Greener Grass

Ivy and Terrance were back in the same area: just west of the field station, albeit a little farther north this time. Ivy had sent Terrance to sample plants by morphotype -- since they didn't know species, they would merely count plants that looked similar to each other, and photograph the unknowns to be identified later. That way, they maximized their rate of work without losing any information.

Terrance was out of sight, and Ivy, done with her plot, decided to take a five minute break. Bored of her surroundings, mostly, sick of counting the invasive shrubs that had encroached their way onto the island, Ivy moved towards the perimeter fence with interest. No dead and mangled deer, this time, which was a relief to Ivy. She didn't see much close up, except some perimeter grass, which presumably, the rangers kept mowed. And of course, the "Danger, Keep Out!" signs scattered all along the perimeter.

The fence itself wasn't impermeable. It was a collection of wires running across the designated danger zone, with posts every few feet or so. Although the wires claimed that they were electric -- a hazard, and dangerous if touched -- the fence did not look like any electric fence that Ivy had ever seen. She had seen a couple, in her undergraduate institution, while briefly taking horse riding lessons. She had accidentally tripped over herself and grazed a live electric fence, once, too, while running. But these cords... well, truth be known, these cords were coated in thick plastic. Which, Ivy knew, was an insulator. Why would they cover an electric fence with the exact thing that would make it ineffective?

Not to mention, she had caught a few island birds roosting on the posts. Which wouldn't be unusual, because birds roosted all the time on posts, merely avoiding the electric wire, but these birds were clearly touching it and didn't seem to be affected. At all. Yes, it had been a few days of careful observation, but Ivy felt like the whole electric fence thing was just another layer of lies that Kir'nu held.

She reached out to touch it, to test it, but thought better of it. What good would it do to prove that the fence was a sham? There wasn't anything interesting on the other side that she could see, not today. Why risk getting reprimanded by the park for doing something foolish for no reason at all? No, she needed a reason.

Not satisfied with her break yet, Ivy walked the perimeter a bit more, her eyes searching for Terrance in the distance. She was moving closer to where he should've been, but he was not yet in view. Here, off in the distance, she noticed a sort of... wetland area. Not the river, for the river was on the other side of the island, but rather, a low lying patch of ground that was covered by small plants. To either side of it was an open, grassy field. But in that patch, in the very middle, there was nothing that she could see that grew over a meter. Now that... that warranted a closer look.

She scanned the area for both the ranger, who had an uncanny ability to show up as she was thinking her devious thoughts, and for Terrance, whom she would ask to keep guard if he showed up. Seeing no one, though, she tentatively reached towards the fence and braced herself for the painful fire of electricity. None came, she realized, and she gripped the top wire with confidence. With just as much trepidation, Ivy tested each of the wires. For whatever reason, in this location, that fence was a sham.

The spaces between the wires were about a foot, and Ivy chose a space at waist level to hop through. She didn't go through in a graceful manner, rather, her foot caught in mud on the other side, almost instantly, throwing her off balance, and she fell through the rest of the fence. Thankfully, no one saw her misstep but her, and she wiped off her muddy bottom with disdain. Safely through, she scanned the area once again for signs of movement, of angry rangers, of Terrance on the other side. She saw nothing, and took off at a fast but stealthy walk towards the boggy area she had spotted.

She had hit gold, she realized, as she got closer. The bog was full of pitcher plants. Pitcher plants that she had never even seen or heard of before, their strange shapes twisting in the mid-morning air. Pitcher plants were exactly what they sounded like -- plants with leaves that were modified to become giant pitchers. The pitcher plants enticed insects, and sometimes, depending on size, spiders, baby reptiles, and the like -- with a sweet, rich nectar. But, when the prey landed, they fell down the waxy, slippery sides of the pitcher and began to drown in the digestive enzymes down below. It was like out of a horror film. And, most excitingly, these were the types of plants that Ivy loved to study.

