3. Memories of My Introduction


    As I drove back to the city I was once again drawn back in my memories to the time when this had all began. I remember clearly that first night seeing the face that looked like a coyote staring at me before taking off down the alley. Now, of course, I knew that person, that Coyfolk had become my friend and later the Alpha of his pack. Thankfully I had now saved his daughter Ringer, I glanced back at the sleeping huddle of pups and smiled.


    Five years ago give or take I recall being on that roof and my dismay as the three beings ran from my sight. I had sat in shock as I realized what I had seen, that they were real. I sat there most of the night trying to wrap my head around it with very limited success. As the sky began to brighten in the east I got up and found myself stiff from sitting in the chill overnight. I managed to get back down from the roof without injury, which looking back at my skills at the time was more amazing than anything else I had done.


    Given that I was supposed to be at my friend''s place instead of spending a night on a store roof, I went to a local 24hr diner and got a coffee. I then proceeded to sit there for a few more hours mentally going over what had happened while fending off a friendly waitress who always called me ''Hun''. I had no idea what to do now, I knew for certain that what I saw was real yet I was also equally sure that publicly declaring what I had seen to be true would result in a nice relaxing stay in a certain kind of clinic with lots of gentle music and a distinct lack of sharp objects. My parents were as square as could be, I loved them dearly but outside the box thinkers, they were not. My friends would just think I was pulling some elaborate gag and eventually ignore me. A thought struck me, maybe one of those weird crystal/mystic shops would have something. I paid for my drink and caught a bus downtown.


    Arriving downtown I had walked for a bit and went into a shop grandly called ''The Home of True Magic'', un huh. I did not believe that in the slightest. I had gone to the desk and found a slightly flakey looking man wearing purple lensed glasses manning the till.


    With more than a little reluctance, I had asked: "Do you have anything on local legends of magical beings?"


    The man had looked over replying "Sure, lots of stuff about local legends and beliefs, so you looking to find Bigfoot?" with a smile.


    "No, I''m looking for something about maybe werewolves but with coyotes instead" I had replied.


    At this, the man had looked up at me sharply "Like werewolf coyotes you say?"


    "Yeah," noticing his sudden interest I had continued "maybe things about a meter tall, or just over with bushy coyote tails."


    "Why the interest?" the man had asked me.


    "Well, you wouldn''t believe me if I told you" I had replied with a grin, given that I had thought he was a flake I wasn''t too worried about what he thought of me.


    The man had paused and appeared to be lost in thought for a moment before looking at me more closely "Are you sure you want to know, just hope you are aware that some knowledge can change everything".


    Taken aback by his sudden seriousness, I had taken a second preparing my reply "I need to know, this is something that I need to know". From what I had clearly seen I needed any knowledge I could get.


    The man looked at me squarely and called out "Lena, come and take the desk, I''m going to need a bit". A woman had appeared from the back looking equally as flakey as the man.


    She smiled gently at me and had said: "Don''t worry, this will clear up a lot for you".


    I had nodded nervously as I followed the man over to a small table in a corner of the shop. He sat down lightly and asked, "So, my name is Carveor, tell me exactly what happened that you need to know this".


    Slowly nodding my head in assent I sat down in the other chair and rather embarrasseldy told Carveor what I had seen. I finished up my face red from telling him. Saying it out loud made it seem even crazier than I had thought.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Carveor watched me while I spoke and as I finished up said: "Are you sure you want to know?".


    I quickly signaled my assent, looking at him now expectantly. Carveor sighed and pulled a small pink stone from his pocket and handed it to me. He then said: "Okay, just repeat this, I hold that this knowledge shall not be spread to the uninitiated".


    I did as he asked and felt a strange buzz flow through me from the stone. I dropped it to the table in surprise.


    Carveor laughed "That happens more often than not, now you are bound to hold this knowledge". My face must have shown my shock and worry as he continued "Not everyone can make a bond like this but I still caution you from doing anything similar until you have much more knowledge. Let''s see where to begin, what you have seen are Coyfolk, there are a few packs of them living in and around the city. Mostly they avoid people and live off scavenging mostly harmless to humans." He abruptly started laughing "You should see your face! Hahahahaha!"


