Both the fields and grove are part of the City of Twelve's natural habitat program. One hundred percent of its yearly budget is devoted to maintaining an environment conducive to all living creatures. The City of Twelve's Department of Nature watches closely the delicate natural balance, hoping to nip in the bud any signs of imbalance. The citizens use their natural habitat for keeping their contact with the source of life. The highway now goes through a meadow and some marshes.
Bird songs float in the air.
The sounds of meadow and marsh, of grove and field, ease the walker into a calm and open frame of mind, yet one where awareness is sharp and alert, not tense and anxious. The city wants one to enter in this fashion, leaving weapons and paranoia at the gate. No one in the city has weapons, except for the defenders who carry them only at times of emergency. And there are many arguments, for the people are all agreed upon the need for freedom of speech, opinion, religion. Yet there are certain beliefs that cannot be challenged or criticized.