiversity and beauty than most people realize. With their endless, gently rolling plains and highly productive soils, prairies have been a valued location for farming and ranching for thousands of years. Today, only 1% of tallgrass prairie in the United States remains untouched by farming or development. National Prairie Day promotes the appreciation and conservation of America’s native prairies.

History of National Prairie Day

The United States is home to a dazzling array of geographies and environments. Some, like the towering redwoods of California or the majestic cascades of Niagara Falls, enjoy worldwide reputations as media darlings and tourist hotspots. Other ecosystems, like the humble prairie that covers much of the interior United States, receive fewer accolades but play crucially important roles in the development of the nation.

Defined as a flat grassland with a temperate climate and derived from the French for ‘meadow,’ ‘prairie’ has become almost synonymous with the expansion of the American frontier. Flanked by the Great Lakes and the grandiose Rocky Mountains, the North American prairie extends across 15% of the continent’s land area. Other examples of similar grasslands around the world include the pampas in Argentina, the Central Asian steppes, and the llanos of Venezuela.

There’s more to the prairie than meets the eye. In fact, tall grass prairies host the most biodiversity in the Midwest and provide a home for dozens of rare species of animals and plants, including bison, antelope, elk, wolves, and bears.

Native prairies face extinction as more and more land is converted to agricultural and ranching use. Due to its rich, fertile soil, prairie land is prized for agricultural use. Around the world, almost three-quarters of agricultural regions are located in grassland areas. With only 1% of tallgrass prairie in the U.S. remaining untouched, the American tallgrass prairie is now one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. The Missouri Prairie Foundation launched National Prairie Day in 2016 to raise awareness and appreciation for the nation’s grasslands. The organization seeks to protect and restore native grasslands by promoting responsible stewardship, supporting acquisition initiatives, and providing public education and outreach.

National Prairie Day timeline

6000 B.C. The Prairie Forms

The North American prairie forms roughly 8,000 years ago when receding glaciers give way to fertile sediment.

1800s The American Prairie Decimated

Throughout the 19th century, farmers and ranchers, excited about the rich potential of prairie soil, convert almost all of the American prairie to farmland and grazing land.

Early 1930s The Dust Bowl

The combination of years of mismanagement, the stock market crash, and drought conditions come to a head as thousands of families in Oklahoma, Texas, and other parts of the Midwest lose everything when their farms fail, driving them to California and elsewhere to seek work in more fertile fields.

2016 First National Prairie Day

The Missouri Prairie Foundation launches the National Prairie Day campaign to promote awareness and conservation of the vanishing ecosystem.

National Prairie Day Activities

Learn about the prairie

Donate to a conservation group

Plan a visit to a famous prairie

Do a little research to learn about this important American ecosystem and the role it has played in the cultural and economic development of our country.

If you're concerned about the loss of the American prairie, donate to a grasslands conservation group to support their work.

Do you live near a prairie? Try finding the grassland nearest you and plan a visit.

5 Interesting Facts About Prairies

‘Prairie schooners’

Dogtown

Where the buffalo roam

Carbon hero

Rising from the ashes

During the 1800s, when Americans embarked on the long journey westward, their covered wagons were often referred to as ‘prairie schooners.’

Prairie dogs live in vast networks of underground burrows called ‘towns,’ which can cover hundreds of acres and house thousands of prairie dogs with complex social relationships.

When Europeans first arrived in North America, up to 60 million bison roamed the plains — by 1885, there were fewer than 600.

Prairies can help fight climate change — one acre of intact prairie can absorb about one ton of carbon each year.

On the prairie, wildfires can actually be a healthy thing — with more than 75% of their biomass underground, prairie plants are uniquely suited to surviving and thriving after a fire.

Why We Love National Prairie Day

The prairie often gets overlooked

Native grasslands are critically endangered

It reminds us of the diversity of America's ecosystems

It's not often we remember to celebrate grasslands, yet the prairie plays an important role in America's cultural past and environmental future.

With only 1% of America's native prairie remaining, it's more urgent than ever to conserve and protect this vital resource.

The United States has more environmental variety than almost any other country on earth. Celebrating each unique ecosystem reminds us to appreciate and protect all the beauty our country has to offer.

Source

[valhikes]

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, part of Redwood National and State Parks, California

I made it out to the old growth redwoods! I could even feel those big trees getting ever bigger! And there was even a rhododendron remaining along the Rhododendron Trail this late in the season.

[jumping-jackalope]

I love grasses so much did you guys know this

[thorsenmark]

My Time for a Getaway in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the east while taking in views of nearby coast redwoods and an early growth forest while walking the Prairie Creek Trail in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

[allbeendonebefore]

reading prairie history is just both calgary and edmonton being shocked over and over again that they aren’t actually mediating between saskatoon/regina and the rest of the country/north america and finding out over and over that they’re capable of forming their own relationships on their own and i’m laughing a lot

[valarhalla]

Ok tumblr friends. I’m trying to spend less time on the internet these days, and I LOVE reading non-fiction books, but trying to find recommendations for new books is a nightmare. Any time I try to look up good new non-fiction books the results are all like “would you like to read an autobiography of Paul Newman or New Reasons We’re All Doomed” and that just. Doesn’t Work for Me. So I’m asking for recs here. I’m open to books about literally any field or topic. Only caveats are that hard sciences have to be on a level I can understand as a humanities person, and medical stuff can’t be too gory (ie I loved Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Gene and The Song of the Cell, but can’t stomach The Mother of all Maladies). And nothing TOO miserable, but I have a fairly high tolerance for historical stuff. I’m particularly fond of micro-history and books that delve into multiple overlapping topics.

As a sampling, here are some books I��ve read and particularly enjoyed in the last two years:

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

The Cooking Gene by Michael Twitty

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee

On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe by Caroline Pennock

Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs by Camilla Townsend

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Victims of Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

The Last Days of the Incas by Kim McQuarrie 

The Dream and the Nightmare: The Story of the Syrians who Boarded the Titanic by Leila Salloum Elias

Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Yeats by Andrew Knoll

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky

The Food of a Younger Land by Mark Kurlansky

Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking by Anya von Bremzen

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristine Kobes du Mez

Kingdom of Characters: The Language Revolution that made China Modern by JIng Tsu

The Last Island: Discovery, Defiance, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth by Adam Goodheart

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home by Anya von Bremzen

The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World by David W. Anthony

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann

Fire away!

[strangebiology]

Happy National Bison Day!

Buffalo (culturally and historically correct) / Bison (scientifically correct) were almost driven to extinction, but conservation efforts preserved them. From a treacherous 325 wild bison left to half a million today, we now have a sustainable population.

But they're not back in the numbers they once were--50 MILLION-- and they're not really back the way they were, an ecological keystone species that changed the landscape and fed the people in ways that they never would again.

In fact, that version of the west is pretty much a memory, a former glory impossible to re-create in a world where cattle and cattlemen reign.

That said, there are a handful of organizations that are trying to preserve some land to be somewhat like the old American shortgrass prairie, with some bison fulfilling their roles on those lots. Andrew McKean in Outdoor Life explains.

[probablyasocialecologist]

By combining food-bearing trees and shrubs with poultry production, Haslett-Marroquin and his peers are practicing what is known as agroforestry — an ancient practice that intertwines annual and perennial agriculture. Other forms include alley cropping, in which annual crops including grains, legumes, and vegetables grow between rows of food-bearing trees, and silvopasture, which features cattle munching grass between the rows. Agroforestry was largely abandoned in the United States after the nation’s westward expansion in the 19th century. In the 2022 Agricultural Census, just 1.7 percent of U.S. farmers reported integrating trees into crop and livestock operations. But it’s widely practiced across the globe, particularly in Southeast Asia and Central and South America. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 43 percent of all agricultural land globally includes agroforestry features. Bringing trees to the region now known as the Corn Belt, known for its industrial-scale agriculture and largely devoid of perennial crops, might seem like the height of folly. On closer inspection, however, agroforestry systems like Haslett-Marroquin’s might be a crucial strategy for both preserving and revitalizing one of the globe’s most important farming regions. And while the corn-soybean duopoly that holds sway in the U.S. heartland produces mainly feed for livestock and ethanol, agroforestry can deliver a broader variety of nutrient-dense foods, like nuts and fruit, even as it diversifies farmer income away from the volatile global livestock-feed market.