    I realized my jaw was hanging open in shock and quickly closed it, over the next couple of hours Carveor explained a great many things to me. Starting with the Coyfolk and how lucky I had been to come to this shop being one of only a few in the city that actually could explain and answer my questions. Most importantly telling me that before hitting adulthood anyone could become ''opened'' as he called it. This being the state of having had some guidance before adulthood to open your true potential. After hitting adulthood you could still become initiated but becoming opened had to happen before puberty finished more or less. According to him nearing the age of 16, I was on the very edge of not being able to become opened. I guess my shrimpy stature was paying off in the end. I immediately jumped on the chance and asked to be opened, dreams of being some kind of Merlin had danced through my mind.


    Carveor had seen the look on my face and had let me know that indeed he could help me but that it most likely meant very little. Just being opened did almost nothing, it just allowed potential, it didn''t ensure crazy powers or anything of the sort. It was much like with anything else, nearly everyone had the chance to become a doctor or a lawyer but most people didn''t, doing so meant years and years of study and hard work plus a ton of money. Carveor told me that most opened people could do a few things here and there but hardly anyone dedicated themselves full on to developing their potential. Especially now that the world had become so developed, hundreds of years ago anyone who was opened could do much more than they could now. Why push yourself to develop a flame talent to light a fire when you could just turn on the stove?


    The conversation had raised as many questions as answers but I pushed for how to become opened. Carveor was all for making me wait but I insisted on having it done immediately, what if I aged out and missed my chance? Looking at me Carveor had seen my determination and said he would do it. He told me he would have to put his fingers on my temples. I had agreed with minor thoughts of ''stranger danger'' on my mind. Carveor had stepped behind me and put his fingers on my temples and it seemed like he was doing nothing but being weird until after a really uncomfortable minute I felt a pressure building up behind my eyes. It started to become painful and I started to squirm, Lena had come over by this time and calmed me. Tears were forming in my eyes but she had told me to hold on for a bit longer. Then with a sudden popping feeling in my mind, it was done, the pressure instantly faded away. I had felt dizzy but like I could feel something a little more on the edge of my senses. The couple had advised me to get some sleep as this tended to not be a physically tiring experience but it was definitely mentally tiring. I had gone home elated but unsure what it really meant for my life.


    That was the first true day of the rest of my life as I viewed it. From that day on, my life had changed in almost all aspects. A sharp yip from behind me drew me back from my thoughts. I glanced behind me again to the pile of pups to see one kicking a leg in the air. Smiling I turned back to the road. I was almost at my destination, a larger public park with small patches of forest in it. Fleetfoot was the Alpha I was friends with and I was heading to where his pack had their den. I pulled into the parking lot closest to the den and got out looking around, I didn''t see anyone but that didn''t mean I wasn''t watched. I gave it a minute for whoever was watching to recognize me. A pair of adult Coyfolk came out from the trees.


    "Will, what, you, need?" one of the two asked. I knew this one named Springer.


    "Springer, I brought the pups home," I told him, Springer looked confused, he could only speak a little so I waved him forward instead. Springer came forward and followed me back to the van. Springer only came a few steps before I could see his nose twitch and he let out a quick howl. Springer ran past me to the van, I quickly opened the door and turned back to see most of Fleetfoot''s pack coming at a run. The adult Coyfolk took over caring for the pups and carried them off into the night.


    A few minutes later Fleetfoot arrived, "Will, thank you for returning the young".


    I looked down at my friend "Anytime, you know I am a friend of the Coyfolk. There were many pups can you see them returned to their packs?"


    Fleetfoot replied grinning toothily "Of course, for us the pack and clan are everything, the pups will be returned". He then excused himself saying we could talk later, now he had duties with the pack.


    I nodded wearily as he quickly disappeared back into the trees. I went home and finally cracked myself a well-deserved beer. I was trying to relax after a wild night but in the back of my head, I was thinking already of who the dryad had been selling the pups to and why. For this moment, however, the biggest question was whether I made it to my bed or simply fell asleep on my couch.