She approached the bog carefully, watching for soft spots. It would not do to become stuck in a restricted area where imaginary wolves could prey on her. As far as the rangers were concerned, she wanted to be sure that they never knew she crossed the barrier. The plants were magnificent shades of green, gray, and red, with nectar so pungent that she could smell their beauty as she approached. She did not want to leave footprints, and so, she avoided contact.

She snapped a few pictures and turned to leave, again scanning the area for movement. She made a beeline for the fence she had come from, to ensure that she chose the correctly un-electrified portion. She crossed and at once became aware of Terrance shouting her name from the trail.

"Hey, what's up?" She shouted to him as she made her way to him.

"Where the fuck have you been, Ivy?" Terrance walked up to her, calling out. "I've been searching for you since ten."

"What time is it?" Ivy asked him. It couldn't be more than ten thirty, and they had only parted ways at quarter to ten.

"It's eleven thirty! I thought you fell into a coyote hole or something."

"What?" Ivy asked, confused. "Your watch must be off."

"Really?" He asked, closing the distance. He pointed to her watch. "What does yours say?"

Ivy looked down. Yes, by all accounts, it did seem to be eleven thirty. But she had only crossed and taken a quick look. At most, that walk should've been ten, maybe twenty minutes. Certainly not an hour and a half.

"Where were you?" Terrance asked. "I was just about to radio for help."

Terrance motioned at the walkie talkie that was positioned on his hip. "You scared the crap out of me."

"I'm sorry." Ivy said. "I saw a boggy area over there..." Ivy motioned towards the barrier. "I went to investigate. I thought I was only gone maybe ten minutes, and I was sure you were still working on your transect."

"Where?" Terrance asked.

"Across the barrier. It's not an electric fence." Ivy said, shamefully. Terrance glared at her.

"Are you trying to get us kicked off of this island?" He asked, lowering his voice.

"There was no one around. It was fine." She reassured him.

"What if those wolves..."

"We both know the story of wolves is extremely unlikely." Ivy pointed out, and Terrance shrugged.

"So what if it's bigfoot? If it's just you out there... You're still not safe."

"I do have my hunting knife." Ivy said, pointedly.

"And a great sense of time." Terrance shot back.

"Ok. Let's just take a second here to breathe." Ivy said. She didn't want their banter to grow more heated. "I'm sorry I crossed without telling you. I really thought I was only over there for ten minutes. However, nothing bad happened to either of us, so let's let it go for now, and focus on work the rest of the day."

"Just... ask me next time." Terrance said, and realizing he sounded like a boss, he corrected himself. "To come, I mean. Not for permission. But we're partners, right? That means we get into shit together."

"You're absolutely right." Ivy acknowledged, cursing herself for driving a rift between her undergrad and herself. "I'm very sorry. I should've told you."

"What if it's magic?" Terrance suggested. "The fence. You were really only gone ten minutes?"

"By my count, yeah. But magic... that's kind of a far stretch. I would say one of us has low blood sugar and is hallucinating, personally."

"You. You thought it was ten minutes."

"Right. I'll eat." Ivy did realize that she was hungry -- like she hadn't eaten in five or six hours, which, by the new time of 11:30, would be about right. What a strange place.

"Are we going to tell the others?" Terrance asked, and Ivy shook her head.

"I don't think so. Not yet. Is that ok? We can tell them, if you're uncomfortable with keeping a secret."

"I'd rather it be us against the rangers than us against them and the rangers."

"Alright." Ivy swallowed deeply from her water jug. She was parched. "We'll tell them tonight. I found some cool pitcher plants over there, anyway."

"And the time difference?"

"Might as well. This is turning into a regular murder mystery."

"Don't say that." Terrance glared at her. "No one is dead."

"Yet." Ivy quipped, smiling, and Terrance's glare deepened.

#

The next day, Ivy found herself once again standing before the section of fence that they were sure was not electrified. This time, though, Terrance was joining her, and together, they glanced around to make sure that the ranger was nowhere to be found. Ivy pointed to the boggy area, maybe fifty yards from the fence.