[...]

Trees actually have a much longer and more robust history in the Midwestern landscape than do annual crops. Think of the Midwestern countryside before U.S. settlers arrived, and you might picture lush grasses and flowers swaying in the wind. That vision is largely accurate, but it’s incomplete. Amid the tall-grass prairies and wetlands, oak trees once dotted landscapes from the shores of Lake Michigan through swathes of present-day Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, clear down to the Mexican border. These trees didn’t clump together in dense forests with closed canopies but rather in what ecologists call savannas — patches of grassland interspersed with oaks. Within these oak savannas, which were interlaced with prairies, tree crowns covered between 10 percent and 30 percent of the ground. They were essentially a transition between the tight deciduous forests of the East and the fully open grasslands further west. And in the region where Haslett-Marroquin farms — part of the so-called Driftless Area, which was never glaciated — trees proliferated even more intensely. In pre-settlement times, according to a 2014 analysis coauthored by Iowa State University ecologist Lisa Schulte Moore, closed-canopy forests of oaks, sugar maples, and other species covered 15.3 percent of the area, and woodlands (low-density forests) took up another 8.6 percent. Prairies — the ecosystem we readily imagine — composed just 6.9 percent. Oak savannas made up the rest.

10 September 2024

[walkintomymystery]

Fall Into Me

(Set after Sonic 3 but no spoilers as I haven’t seen the movie yet!) Defeated, world-weary, and impossibly lost, Shadow allows himself to be taken back into G.U.N custody. While they decide his fate, he is housed in a secret facility hidden deep in the heart of one of the country's National Parks. Still reeling from the heartbreaks that have shaped his life, Shadow never expected to find the closest thing to a home he'd known in over fifty years.

Pairings: Shadow the Hedgehog x Original Female Character

Warnings for this chapter: a little about not eating/sleeping, a bit of action but no blood

//

Chapter Four

Shadow stared emptily at the wall opposite him. It had been another long night.

His self-inflicted confinement wasn’t so harsh really; he’d always been fairly adept at amusing himself. Without Maria by his side, the ARK had been a lonely place, and when she was too sick for him to visit, Shadow had to find ways to keep his mind busy.

The days were easy. He re-read his books, combed the room for cameras and bugs again and again, and tried to build a mental map of the base, for future reference. Shadow also found a chessboard tucked away in the bottom of his closet and had whiled away many hours beating himself in game after game.

He’d be alright, if it wasn’t for the nights. Time passed so slowly in that other world. In the deep violet twilight, Shadow could practically feel each second easing by.

The silence made his head hurt, and all he could do was stare and stare, and try in vain to keep his thoughts from wandering to places he’d safely locked away, never to be opened again.

Shadow still hadn’t slept. If anything, avoiding sleep had only gotten easier with each passing day, as if he’d finally pushed through and out the other side of his fatigue. Now insomnia clawed at him, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep if he wanted to. The thought of resting, of letting his guard down and surrendering to that exhaustion, filled him with more dread than ever before.

His empty stomach twisted and wrung itself in the pit of his belly, begging for food. It had been two days since he last ventured out, since he last ate anything, since he last saw Kit, and Shadow could feel his now mortal body growing weaker and weaker with every hour.

He’d considered sneaking out to the cafeteria, but every time he got close to caving, he was reminded that Kit was able to hear his every move, even from down the corridor. Sometimes, Shadow amused himself by muttering under his breath, cursing her and the people who kept him here, just in case she happened to be listening.

He didn’t want to give her or any soldiers the satisfaction of catching him sneaking out, so Shadow stayed locked up in his room, trying to formulate a plan.

All the information he’d gathered from the books Kit had left for him had been carefully stored away in his brain, filed and categorised for future reference. It would be hard to find someone on Earth who knew about Northern Montana than Shadow did, much to his dismay.

Consisting of just over a million acres, Glacier National Park was an enormous place to be lost in. There were mountains to traverse, over 130 lakes, thick brush, wild animals, tundras and prairies.

Even if he did manage to find the Going-to-the-Sun Road, the highway ran for fifty miles before it reached any kind of civilisation, and what then?

Without his powers, Shadow had no way off this planet. They’d catch up with him eventually, and he’d be right back where he started. But if he kept to the dense shrub, then it would take even longer to get away from The Hill.

Shadow sifted through the facts and figures he’d committed to his expansive memory. According to one of the books he’d devoured, 75% of the park still remained untouched, useful for keeping hidden, but he would have trouble finding his way.

Shadow sighed and lay down on the bed to stare up at the ceiling instead.

There was a way out of every trap. He’d learnt that the hard way. He just had to find it.

Shadow and Kit soon fell into a routine again. As he refused to sleep or leave his room, their morning and nightly rituals were his only way of keeping track of time.

In the mornings, Kit knocked and asked if he’d like to explore the woodland with her, or if he wanted to meet some of the people who worked at The Hill. Every morning, he ignored her, and she went away with a sigh.

Every evening, Kit would knock to tell Shadow that dinner was ready and that she’d love to see him in the cafeteria, before giving up and walking away again.

But tonight was different. When Kit knocked at the door at the usual time, she hesitated before speaking.

In the dark of his room, Shadow raised his head. The light from the hallway seeped under the door, casting a golden rectangle on the floor. He watched Kit’s shadow shift nervously from foot to foot, restless and uncertain, framed by yellow light.

“Shadow?”

Her voice sounded softer than usual, as if through ignoring her, he’d finally worn away its edge.

Kit knocked again.

He could imagine her ridiculous ears swivelling in every direction, trying to pick out his movements beneath the laughter in the next room, and the blaring television noise down the hall.

“I brought you those books you asked for. If you want, I can take away the ones you’ve finished?” She paused, then tentatively added, “I’d love to know what you thought?”

Shadow almost ignored her, but curiosity got the better of him. Though she was deceptive and annoyingly cavalier about his imprisonment, something about Kit made him want to look again, to take his time.

Shadow had tried to picture her in his head a few times but could never summon a complete image of her. Snatches of her bright, lavender eyes, her short, sharp black claws, and the dagger of her smile flashed through his mind, but Shadow found it hard to piece them all together into one person.

He could recall her voice though, as clear as a bell. Low and soft, clearly smart, enough to toy with her words and with him, but never cruel. And when she called his name through the door, Shadow found himself surrendering to that curiosity despite his better judgment.

Kit seemed even more surprised that he’d opened the door than he was. She smiled, and for the first time, it felt genuine and perhaps even a little shy.

“Hi, Shadow.”

He huffed in response, and felt a surge of victory when Kit’s smile dropped a little.

“What did you ask about the books?”

“What? Oh, I asked if you liked them?”

“Why?”

Kit glanced away, then back to him, confused.

“They were mine first. I’ve read them too. I just wondered what you thought of them.”

“Why?”

Kit only looked more confused.

“What?”

“Why?”

”Because,” She shrugged, her voice cracking as she searched for an answer. “I want to know your opinion. I’m interested.”

“In me?”

“Well,” Kit looked sheepish. “Yeah.”

Taken-aback, Shadow set his teeth.

Who was this fox? She moved and changed like the phases of the moon, one moment tough and inscrutable, the next earnest and forthcoming, and now this.

Kit shifted awkwardly from foot to foot again, reshuffling the small stack of books she held in her arms. Conversely, Shadow remained absolutely still, like a moss-patched statue.

It was Friday night, not that that meant anything to Shadow. The corridor was empty but most of the doors had been left ajar, like a college dorm. People could move easily to and fro, some just poking their head around the door, while others brought beer and snacks to share with their friends.

“How are you feeling?”

Kit kept her voice low. Though no one was paying them the least bit of attention, she didn’t want to be overheard.

Shadow’s frown deepened.

“How am I feeling?” he repeated incredulously.

“Fair enough. Stupid question. That’s on me.” Kit held up her hands to show him the books she’d brought for him. “Here. I raided the library. Well, we call it that but it’s more like a big…”

She trailed off, sensing he wasn’t in the mood.

“Anyway, the point is… Books.”

Shadow hesitated, then took the small stack she passed to him, being careful not to let their hands brush.

Something was wrong.

