Sisters of the Shadows

Hair: short ashy brown

Eyes: icy blue

Complexion: medium tawny with warm orange-red undertone

Rulership: The Nation of Havet

Species:

Angel	Demon 🗸
Nephil	Cambion

True Race: Neptunian

Human Race: 3/4 Niitsitapi, 1/4 French-Canadian

Rank:

Leader	Lieutenant	Psychic
Elder	Teleporter	None 🗸

Soul: snow white orb, leather lapis wings, lapis crown sits atop the orb

Ability: Cryokinetic breath

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Keanu was born on the Blackfeet Reservation of Montana, which had become the third most populous colony since the apocalypse–and the center of the largest collaborative effort to keep bandits out of the southern Canadian territories and the northern states of the continental U.S. The Siksikaitsitapi people–or the descendants of the Blackfeet Nation–work together with not only the other indigenous descendants within that range, but also the Havet Tribe, a group of demons hailing from Neptune that settled among the Siksikaitsitapi. Poseideans prioritize their protection of the Blackfeet above all else, as their young often carry the potential for their reincarnations.

Because of this extra sense of security that most post-apocalyptic children do not have the luxury to experience, Keanu and his siblings–Kenneth, who was two years his senior, and Kendra, who was just a year younger than Keanu–had an almost normal childhood. They attended school on the reservation, learned valuable skills to survive in emergency situations, and were trained in self-defense by their parents and elders. They had many friends and countless adventures, and they lived life to the fullest.

While the Blue Eyes children had always been close, the brothers had begun to distance themselves from Kendra around her eleventh birthday. Her friends Mai and Amanda were always around, as they had crushes on Keanu and Kenny, respectively. This made the boys uncomfortable; for Kenny, his discomfort stemmed mostly from Amanda being as young as his baby sister, and partly because he had a girlfriend his age. For Keanu, he didn’t want to lead Mai on when he had a crush on Amanda’s sister, Pansy. The brothers instead focused their efforts on combat training with their friends; twins Ben and Chip were a year older than Kenny, and Neil was Keanu’s age. The latter two were less friends and more frenemies, as both vied for Pansy’s attention. Pansy was always busy keeping Amanda and the girls out of trouble, especially Bobbi, the youngest. She was the most mischievous, encouraging Kendra and Amanda to go on crazy quests.

By the time Keanu was fourteen, he and Kenny had unintentionally created a rift between them and their sister. Neither boy would come to realize how much more reckless she had become in their absence until they received word that the girls had gone on a joyride in Bobbi’s father’s car. They had driven out of Poseidean territory and into Idaho, the upper region of which was mostly overrun with scavengers.

The brothers overheard all of this when their parents were visited by Chase and Imprint, the Havet Tribe’s porter and psychic of that era, respectively. Imprint was also Bobbi’s older brother, so he had already located the girls and was coordinating with the other demons to bring them back. While the boys were all concerned, it was Kenny who insisted on going after his sister and her friends. He looked up to Chief Attack, the Poseidean leader, and wanted to prove himself as a protector of their people. Keanu could not talk him out of going–especially with Chip and Ben raring to go–so he and Neil tagged along, sneaking out in Chip’s car. The young men were unaware that Imprint had read their thoughts and reported their plan to Attack, who followed them with his matron and soul mate, Nail.

They barely made it out of Poseidean territory before they were ambushed by a small group of bandits. They had managed to push back against the outlaws before another group showed up and laid heavy fire. The teens were on the verge of retreating–and the demons watching about to jump in and aid them–when a third group hidden in the adjacent forest began shooting at the bandits. After the bandits had all either retreated or were killed, the boys came to find that their saviors were Kendra and her friends, who were swimming in the nearby creek when they heard the shootout.

The entire experience was stressful and eye-opening for the Blackfeet teens, as none of them had really ventured beyond their borders. This incident unlocked the potential in their souls, prompting Chief Attack to awaken their true selves and recruit them to the Havet Tribe. Each teen took on a code name of their choosing to fit the theme of the tribe; while Kenny became Scorch in an effort to embody his ability, and Kendra became Risk as she embraced her desire to take risks, Keanu was unsure what name to choose. Chief Attack eventually gave him the code name Rush, as he always seemed to be in a hurry. In a hurry to discover his ability, as his siblings discovered theirs shortly after their recruitment. In a hurry to catch up to Scorch, who got things right the first time. He was even so desperate to beat Neil, code name Shade, in their competition for Pansy, code name Dream, that he tried to rush things by pressuring her into a relationship. This eventually lost him any chance with her and pushed Dream closer to Shade.

Even though he constantly felt as if he were living in his brother’s shadow, Rush and Scorch were each other’s best friend. Scorch trained his little brother personally, encouraging him to be a grand protector. When Scorch was picked by Attack to succeed him as chief, Scorch chose Rush to be his headman; and on the day they made the announcement–Scorch’s twenty-fifth birthday–the new chief was recognized as the true chief of Havet. The entire tribe recalled memories of their first life, with Rush recalling an important detail from his: he had a soul mate, and she was a princess.

While Rush is not shown at all in Aquarius, he is mentioned in discussions between Sabryna and Giovanni. That’s not the way it’ll always be–he’ll be properly introduced in Taurus, even though he won’t be a prominent figure in the story until the third and final book in the Saturn Rising trilogy. If you have not guessed so already, the aftermath of Scorch’s recognition and short time as chief took a toll on his brother. Rush is unconvinced that Scorch was killed by an animal, and he is desperate to uncover the actual culprit.

Can Rush look past his hatred for Punish, the new chief, and lead his people? Or will he let vengeance consume him?

Art by Nadia Syada–show her some love!

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