"That's where I was." She said. "And that's where we're going."

With that dramatic flourish, Ivy flipped herself over the wire -- much more gracefully, this time, and helped Terrance through. They walked quickly to the point of interest, and, holding Ivy steady, Terrance stayed on dry ground while she foraged into the boggy area with her mud boots to collect a single specimen of the pitcher plant that she had seen the day before. Dirty deed done, she deposited it into a bag, then placed the whole bag into her pack.

"Ready?" Terrance asked, scanning the area nervously, and she nodded. They walked back to the fence, eyes open, and crossed it without any issue.

They wouldn't have gone back, but after explaining the situation to Haywood, he suggested they go back and collect a sample. To further concrete the issue, when Ivy glanced through her camera for photos to share, every single pitcher plant picture was blurry. When she took the pictures, she had sworn that they were crystal clear, but they were so very out of focus that Ivy suspected that even if she returned to take more pictures, they would turn out the same. Something about the restricted area was just... off.

And so, they agreed that they would remove one plant back to the field station for further observation. And they would petition the rangers, legally, to gain access to the restricted area, at least with an escort. They would use the deer carcass and Ivy's right-side-of-the-fence observations to argue that there may be endangered plants on the other side and exotic seeds, unlike animals, don't care about fences.

Terrance and Ivy were walking the perimeter west and north, farther, to continue their transects, when the devil himself, Ranger Alex, greeted them from behind. They hadn't heard him, but he was keeping a steady jog which slowed to a walk as he neared them.

"Please get away from the perimeter." He announced. He wasn't angry, per say, just more... worried. "The were -- sorry, the wolves were spotted nearby, by some hikers, and we don't want them to get agitated and try to cross the fence."

Terrance and Ivy shared a look, for they knew now that the fence was a sham, and if there really were wolves, there was little to no protection for them.

"It gets very messy," Ranger Sloane said pointedly, like he knew they had just come back from a crossing, "When things try to cross the fence that don't belong on the other side. We've only had one hiker accident since the island opened its beaches to the public, and we'd like to keep it that way."

"There was a casualty?"

"No, just an injury." Alex said. "A lot of scratches and a broken arm. Not from the wolves. Just from a fall."

"Ah." Ivy said, her fears alleviated.

"But it could've been a lot worse. Like now. So please -- can you work on the other side of the main trail for today?"

"Sure thing." Ivy said. Her stomach was twisting and turning with the sight of the Ranger all hot and bothered. Why? How did he do these things to her? He hadn't said a single kind word to her, other than their semi-playful exchange on first meeting, but even that was laced with danger and warnings. And he probably had a wife, somewhere in that dark abyss. She hadn't asked Ranger Phelps, it would've been rude.

"Where was it muddy?" Ivy heard the ranger's voice behind them. She turned, confused.

"Your boots. Why do you have mud boots on?"

"Oh." She said. Her heart was racing. "My hiking shoes got wet yesterday and they weren't dry yet."

"I see." Alex said knowingly, and before Ivy could get defensive, he was walking with purpose towards the nearest perimeter gate.

"Do you think he knows?" Terrance asked Ivy, quietly. Ivy shrugged.

"Maybe. I guess we'll find out."

#

The group was lounging in the living room together, half dressed, when a knock on the door startled them. They hadn't been expecting company, and certainly not from the rangers. Ivy had a feeling it was about the perimeter, though, and she was soon proven correct, when she opened the door to reveal Ranger Phelps.

"Lazy day?" He asked, and Ivy laughed and nodded.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked, stepping aside to let him pass.

"Ah, Ranger Phelps!" Haywood announced, happy to see the man. "How are you this fine morning?"

"I am well, thank you. You know you can call me by my first name, too. It's only fair. I don't call you Dr. Walton, do I?"

"No one does." Offered Ivy. "He says it makes him uncomfortable."