Kit looked nervous. He didn’t think he’d ever seen that before. Even in their first meeting, when he knew she must’ve been on high alert, she had maintained a mask of calm. Now, Kit’s soft lavender eyes were wide, and her gaze kept flicking to the left, down the corridor, as if she anticipated someone coming around the corner.

She fidgeted in the doorway, and he wondered momentarily if she was waiting for him to invite her in. But then Kit forced a smile again and her anxious hands stilled.

“I’m sorry about the other day. You’re right, we don’t know each other yet, I shouldn’t make assumptions. But I’d like to know you. And I’d like you to know me. Maybe even trust me. We really don’t expect anything of you, Shadow. We just want you to feel at home while you’re here, so… When I knock for you tomorrow, will you come to the door?”

Shadow wasn’t sure how to respond. He’d always appreciated candour, and others being straightforward with him, but an apology had completely blindsided him.

Again, he considered how little he understood about Kit, her motives, her actions, her attitude towards him. She shifted and reformed like the clouds, never settling in one place for very long before she reshaped herself.

He hated the unpredictable, and he couldn’t wrap his head around her. Shadow didn’t know if she was throwing everything she could think of at him to see what stuck, or if she was just as uncertain of how to navigate their relationship as he was.

“I just…” Her gaze rose to the ceiling briefly, then back to Shadow. “I just want you to feel as at home here as I do.”

“How can you ask that of me?”

Shadow readjusted the books in his hands, and Kit watched his movements, innocuous as they were. Still wary of him then, despite everything she said, despite the power she had over him.

“I know, I know…” Kit gave him a weak smile. “But I think we have more in common than you think. I-”

The laughter coming from next-door rose suddenly and Kit turned her head towards the sound, startled. When she looked back at him, her mask was back in place.

“I asked about your shoes. You should have them back soon but… I’m sorry. I did try.”

“What are they doing with them?” Shadow’s grip tightened on the books until his nails came close to puncturing the tough material of his gloves. “They were given… They’re important to me.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll keep asking. I promise.”

For some reason, Shadow believed her.

Kit took a tentative step closer, and he fought the instinct not to move away.

“Will you come tomorrow?”

Again, her eyes darted down the hallway, as if she was waiting for someone to come around the corner at any moment.

Was she not supposed to be here? No, that couldn’t be it. As Kit had reminded him many times, they were both allowed to wander around the base as they pleased, he just couldn’t leave.

So what then? She was allowed to be here, it was her job to speak to him… Perhaps Kit was saying things she ought not to be and was afraid of being overheard. But Kit was also, as she put it, a ‘guest’. She seemed right at home, practically one of the family. What did she have to be afraid of?

Shadow scowled. He felt exhausted and ravenous and weak, and the last thing he wanted to do right now was unpack the riddle of his captors.

“Will you ever leave me alone?”

“Never.” Kit smirked. “I told you, I’m persistent. This place… It means a lot to me. It could mean a lot to you too. I know it.”

“Why would I-”

“Because you don’t have a home. And this could be it. We could be… You could be happy. This is a good place, Shadow.”

He sighed.

“So you keep saying.”

Shadow had never been very good at reading people and their intentions. Keeping others at arm’s length tended to deal with that neatly, and Kit was no exception. But she seemed genuine enough.

In the low light of the hall, Kit’s eyes shone, open and honest, her small hands folded in front of her. He watched her thumb rub anxiously back and forth across the backs of her fingers, then his gaze found the brass rings snapped around her wrists. His own still buzzed angrily, sending short bursts of pain shooting through his marrow.

Shadow sighed again.

“I want my shoes back.”

Sensing an impending surrender, Kit brightened.

“I will get them for you, I promise. Cross my heart.”

With her index finger, she traced an X over the left side of her chest.

It made Shadow’s stomach twist to see it. Maria used to do the same. Whenever she made a promise, she would raise her right hand while the other crossed her chest, and all with a huge smile. Kit’s smile was almost as bright.

Shadow huffed and pulled the books closer to his chest.

“See to it that you do.”

He didn’t give Kit a chance to respond. He tapped the door closed with the heel of his borrowed sneaker, then sat down at the table to read.

Shadow slid the books slowly off the pile and placed them down, one by one, on the table in another stack. A few were non-fiction, more information about the park, but there were a few novels as well. The titles seemed vaguely familiar, and he wondered if he’d seen them before in the ARK’s extensive library. Maria loved to read.

At the bottom of the pile, he found a small rectangular box, the same size and shape as the books, disguised in their midst by its dark colour.

Shadow frowned, glancing towards the door.

When he slipped his thumb under the plastic lid, he found it came off easily. Inside, neatly organised into different compartments, was dinner. Vegetables, chicken, some fruit, something sweet, all from the cafeteria, but whether it was his aching hunger or the way it had been presented, it looked like a meal fit for a king.

Shadow stared. He stared and stared some more.

Slowly, he picked up the plastic fork that had come with it and poked tentatively at the chicken. It was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted.

Though his stomach begged him to hurry, Shadow took his time, knowing he’d make himself sick if he ate too fast.

Had this been what Kit was so nervous about? She was supposed to be his keeper, the one to convince him that this was home now and he should make himself comfortable. Perhaps they’d told her she had to entice him out, with food and water and a breath of fresh air, and she’d defied them. Perhaps false kindness was part of her plan.

Head churning with second-guesses and double-bluffs, Shadow ate his dinner, read his borrowed books, and finally felt the gentle hand of sleep on shoulder, rather than the thorny snare of his nightmares.

That night, he slept peacefully for the first time in fifty years.

/

Kit rolled back and forth on her feet from heel to toe, working up the courage to knock on Shadow’s door.

She’d been awake for hours already, which wasn’t like her at all. Most of the base was usually up, dressed, and on the way to work before she was even able to crack open her eyes.

Since Shadow arrived, things had been a little different. She had a mission now, an important role that only she could fill, and Kit would rather die than disappoint the people that took her in when she had nothing.

Being Shadow’s keeper meant getting him to breakfast before the cafeteria closed, which meant getting up at a good time, even if she’d only managed to draw him out of his room a grand total of once, so far.

Today would be different though, she could feel it. Or maybe that was just blind, desperate optimism.

Kit pulled in a deep breath, then briskly knocked four times on the door, as if anything about the situation was ordinary.

“C’mon,” she whispered to herself as her ears circled left and right, searching for him. “C’mon, tough guy. Give me a break. I’m doing my best here.”

Kit almost punched the air in celebration when she heard shuffling movement behind the door.

She took a step back, giving Shadow space, and tried not to look too worried when he finally showed his face.

She knew he hadn't been sleeping. Sometimes, Kit awoke in the night to hear him shifting around in his room. It was faint and difficult to pinpoint amongst the others in the base, but once she got a lock on him, he was unmistakable. Shadow’s heartbeat was almost twice as fast as the humans that bracketed him, and he liked to huff and sigh to himself like an old man. Which, she supposed, he was.

His eyes had been so bright and stormy when he arrived. You could see the power crackling behind them, the rage and the fury that burned in his core. Now, he just looked tired and faint, like ink running off the page of a tear-stained letter.

Kit didn’t think pointing out how awful he looked would make Shadow any more agreeable, nor would suggesting he get some fresh air and then some rest. She didn’t think Shadow was open to taking any advice at all, least of all from her, so Kit stuck to what she knew.

“Morning, handsome.”

As expected, his response was gruff and terse, but Shadow did at least appear a little more amenable than he had the night before. The food must have done him some good. Which reminded her…

“I brought you breakfast.”

Kit pressed the handles of a small brown paper bag into his hand, being careful not to let their fingers brush, just as Shadow had the night before.

Shadow peered curiously inside.

“What is this?”

“Pancakes. They’re rare here so I thought I’d better snag you some before they went. They’re all boxed up so you can save them for later, if you want.”

She wasn't planning on this becoming the norm, but Kit simply couldn’t let Shadow’s hunger strike go on any longer.

“Here.”

She held out a steaming styrofoam cup, and Shadow hesitantly took it.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d like coffee or not but it’ll keep you warm either way. You’ll need it, it’s cold out today.”

Shadow scowled, first at the coffee, then at her.

“I don’t want it.”

Kit huffed.

“It’s not poisonous, Shadow. C’mon, it’ll make you feel better.”

He stared at her for a second, then Shadow lowered his head and gave the drink an experimental sniff.

