Page 97 of Shielding Instinct

“No.”

“Is this a case?” He kept his voice very soft. He didn’t want to clang around and break her concentration. She was on to some discovery.

“I’m a brain researcher.” But she blushed when she said it.

It was evident that with or without him, she’d be walking down that path.

“I guess we’re walking to the beach,” he said.

Off they went. Single file here where the path was so narrow. Silent.

Petra kept shaking her head. And squinting her eyes. “Colombia?” she murmured.

She reached up to squeeze her temples.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“Headache.”

“I have some pain meds.” Hawkeye peeled his ruck off his shoulders. “What helps? Do you want to come back and take the path at a later time?”

“No. I think maybe a distraction.” She held out her hand, and he tapped two pain pills onto her palm, still cut and scratched from yesterday. “Thinking other thoughts.”

After sliding the meds back into his pack, Hawkeye pulled out a water bottle and handed it to her. “Okay, do you want to pick the topic, or should I?”

“I will,” she said, handing the bottle back. “If we were lost in this jungle, could you keep us alive, Cooper, me?”

“Depends on your definition—heart beating, air going in and out? Very likely, yes. If we were in this kind of environment, we’d have to get less choosy about our food source. I’d bring in a snake on a good day.”

“And a bad day?” She tried to offer a smile, but it felt weak to him.

“Worms, larvae, some tasty slugs.”

“I can imagine getting to a level of hunger where all that would be gourmet.”

“On the plane, you said that neurodivergence is highly esteemed in primitive hunter-gatherers,” Hawkeye said. “And I’ve been thinking about why that might be the case. Hunting and gathering are different skills. Did the research explain why neurodivergent people excel at both?”

“I have my own untested theories and would be happy to speculate based on brain science and lived experience.”

“I’d be interested.” He pulled the ruck back into place, and they started off again.

“Researchers are only now starting to get the funding they need to better understand what’s been true of our society since the beginning of time—people are wired differently. Now, we say neurotypical people and neurodivergent people. Primitive societies understand that some people are better at hoeing the ground, pounding the corn, tanning the leather, and making spearheads. And there are others whose efforts benefit their clanin a different way. Finding and honoring what your brain is tuned for and having those expectations of yourself are ways that help neurodivergent people and neurotypical people function as a cohesive and beneficial whole.”

As the path opened up, Petra waited for Hawkeye and Cooper to take a step, so they were side by side and she was back holding Hawkeye’s hand.

Hawkeye popped his brows and sent her a grin. “Those with micro-amygdala shouldn’t look down on people who experience a healthy amount of fear.”

“That goes without saying.” Her eyes were a funny combination of laughter and pain.

They walked a while in silence, and then Hawkeye redirected her thoughts. “Hunter-gatherers?”

“People who are comfortable don’t explore. Those who need a dopamine hit have a chemical push to get them up and searching for something new. That works for both hunters and gatherers—the chemical prod.” Petra squeezed her hand around a leaf she was passing, then brought her palm up to her nose to sniff. “It would also be true for the healers who created cures—herbal or otherwise—observation, curiosity, drive to know and understand, test and assess, laser-focused on a specific niche expertise like energy meridians.”

“What would happen if I stuck a needle in this guy's foot?”

Cooper stilled, ears on a swivel.

“I wonder how to use this root. I wonder if I can eat that berry. What happens when I prepare it like this and mix these things together?” Petra added.

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