"True. But either way. Please, guys. Just call me Jon. We're friends at this point."

"Ok. Deal." Ivy said. "What can we help you with?"

"Well, first, I wanted to say that we really appreciate all of the hard work you guys are doing. It's nice to see the island becoming something more than a tourist attraction. I hope that this tradition of visiting scientists can continue."

"But?" Haywood asked, that smile still plastered on his face. All of their faces looked innocent. Except Emily, who was afraid she couldn't do it, and so, was looking down at her laptop with a look of concentration and seriousness.

"But..." Ranger Phelps -- Jon -- hesitated. "When Ranger Sloane was in the restricted area yesterday, shooing the wolves away from the barrier, he did see a footprint. We're not accusing you of anything, obviously, but we just wanted to remind you all," Ranger Phelps glanced at Ivy knowingly, "That the restricted area is dangerous. You could get hurt."

"There were hikers on Friday, all over the place. Do you think some of those kids could've crossed?" Ivy said fluidly, concern etched across her eyes, nose, and mouth.

"It could've been them." Ranger Phelps acknowledged. "Could've been anything, really. But, can you keep an eye out for trespassers? Don't cross, of course, just tell them to get to safety. The wolves have been exceptionally... active lately."

"Lots of dead things strewn all over?" Ivy asked.

"More or less." Ranger Phelps agreed. All four researchers decided to let the obvious thing go: Wolves don't leave their dinner untouched.

"We'll be careful. And keep an eye out." Ivy agreed.

"Ranger... Jon?" Haywood corrected himself as the ranger smiled. "Would it be possible for someone to give one of us an escort into the restricted area? We don't want to cause trouble, but Ivy, for example, saw an interesting looking boggy area off in the distance, which may have some rare or endangered plants. We want to make sure that if there are endangered plants, they get the protection they need. Ivy's an expert on bog plants."

"I'll talk to Alex. Ranger Sloane. He's in charge of the restricted area."

"I saw what looked to be some Hemlocks -- the herbaceous ones, not the tree -- which have never been spotted this far west. Over on the eastern side of the restricted area." Haywood continued. "This could mean that they're invasive, or they could be endemic transports from Native Americans hundreds of years ago. Or birds, even. We won't know until we can get a hold of a few type species and some DNA for genotyping."

"I'll see what I can do." Jon offered, but his eyes showed his doubt. As in, he doubted very strongly that Ranger Alex Sloane would allow the researchers into his territory.

Ivy realized that no one, before now, had even asked why Alex seemed to have such... autonomy in comparison to his peers. Ranger Phelps was the head ranger of the island. Why, then, did he hesitate when it was Alex whom he had to interact with? Surely the man didn't intimidate everyone. Although, in hindsight, Terrance had looked none too pleased after they interacted with the strange ranger a few days earlier.

"Is he? I mean, Ranger Sloane. Is he in charge of the restricted area?"

"Yes. He's the senior officer, so even though I'm head of the reserve, he pretty much does whatever he needs to do without permission."

"Sounds mutinous." Haywood commented.

"Eh. The system we have works. And that's all that matters." Jon said, shrugging. So he [was]{.underline} intimidated by the giant, cross ranger that ruled the restricted area.

"I suppose whatever works." Haywood agreed. "Ivy bosses me around all the time."

Jon laughed at the obvious joke. "Well, I should probably take off. I have to go review some rules with some new hikers. Will you guys be out today?"

"We may go out as a large group, yes. But we're not doing a lot of heavy work. Everyone needs a day off."

"I wish." Ranger Phelps tipped his hat and turned to leave. Ivy shut the door softly behind him.

"Footprints?" Haywood said, laughing.

"It was muddy." Ivy protested. "We couldn't help it. Plus. He might've made it up. Ranger Sloane was very suspicious when we ran into him on Friday."

"Yes, he does seem very paranoid, at least, according to your descriptions. I will have to meet this man. He seems like an interesting individual."

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