The sharp smell of machine brewed coffee made his nose wrinkle, and Kit couldn’t blame him, it wasn’t the nicest stuff. Sometimes, Lisa brewed her own and that was infinitely tastier, but she hadn’t had time to ask.

Resigning himself to the situation, Shadow carefully wrapped his hand around the cup, then held it against the black sweater he wore, warming his chest through the material. It was the first and only time Kit had seen him be gentle.

“What do you want? What’s so important?” he asked.

“Lisa wants to meet you. I thought we could all go out onto the trail together.”

“Why would I want-”

“Lisa said she’d turn off your bracers. Or, at least, lower the inhibition rate.”

Kit glanced down at the rings around his wrists. Hers had only ever been switched on for a few minutes at a time, and only once or twice in all the time that she’d worn them. She remembered how it felt though, to have every ounce of life sapped from you as they buzzed and hummed through your bones.

She had mentioned the long-term effects of their use to Lisa. Shadow had been at the base for a week now, and his bracers had been permanently switched on, night and day. His back was starting to arch, and anyone could see how lifeless his eyes had become. He swayed slightly on unsteady feet, and if you looked closely, you could see that Shadow was trembling.

The bracers had never been used like that before, as far as Kit knew. But Lisa had reassured her that there would be no lasting effects; they would never do anything to harm Shadow. Kit had still looked concerned so Lisa promised that if he behaved, she would switch them off.

“It might make you feel better,” Kit said quietly, looking him up and down again, her chest tight.

Whether he’d finally realised that he could trust her, or his will had bent and snapped like the bow of a cedar in a storm, Shadow closed his scarlet eyes with a sigh.

“Fine,” he said.

Kit grinned.

/

Shadow left his breakfast behind but took the coffee. Every so often, he took an experimental sip, and seemed to hate it less every time.

Together, they trudged across the clearing towards the tree line.

It was a beautiful time of year in Glacier, before the snow settled, when the forest was still teeming with life and the burning orange and yellow leaves lay as a blanket of fire for them to follow.

The air was rich with woodsmoke and pine sap, and a gentle breeze brushed Kit’s cheeks as they made their way into the wood, which welcomed them with open arms.

She could feel Shadow’s eyes on her. He still didn’t trust her, that much was obvious, but she thought he might believe her when she said that no harm would ever come to him here. Then again, if she’d been through everything that Shadow had, Kit supposed she wouldn’t be very trusting either.

To her surprise, Shadow was the first one to break the silence.

“How long have you been here?”

Kit raised her hand to push away a low branch and held it aside, gesturing for Shadow to go past.

He regarded her curiously but did go on ahead.

“At The Hill?” she clarified.

“On Earth.”

Behind the tree line lay a foot-worn trail, carved out by many decades of hikers, and now the heavy, ridged boots of the soldiers. It wound deeper into the woods, curving behind a clutch of brilliant gold larches.

Kit knew these forests like the back of her hand. She surprised even herself. Sometimes, areas of the park felt familiar, even if they were entirely new to her, as if the whole wood was music on a stave and she could read every note intuitively. The park just made sense to her, this world made sense to her, even when nothing else did.

“To be honest,” Kit said. “I’m not sure. I think it’s been around six months.”

Shadow stopped and turned to her. He looked suddenly uncomfortable to be leading the way. It meant his back was to her, and though Kit wanted to show him that she wasn’t ever going to hurt him, she gave him this, and took the lead again.

She heard Shadow begin to follow her, his soft-soled sneakers carefully picking through the fallen leaves. His heart was beginning to race in his chest, she could just about hear its soft melody under the forests’ chorus

“How can you not be sure?”

“I…” Kit readjusted, settling her voice. “I don’t remember how I got here.”

“How can you not remember?”

She stopped, one hand pressed against the solid, cracked trunk of a fir tree. Its envy-green needles stretched out all around it, granting shade and shelter to those who passed beneath.

It was one of her favourite trees in the forest. Sweet-smelling resin seeped from its leaves when crushed between her hands, and the bark was often beaded with sap blisters, a reminder that this forest was alive and breathing and watching.

Kit turned to Shadow to find him gazing at her curiously.

You could easily forget that he was new to this world, new to everything that wasn’t the dark hull of a spaceship, suspended above all life on this planet. He wasn’t from Earth, but he wasn’t quite alien either.

How tragic, Kit thought, to be from nowhere, to have no one, and to know that your one purpose was gone. It made her want to reach out, to expose frayed nerves of her own, despite the strict orders she’d been given.

“Apparently, I fell to Earth like a star. All I remember is a bright white circle of light. And pain. It hurt.”

Kit grimaced.

“A few of the rangers found me in the woods, all muddy and wet. I must’ve been laying there in the rain for hours. They brought me back here, patched me up... I couldn’t remember anything, not even my own name. I still can’t.”

It was a thought that haunted her like a second shadow. Where had she come from? No one seemed able to tell her. How had she come to be here? Did anyone miss her? Had she come to Earth of her own devices or had someone pushed her here? These questions kept Kit up throughout those first few terrifying nights at the base.

But the humans who saved her had quickly become family, and the desire to know what had happened to her and the ache of a home she couldn’t remember were starting to fade. Kit had a sense of purpose now, she had a mission. Her fears and worries could be put to the wayside. She had someone else to look after.

Shadow frowned.

“They named you?”

Kit couldn’t help following the arc of the red arches above his bright eyes, how they seemed to emphasise the slightest shifts in Shadow’s expression. She’d thought him so blank and impassive when they first met. Now in the bright morning sunlight, Kit could see that wasn’t the case. You just had to look closely enough.

“Lisa did,” she said, and watched Shadow’s frown deepen.

“So you are a prisoner too.”

“Guest.” Kit spread her arms, emphasising all the freedom they had granted him. “You don’t look like a prisoner to me.”

Shadow’s sharp eyes fell to the bracers snapped around her wrists.

“You don’t look like a guest to me.”

Kit’s good mood soured. He had a habit of doing that. Just when she thought they were getting along, or at least starting to, Shadow cut through to the bone. The weight of responsibility resting on her shoulders only grew heavier with every step he took back from her.

But she had faith. Kit had never been one to shy away from a challenge, and getting Shadow to trust her, trust her friends, was definitely that. This was a good place. He would see that too, soon enough.

Tired of talking, Kit turned and pushed further into the woods until the trail widened up into another, smaller clearing where Lisa was waiting for them.

Her face immediately broke out into a smile when she saw them coming, dislodging her round glasses. She had to push them further up her nose to stop them slipping off.

Lisa raised her hand and waved.

“Good morning, guys! It’s good to finally meet you, Shadow. My name’s Lisa, I’m the head researcher here at the Hill.”

Shadow hung back at the edge of the clearing. He looked Lisa up and down, scowling so deeply, Kit was worried he’d give himself a headache. It made her chest squeeze to see.

“You’re the one I have to thank for these,” he said gruffly, and held out his gloved hands, making the bracers glint in the sunlight.

Kit glanced nervously at Lisa.

She wanted, needed, Shadow to like Lisa, to trust her as she did. Kit knew the scientists would help him either way, and keep him safely hidden away from the world for as long as was necessary, but she couldn’t help thinking Shadow would be happier if he felt at home.

Selfish as it was, she was lonely. It would be nice to have a friend who knew what it felt like to be otherly on Earth.

Lisa pressed her lips together in thought, or perhaps sympathy. Pushing her glasses up her nose again, she took a step towards Shadow, reaching out to him with clever, gentle hands.

“I’m sorry. The adjustment period can be rough, but it’s the only solution we have.”

She knelt down in front of him so that they were at eye-level.

Shadow regarded her warily, his lip curling back in a snarl, baring one sharp fang that gleamed brilliant white against his dark fur.

He seemed so unnatural out here, amongst the deep greens and earthy browns. His sleek black body was so alien against the trees, his red markings a warning to others not to get too close.

“Hey,” Lisa smiled and poked his chest. “This sweater used to be mine. My sister gave it to me, and I gave it to Kit. Is it keeping you warm? It can get pretty cold out here at night, huh?”

Shadow said nothing, though he did look down at the black pullover he’d chosen that morning.

Sensing she wasn’t going to get much out of him, Lisa pushed up her sleeves.

“Here, let me take a look.”

Lisa wrapped her long fingers around one of his bracers without fear.

Kit noted that she spoke to Shadow like a colleague. They knew he was smart, his impressive IQ had been just one of the many astounding statistics in his file, so it seemed ridiculous to even consider talking down to him.

Shadow watched her closely but allowed Lisa to lift his hand and turn it over, palm up. Her deft, careful movements were so different to how he’d been treated in the past.

Kit couldn’t imagine how much effort it must take for Shadow to rein in the anger and frustration coursing through him and allow someone to get so close, especially a scientist, someone he didn’t know and had no reason to trust.

Her ears twitched, swivelling in his direction, and heard his heart skip a beat when Lisa carefully pulled his hand closer to her. He was afraid.

“Are they still hurting?” Lisa asked.

Kit flinched when Shadow’s gaze rose to meet hers over Lisa’s shoulder. He seemed… Embarrassed? As if he would rather Kit weren’t here, like she was interrupting something private, encroaching on doctor/patient confidentiality.

It occurred to her later that although Shadow claimed to hate scientists, he fell into the role of test subject very easily. It was home to him, familiar, but with no semblance of warmth or comfort to be found.

“I feel… Cold all the time,” Shadow said quietly, his gaze falling to watch Lisa’s hands again. “I feel the need to eat and to sleep. These are not urges I am used to.”

Lisa nodded sympathetically.

“The bracers cut you off from your powers. Without them, you’re just like everyone else. Hunger, exhaustion, pain… Hopefully, there’ll come a time where we can trust you, and you can trust us, and we won’t have to use them anymore.”

“Your pet still has them.”

Shadow’s sharp eyes found Kit again, and she scowled. She regretted reacting to that word so visibly when he first used it, now Shadow knew he had good ammunition against her.

It was a sore topic. Though most had welcomed her to the base with open arms, there were a few who apparently couldn’t resist antagonising her. They made her feel like a wild animal that the rangers had brought home one day, a mascot for the base. They were a reminder that she did not truly belong here, as much as she yearned for it with all her heart.

Lisa looked back over her shoulder and shot Kit a reassuring smile that made her chest feel a little less taut, then she turned back to Shadow.

“Kit’s powers are impressive. She can do things that fall right out of science fiction. Her bracers can help her channel her power as well as cut them off. Speaking of…”

Lisa straightened up and slipped her hands into the pockets of her army green jacket.

“How would you like to stretch your legs?”

Kit watched, hardly daring to breathe, as Lisa pulled out a small device from her pocket, almost like a television remote. There were a couple of buttons near the top and a dial set into the centre, sleek and black and designed to fit comfortably in Lisa’s hand.

Something in her chest twisted. Kit didn’t think it was a good idea to give Shadow anymore leniency then they already had. Even with his bracers, he was dangerous to be near to. One afternoon stroll through the forest where no one got hurt did not mean that the Ultimate Lifeform was in the mood to comply.

Kit opened her mouth to speak but stopped when Lisa looked her way. She didn’t have to say anything, a flash behind her dark eyes let Kit know that now was not a good time to interject.

Kit shut her mouth.

Lisa pressed her thumb against one of the buttons, then slowly turned the dial to the left.

Immediately, Shadow gasped, his coffee cup falling to the ground. His knees buckled beneath him and he staggered forward a step, only just catching himself on a nearby tree.

Kit instinctively took a step closer but Lisa silently held out her hand, warning her to stay where she was.

Shadow’s fingers dug into the rough bark of the tree, just barely keeping himself upright.

Kit knew what he was feeling. To abruptly jump from knowing nothing but an all-consuming numbness to feeling the power in your veins surging like an electrical current, it was almost too much to bear.

Shadow closed his eyes, his brow creased in concentration as he slowly rose to stand upright again. His back seemed straighter, his gloved hands balled into tight fists.

Shadow’s whole being was alight with the power that he’d been gifted at his creation. Kit could practically hear the energy cascading around his body.

Lisa wouldn’t have turned his bracers off completely, just lowered the inhibition rate enough to give Shadow some of his strength back. It wasn't enough to cause harm to others, but it would pull the most important scientific asset acquired in the last century back from the brink.

Shadow raised his head, and the whole forest seemed to bow in deference.

Fascinated, transfixed, Lisa grinned.

“Better?” she asked.

Shadow rolled his hands into fists.

“Much,” he said.

He didn’t let a single new second pass him by. Shadow bent his knees, drew in a lungful of clear, crisp air, then shot off into the woods, disappearing between the trees in the blink of an eye.

A quiet stillness fell in the clearing. There was only the gentle wind through the leaves to break the silence, and the sound of Kit’s own heartbeat thumping hard in her ears, her neck, her wrists. He’d acted just as Lisa predicted he would.

Beside her, the scientist took off her glasses to clean them on her sleeve. It was a habit Kit knew by heart, she often did it when she was thinking.

Lisa slipped her glasses back on, letting another few moments go by before she said,

“Kit?”

Though it made her heart sink in her chest, Kit nodded.

“On it.”

She caught up with Shadow quicker than she thought she might.

Though he had a speed advantage, his bracers were still switched on, even if their control had been reduced. He was not as fast as he was used to, and the strain it put on his body caused him to lose strength quickly. At least, that’s what Lisa had hypothesised.

Kit knew these woods as if she’d lived there all her life, every fallen tree trunk, every hillock and knoll, every bramble patch and streambank. Shadow’s senses were still dulled, while hers were sharp and focused. He had no idea where he was going; Kit would do anything to not disappoint her saviours.

A rush through the fallen, dry leaves to her left made Kit change direction on a pinhead and within seconds, she had eyes on Shadow. He ran across her path and she flung out her hands, knocking him off his feet with one burst of her power.

Shadow grunted as he hit the ground hard, rolling a few feet before finally ending up on his stomach. He immediately tried to get up, his worn, old sneakers scrabbling to find purchase on the carpet of silken leaves beneath him, but Kit waved her hand, pressing him down against the earth.

It came as naturally to her as breathing. With Lisa’s help, she’d only grown stronger. What had once required all her concentration now only warranted a passing thought, what had once been a tremendous effort was now just a flex of her muscles.

“You see how this works?”

Kit knelt down beside Shadow, her hand held out at her side. Fingers splayed, she held him in that position, focusing all her energy to the palm of her hand.

“If you behave, you get your freedom. If you try to run, I take you down.”

Shadow managed to turn his head, his cheek pressing into the dirt. He bared his teeth, his whole body trembling as he fought against her, but he barely managed to move an inch.

“I was right,” he spat, “You are their pet. Just an attack dog, to keep me trapped here.”

His words stung but Kit brushed the feeling away.

“I’m on your side, Shadow.”

“Then let me go.”

Kit shook her head.

“It’s not up to me.”

Shadow growled deep in his throat as he tried to push himself up, but he couldn’t move his arms. He kept trying to hook his hands under his chest but Kit only had to circle her wrist and he was pinned tighter to the ground.

But then, to her horror, the bracer at her wrist started to hum.

“What-”

Kit gasped as a sudden rush, like ice cold water, suddenly spread throughout her entire body. Both her bracers buzzed and seemed to tighten around her wrists, clamping down until it felt claustrophobic.

Her concentration broken, Kit grabbed at them, trying to dig her fingers under the bands to tug them away from her skin, but the awful numbing sensation only grew stronger.

They were too deep into the forest. They were out of range, and the failsafe settings had kicked in.

Sharp pain shot through her, breaking through the sudden dull haze that enveloped her. Kit cried out and tried to grab at her ankle but Shadow had swung his leg around and knocked her off her feet.

The world flipped on its axis. Kit fell hard, jarring her forearms and elbows as she attempted to catch herself.

She blinked and Shadow was on top of her, his body heavy against hers. He held her legs down with just one of his own so that her feet kicked uselessly against the ground. His hands found her wrists, pinning them by her shoulders so that they twisted painfully.

“Why are you keeping me here?”

“Shadow-”

Kit sucked in a sharp breath as his fingers tightened around her wrists. She was sure he’d be cutting off the circulation if it weren’t for the bracers.

“Tell me!”

“They just want to study us!” Kit’s arms trembled as she tried in vain to push him off. “We’re still aliens, Shadow. They’re putting a lot of trust in us. We should be thankful for their kindness, for letting us stay here. Ou-Our powers could be used to help people.”

Kit’s eyes flew wide as Shadow lowered his head, closing in on what remained of her personal space, his nose just a breath away from hers.

“I am not a lab rat,” he seethed.

Despite the panic clawing at her throat, Kit managed a dry, strained laugh.

“Aren’t you?” she shot back.

As Shadow’s eyes narrowed, the terrifying, awful crackling that seemed to rise from his chest filled Kit’s ear. To her own disappointment, she gave a frightened whimper while her legs scrabbled uselessly beneath him.

As the light behind his eyes grew brighter, she could feel the hands that held her down growing hotter and hotter, sparking and cracking like red-hot embers as Shadow’s power manifested.

But then, Kit felt her bracers switch off again. She sucked in a deep breath as the world came rushing back to greet her.

With a rough cry, she splayed her fingers and sent Shadow flying backwards.

She didn’t have time to think. Shadow landed on his feet and immediately ran at her again.

Kit waved her hand and knocked him off course, sending him sprawling into a bank of burning red and yellow leaves.

Shadow groaned, but she knew it wasn’t her doing. His bracers had snapped back into life again, severing his connection to his powers.

Slowly, Shadow sat up on his elbows. His face was all screwed up with frustration, and Kit knew his once sharp senses were whirling around his head, just out of reach.

“If I help you,” he growled. “Will you let me go?”

“Shadow, if you help us, we can both get what we want.”

Kit shook out her hands, bending and arching her fingers. It was good to have her powers back safely in her grasp. It almost felt like pins and needles, the prickling, uncomfortable sensation of life returning to her.

“Lisa is trying to find a way to get me home. She can help you too.”

Shadow struggled to his feet, snarling.

“I have no home.”

“Then why are you trying to escape? Where are you running to?” Kit shook her head. “The faster you realise that this is a good place, the faster you can leave. Please help us, Shadow.”

The bracers at her wrist stuttered and died again. Kit’s teeth clenched together so hard, she almost bit through her tongue.

Shadow’s sharp gaze crossed her face, immediately sensing the shift in her.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he leapt forward and swung his fist at her head, but he wasn’t as fast or as strong as he was used to.

Kit managed to duck out of his way in time but still felt the power behind his fist as it whistled past her head.

Shadow swung again, this time grabbing onto one of her long ears and pulling down hard.

Kit shrieked, her hands flying to prise his off her, but Shadow flung her against the nearest tree trunk.

He pressed his forearm against her throat, not hard enough to choke her, but enough pressure to make Kit scrabble and panic as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

“Your powers,” Shadow leaned close again, crowding her body with his till she couldn’t move an inch. “Lisa said she was helping you grow stronger. What did she mean by that?”

Kit tried to tuck her fingers under his arm, hoping to pull it away from her throat, but Shadow just pressed down harder.

“Tell me!”

“She thinks I might be able to control more than the physical!”

Kit clung to his arm, raising her chin as far as she could to ease the strain on her windpipe, but it had little effect.

“She thinks, with time, I might be able to control the mind as well. See into people. The results are- Ah! They’re limited at the moment but I’m growing stronger with every session. That’s why she invented the bracers, to help me concentrate my powers.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes.

“And take away mine.”

Right on cue, Kit felt the bracers flicker into life again. She closed her eyes, reached out to her power, and pulled it back to her.

Shadow grunted as his back hit the rough bark of a nearby tree, scraping his skin and knocking the air from his lungs.

With her hand wrapped around her throat, Kit pulled in deep breath after deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

This was not what she thought convincing Shadow would look like. This was beyond anything she’d ever trained for.

Doubt clouded her mind but she tried to push through the fog. Lisa had entrusted her with this for a reason. She could do this. If Kit ever wanted to find out who she was, if she ever wanted to find a way home, she had to do this.

Kit sighed as she approached Shadow, disappointed that it had come to this. She’d never had to use her power for self defense before. It irked her that she obviously wasn’t very good at it.

“I’m sorry. But you’re just too dangerous, Shadow.”

Kit flicked her hand and lifted him a few feet off the ground, pinning Shadow against the tree trunk until he was forced to meet her gaze.

“They have no reason to trust you. Give them one.”

Shadow huffed. His arms hung limp at his sides now, all his fight gone.

“You can reach into people’s minds?”

Kit flattened the ear he’d grabbed and carefully ran her fingers along its edge, feeling for any tenderness and hissing between her teeth when she found it.

��Barely.”

“For now. How will I know you’re not controlling me?”

Again, Kit was surprised by how much his words hurt.

She didn’t think befriending Shadow would be easy, not by a long shot, but she thought she’d done enough to show that she just wanted him to be happy. Obviously, she was wrong.

Kit had to remind herself that Shadow was frightened, he was alone, and a very long way from everything he’d ever known. She could relate to that, but he didn’t seem to care.

Did he really think so little of her? Kit supposed they still hardly knew anything about each other, apart from what she’d read in the extensive, boggling notes left by Gerald Robotnik and G.U.N. She’d have to fix that. Maybe, if he let her, she could fix him too.

“Hopefully, we’ll get to know each other a little better over time, and you’ll realise what a ridiculous question that is.”

Kit raised her hand and slowly, carefully lowered Shadow to the ground.

She tensed, bracing for another attack, but instead, Shadow sank down, his back sliding against the tree trunk until he was sitting on the ground, his knees drawn up to his chest.

He watched her, and she watched him right back, the freak and the monster, alone in the woods.

At last, Shadow sighed.

“What could I possibly help you with?”

That was the million dollar question. Kit wasn’t sure just how much she was permitted to give away. They weren’t hiding anything from Shadow, not really, not forever. But he was already proving uncooperative and unpredictable. The finer details would be kept close to their chests. For now, all that mattered was making sure Shadow felt at home.

“Look after the forests,” Kit shrugged. “Help people. Learn about this planet. Tell Lisa everything you can about other worlds. And be kind to yourself.”

Kit offered him a wobbly sort of a smile, hoping to claw back some of their already tattered relationship, but of course, Shadow did not return it. He didn’t scoff or try to argue, though, and in that was one small glimmer of hope.

“Isn’t that what you’re for?” Shadow asked. “You’re my keeper, aren’t you?”

Kit began to smile properly then. Was that an attempt at humour? He was a strange one.

“You’re right. I haven’t been doing a very good job.” She moved closer, kicking a stray pebble aside with the toe of her shoe. “But I think you need to meet me halfway, Shadow.”

“Will you leave me alone?”

“I still think we could be good friends.”

Shadow huffed, and it was as close to a real, genuinely mirthful laugh that Kit had ever heard from him.

“You’re crazy,” Shadow muttered.

Kit took a few steps closer, but she wasn’t afraid. If Shadow tried anything, she could easily put him right back down. But he wouldn’t, she was sure of it. He was angry but he wasn’t stupid. He acted forcefully, not thoughtlessly.

“Maybe,” Kit said. “I don’t really know anything about who I am.”

She held out her hand to him, open and empty.

“Help me figure it out?”

Shadow stared at her palm.

She watched a hundred different emotions pass behind his eyes, flashes of light, uncertainty, fear, memories, and under it all, an aching, reaching, grasping, squeezing feeling of longing. He wanted to trust. He wanted to belong. Who didn’t?

Finally, Shadow took her hand and let Kit pull him to his feet.

“Okay.”

/

He awoke in the middle of the night again.

For a few moments, Shadow couldn’t breathe. All he knew were flashes of the inside of a laboratory, stark white walls, a cold metal gurney, and the most overwhelming sense of fear he’d ever known.

Shadow wasn’t sure what was worse, that awful, lonely room, or the blood-soaked pictures that usually haunted his dreams.

He felt better than he had in days but he still wasn’t comfortable. His belly was full, he’d been able to stretch his legs and feel his powers warming his body again, but he was still here, alone in the dark.

Just a few rooms away, Kit was sleeping soundly. He wondered what she dreamt about. She had even less than had. No memories, no one to miss, not even the soft anguish of knowing you were once loved by another, even if that person was now gone.

Kit’s mask of amusement had slipped just a little when he asked her about it, and Shadow was granted a glimpse at the face beneath.

Something, something behind the soft lavender fields of her eyes, was guarded and sharp. He had prodded and poked and picked away at her and found something real and important at last.

Her hand had risen subconsciously to her wrist again, and fiddled with her bracer. Though she claimed she understood the reason behind their use, she didn’t seem completely comfortable with them. Heavy and clumsy, they slipped up and down her wrists as if she still wasn’t completely used to them, even after six months.

I don’t really know anything about who I am. Help me figure it out.

It was an antagonistic thing for her say. Shadow didn’t care about Kit. He didn’t care about this place and its mission. But curiosity, a need to understand his new circumstances, a desire to be free despite everything, forced him to recognise that knowing his captors would be the surest way of surviving them.

Shadow closed his eyes and slipped slowly off to sleep again, his dreams alight with sunbeams cutting through the leaf canopy, of the dewey grass against his fingertips, and the smile on Kit’s face when he agreed to help her.

Anything to shut her up and get her off his back. That smile was his ticket out here.

That smile.

//

Next Chapter

Master List

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

If you could arrange the BRF visits anywhere across the world (not only the Commonwealth nations), who would you choose for where?

And what would be your strategic/historical reasons for the choices?

I'm not going to pick who, as I think they all do a great job on their visits/tours. Certain people do get more attention than others, but that doesn't negate the work they do.

As for where: off the beaten path in flyover land.

They go to a lot of the same places and the same types of places. That's why I admire Sophie's work; she goes to new countries, so things are a little different for her. But in addition to the same places, they also go to the same types of places; the same big metropolitan and cosmopolitan cities with maybe a village or two thrown in if they're on the way.

I would spice it up. Go to different cities than the usual ones or make their itinerary exclusively in little villages and towns.

I'll use the US as an example (because, well, that's what I know very well). When the royals come for a US visit, they primarily go to Washington DC, the Northeast corridor (NYC, Boston, Philly), and California. Sometimes they've ventured out - Harry's been to Chicago; The Queen has been to Texas, Kentucky, and Detroit; and William's been to Tennessee (albeit for a personal trip) - but mostly they stay amongst the coastal elite.

But the US is huge. There are tons of places for them to visit in the US that will let them accomplish the same itineraries but perhaps with a little more impact because they're visiting places that don't see that kind of high-profile traffic. For instance:

I'd take them to a HBCU football game. It'd be the culture shock of their lives but imagine how much good it'd do for children who want to study in the US but don't think they'd fit in because of the color of their skin.

I'd take them to the Civil Rights trail through Atlanta or in Selma and to a plantation. They've often cited Dr. King and his work when they do history timelines (especially the 1966 march), but I want them to understand why Dr. King is important and what his legacy - and the legacy of everyone in the 1960s who fought for civil rights - actually is because sometimes I feel they don't quite understand what his value is and means.

I'd take them to the American prairie to show them America's indigenous population. Everywhere else they go in the world, they have engagements with indigenous peoples, but not in the US. Why? American native history is important. It's just as powerful and beautiful and important to understand. (And personally, if they can acknowledge British influence on American slave trade, they can also acknowledge British influence on colonialism and the oppression of the American indigenous people.)

I'd take them to Alaska so they could see the effects of melting glaciers. I'd take them to the southwest so they can see the effects of drying wells and lost water. I'd take them to the shorelines and the rural coasts so they can see what will be lost in rising seas.

I'd take them to some of our little-known national parks because they're just as important to our ecosystem as the famous ones are.

I'd take them to rural Appalachia. It's one of the poorest areas in the U.S. with some of the lowest education rates and highest addiction rates; their charities would thrive under the boost of attention that someone like Kate would bring. Not to mention the Appalachian Mountains and the Scottish Highlands belong to the same mountain range so being able to showcase the biodiversity of Appalachia as compared to the Scottish Highlands, and they're still discovering new species in Appalachia to this day.

But most importantly of all, for a royal tour/visit in the US, I'd take them for a ride on a school bus because apparently (according to my tiktok fyp) no one believes the yellow school bus really exists but maybe getting William and Kate on a school bus and taking them for a ride will make everyone realize that no, it's not a Hollywood creation.

And there are places like this in every country that the tourists and the politicians don't go to because we don't know they exist because ambassadors like the BRF aren't interested in going to those places - maybe it's because they're not as accessible. Maybe those places lack the infrastructure to support a royal tour. Maybe the BRF don't think "flyover country" is glamorous. Royal tours aren't glamorous because of the places they go - they're glamorous because of the people who go on these trips. And don't we all deserve a little bit of shine and glamor, and not just our coastal elite or our society centers?

[whencyclopedia]

Sand Creek Massacre

The Sand Creek Massacre (29 November 1864) was a slaughter of citizens of the Arapaho and Cheyenne nations at the hands of the Third Colorado Cavalry of US Volunteers under the command of Colonel John Chivington, resulting in casualties estimated at over 150 in the Native American encampment, which was in compliance with the policies of US officials.

Black Kettle (l. c. 1803-1868), chief of the Southern Cheyenne, had consistently sought peace with the White settlers since signing the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. He rejected the call to war of others – including Chief Tall Bull of the Dog Soldiers and Roman Nose (Cheyenne Warrior) – and continued to trust in the assurances of the representatives of the US government that the Cheyenne would be left in peace. These representatives were under the impression that Black Kettle spoke for all the Cheyenne in signing the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 or the Treaty of Fort Wise in 1861, but he had no control over other chiefs like Tall Bull (l. 1830-1869) or Roman Nose (l. c. 1830-1868), who continued to resist the encroachment of Euro-Americans on their lands.

Hostilities escalated in June 1864 with the Hungate Massacre, in which the killing of a White family was attributed to Cheyenne warriors. John Evans (l. 1814-1897), then governor of Colorado, sent word to the Native communities that any who were friendly toward the United States should seek safety near Fort Lyon, and all others would be considered hostiles. Black Kettle – along with other chiefs including White Antelope (l. c. 1789-1864), Little Wolf (l. c. 1820-1904), and Chief Niwot (Left Hand) of the Southern Arapaho (l. c. 1825-1864) accepted the invitation and moved their people to Big Sandy Creek, about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Fort Lyon.

On the morning of 29 November 1864, Colonel John Chivington (l. 1821-1894) led the Third Colorado Cavalry in a surprise attack on the encampment – even though Black Kettle, as instructed, was flying the American flag and the white flag above his lodge – slaughtering over 150 innocent people, mostly young children, women, and the elderly. Afterwards, Chivington claimed this engagement was a great military victory against an armed alliance of Cheyenne and Arapaho until reports of survivors – like the Cheyenne-Anglo interpreter George Bent (l. c. 1843-1918) – and soldiers like Captain Silas Soule (l. 1838-1865) – contradicted him.

The ensuing investigation established the conflict as a massacre of innocents with only a small armed force of Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors in the camp killed defending themselves and their families. Still, the event was designated a "battle" by the press of the time and is often still referred to as such in the present day. In 2007, the area of the massacre was declared a National Historic Site, and, in 2014, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper gave an apology to the descendants of those murdered at Sand Creek; but the policies that made that massacre possible have never been acknowledged, and the US government has never offered a similar apology.

Background

The California Gold Rush of 1848 sent scores of miners and their families through the lands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Sioux, and others, disrupting their lives, scattering – and killing – the buffalo (the primary food source of the Plains Indians), and destroying the prairie with their wagons and cattle. Clashes between the Natives and settlers led to the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851, establishing territories for Native American nations in the region which, according to this treaty, the United States had no claim to.

Black Kettle, and other chiefs, signed the treaty trusting in the word of the US delegates that they would not be bothered any further. The treaty was never honored by the White settlers or their government, however, and was completely discarded in 1858 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. When the Natives again fought to defend their lands, another treaty was offered – the Treaty of Fort Wise of 1861 – which the US government and its citizens paid no more attention to than the one they had presented to the people of the Plains in 1851. The Dog Soldiers – one of the military societies of the Cheyenne – responded to the invasion with armed resistance under their leader Tall Bull while Roman Nose led his own band in defense of Cheyenne lands in what came to be known as the Colorado War (1864-1865).

Fort Laramie Treaty 1868

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (Public Domain)

Although Black Kettle – and other 'peace chiefs' – rejected the course taken by Tall Bull and Roman Nose, they could do nothing to stop them. The Cheyenne had a representational government, the Council of Forty-Four, which made decisions for the whole nation, but the chief of each band was free to accept or reject their conclusions. The council had nothing to say regarding declarations of war which were the responsibility of individual chiefs of military societies. Black Kettle's signature on a treaty did not in any way bind Tall Bull to recognize it.

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[rabbitcruiser]

​National Frappe Day 

Enjoy a delicious, frozen frappe, share with others, see what businesses are offering free frappes, and pay it forward for someone else to enjoy.

Frappes offer a great opportunity to get that coffeehouse feeling without having to leave home or spend a lot of money. Here’s an easy way to make a delicious drink at home in honor of Frappe Day:

Start with a cup of brewed coffee that has been allowed to cool. To that, add a cup of cold milk and two cups of ice. Blend together and then flavor in whatever way is preferred, whether using caramel sauce, mint syrup, chocolate sauce, or another delicious type of flavoring. Honey and maple syrup are two perfectly natural ways to add sweetness and flavor without a bunch of preservatives.

Making a Frappe is a fun way to enjoy a delicious treat!

History of Frappe Day

A hallmark of Greek coffee culture from the 1950s onwards, the humbly delicious frappe has earned a yearly celebration. The frappe is distinguished by being one of the few beverages improved by the use of instant coffee! (Yes, it’s shocking, but keep reading.)

Supposedly, the frappe was created by a tired Nestle sales representative at the Thessaloniki Trade Fair in 1957 who was beset by caffeine cravings. It’s often said that creativity flourishes in the face of restraint, and so it was when this beleaguered man couldn’t find access to any hot water to make his instant coffee. So he took some of his instant coffee, put it with cold water and ice, and shook his way to what would eventually become an internationally enjoyed drink.

Of course, from there, versions of the drink were modified to include cream, sugar, flavorings, or sometimes even ice cream. Nowadays, they are also often blended in a blender, but the idea is the same. No matter how it is made, Frappes are delicious!

Although it started out as an accident because the inventor couldn’t access hot water, the Frappe froth actually has a surprising amount of science behind it. Spray-dried instant coffee and its lower oil content are the key to creating long-lasting bubbles. Freeze-dried instant coffee won’t cut it. The next time someone wants to complain that they can’t get a good coffee anywhere in the country, they might just be right. Perhaps they’ll need to head over to Greece, where the Frappe is the official national coffee drink!

How to Celebrate Frappe Day

Celebrating this Frappe Day contains loads of fun and enjoyment that includes delicious coffee, ice, and sometimes even a bit of creamy sweetness. Try out these ideas for the celebration of Frappe Day:

Enjoy a Frappe Today

Hop over to a local cafe and grab an amazing and delicious Frappe. Whether in the morning to start the day, or in the afternoon as an energetic pick-me-up, an iced frappe can be appreciated just about any time of the day.

Starbucks has its signature Frappuccino on offer, which is a blended or iced version of the frappe drink, but taken to the extreme. One of these drinks is hardly like drinking a coffee at all and, instead, is more like drinking a dessert with a straw! In fact, some of them don’t even include coffee in them.

The options for flavors are virtually endless, including fun names like Caramel Ribbon Crunch, Mocha Cookie Crumble, Strawberry Funnel Cake or Matcha Green Tea Creme. No matter which flavor is chosen, it’s most likely going to be delicious.

Share a Frappe

Find someone you love (or just generally like) and gift them with an iced coffee drink on Frappe Day! Whether it’s picking one up for the person in the next cubicle at work or bringing one home to your significant other, Frappe Day is a great way to tell someone else that they are appreciated and thought of.

Get a Free (or Discounted) Coffee Drink

As with many other foodie days, Frappe Day is a time when some companies choose to celebrate by giving away free stuff! And on this day, many people can score themselves a free cup of coffee. It changes every year, but here’s a list of some of the restaurants that have offered free coffee drinks on Frappe Days (or just regular days) in the past. Check them out to see what kind of promos they have going:

McDonald’s. At one point, this most famous of fast food restaurants had a deal “buy one, get one for $.01” for those who downloaded the McCafe app around Frappe Day. At other times, they have been known to offer a free coffee after the purchase of five.

Dunkin’ Donuts. Known the world around for their coffee, Dunkin’ has a perks program that offers a free coffee for those who register with them.

Starbucks. In some locations of this coffee chain, customers can get a discount during the week of Frappe Day, especially if it falls on a Thursday! That’s because Thursday is Happy Hour Day, which means between 2pm and 7pm, coffee drinks are BOGO (buy one get one free) on select Thursday. Check the Starbucks app or local store for details.

Choose to “Pay It Forward”

Get generous on Frappe Day and cover the cost of the coffee order of the person who is just behind in line at the drive-through coffee shop. It will make them have a much better day, reminding them that the world isn’t such a bad place after all!

Source

[piizunn]

I was out in Batoche/One Arrow First Nations these past few days for a cultural festival and I feel so healed. I saw the house and graves of my ancestors who fought in the North West Resistance, I met cousins, had lots of big belly laughs, and formed new and deeper connections to my culture and history. I’m so fucking grateful. I can’t describe the feeling of being inside the house that my ancestors built and seeing the original floorboards.

I swam in the river with my shirt off and walked the same paths that my family did on their land, visited the sacred spaces and laid down tobacco in the cemetery for my family, Gabriel Dumont, and the soldiers who died in the Battle of Batoche.

Top left: Marguerite (née Dumas) and Jean Caron Sr’s house (a while, rustic, two story house on the prairies with a grey addition on the back of the structure)

Top right: the view from the Caron house (a landscape photo of the South Saskatchewan river valley, it’s July and the landscape is lush and green yet somewhat smokey)

Bottom: a painted Métis-style tipi surrounded by tens and campers.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Smithsonian Magazine:

In the Upper Midwest, it’s the time of year when corn is getting high in the field and the days feel languid. As a heat wave moves out of the region and residents start to cool off from the oppressive temperatures and humidity that broke records on Tuesday, the internet is abuzz with talk of a phenomenon that might be making things even stickier: so-called “corn sweat.”

“Using the term ‘corn sweat’ is kind of funny,” Illinois State Climatologist Trenton Ford tells AGDAILY’s Braeden Coon. “It’s not perfect as with most metaphors. Humans and a few other animals will perspire when we get hot, and sweat is evaporated off our skin. What corn does is a bit of a different process.”

The technical term for that biological process is evapotranspiration, and all plants—not just corn crops—do it. As part of evapotranspiration, plants take in water via their roots, transport it through their tissues and then release water vapor into the air. The process is critical for the plant’s metabolic health and for shuttling nutrients in the water from root to leaf.

But with the nation’s largest corn-producing states concentrated in the Midwest, that moisture can add up. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a single acre of corn can add 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water into the atmosphere each day during the growing season, and high temperatures increase transpiration rates.

For context, farmers planted 91.5 million acres of corn in 2024, of which only about 20 percent is grown for human consumption. Of that fraction, most goes to producing high fructose corn syrup and other processed foods. The majority of the country’s corn is used in animal feed and ethanol-based fuels.

The natural prairie ecosystems that covered the drier expanses of the Great Plains before the onset of industrial agriculture appear to have contributed far less moisture to the atmosphere, compared to the corn fields of today. Prairie contributions to humidity also peak earlier in the summer, when temperatures are likely to be lower.

[thorsenmark]

This is Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park-Land! by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking along the Prairie Creek Trail with a view looking up and to the southeast at nearby coast redwoods in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

[solarpunkbusiness]

Robert Blake of the Red Lake Nation owns Solar Bear, a solar installation company. As part of the Prairie Island project, his company trained people to work on the crew.

Blake: “The all-Native crew that installed these solar panels installed 763 solar panels in one day. … I mean, it’s remarkable!”

But it was not only the installers who learned about solar. His company helped run a six-week course about solar energy that was open to all community members.

And as part of a summer school program, young tribal members learned about renewable energy and built solar ovens.

Blake: “We thought to ourselves, well, maybe there’s some younger folks, right, that maybe they’re 14, maybe they’re 13, but they want to learn.”

Blake says renewable energy has the potential to transform Native communities – creating jobs, building wealth, and improving the environment.

Blake: “This is another burgeoning industry that is happening in tribal country. This is another economic driver of our communities.”

So he says it’s important to help all tribal members see the potential and get excited about solar energy.