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What Was Your First Spell?

By Dirt Coyote

Ernesto's eyes lit as the question danced around the grey in his large vulpine ears. A long mischievous grin pulled his muzzle back and lifted whiskers high. The coyote cub standing across his desk wrapped an arm around his own chest. He rubbed at his elbow sheepishly, looking about ready to walk back out the library.

"You want to know what my first spell was?" the fox answered, standing from his seat and pointing at a chair for the coyote boy to sit in. "Why, I haven't been asked that in maybe half a century."

Keeping his muzzle downward, the cub's eyes danced between the seat and his toes. Ernesto laughed and looped his way around the desk, his long purple robes swooshed over the carpet. With a squeak, the boy was ushered into a seat and planted firmly.

"Alright, my precious Mateo, I'll tell you, but we have to make a deal on it," Ernesto said, planting his rear on his own desk. "I want to see it. Turn out your pockets."

The coyote's ears perked. A shade of pink flushed over his muzzle and inside of his ears. Rubbing his paws together bought him a second, but a snap of the fox's fingers got attention. He fiddled around for a second before holding out his paw, inside sat a shiny oblong shaped pebble's worth of metal.

"My goodness," the elderly fox gasped. His maw hung open as he leaned in for a closer look. "May I hold it?"

Ernesto pulled back, startled with how quickly Mateo retreated his arms into his chest. Approaching him slowly, he reached down to the young cub's head and stroked him from the base of his large triangular ears down his nape. Trailing his fingers around his neck softly, he cupped underneath the boy's chin and lifted his muzzle so their eyes could meet.

Soft as clouds and sweet as honey, Ernesto whispered, "I promise, as your librarian, teacher, and friend, I will not keep it."

Small mumbles escaped the skittish canine, but he relaxed and let out a sigh. Pulling the pebble from his chest protectively, he showed it to the fox again. Cautiously, Enersto reached inside of the coyote's palm and picked up the nugget. Instantly, the familiar buzz of magical energy tingled at his fingertips.

"It's huge. No wonder you're the talk of the town," he exclaimed, rolling it around. The fox brought the metal to his nose and sniffed a couple times, examining it just inches from his spectacles before going on, "It's so pure. It's almost entirely iron. I don't think a fifth year student could accomplish this. Are you sure you did this? You didn't find this on the ground?"

At the question, he turned his attention back to the cub. He seemed nervous again, clamming up. Ernesto dropped to a knee, almost immediately regretting the decision. His joints ached and a pinch in his back caused a groan to escape his lips, but he needed the truth. The boy turned his gaze away, not daring to meet the librarian's stare. There were spells to take what he wanted from the coyote's mind, but he didn't need those.

"Mijo, if you're telling fibs, I want you to be honest," Ernesto gently requested. He grabbed the coyote's wrist, returning the iron before clasping both his paws together. "It's okay if you made this up for attention. No one will be mad, especially not me. There are no lies between us."

Mateo's lips pursed tightly, his ears folding back against his head. Eyebrows furrowed, he turned to face Ernesto, nose almost touching nose. Before a word could leave his mouth, the fox quickly placed a finger to his muzzle. "No, no. Don't say anything you don't mean. That look tells it all. I believe you."

Getting to his feet required him to hoist himself using both of the armrests, and a little assistance from the coyote in front of him. Ernesto brushed off his robes and rubbed a sore spot just above the base of his tail. He certainly couldn't do that again today if ever for the rest of his life.

Not wanting to feel as old as he was, the fox put some life into his steps and moved about the room. "Metallurgy," Ernesto said as he grabbed books from shelves and stacked them into his paws. "It's a branch of augmentation and geomancy, with some knowledge of spatial reconfigurance and molecular manipulation."

Speaking only fueled the fox more as he began tossing books into the air. The pages fluttered loudly as the volumes sailed, but none of them touched the floor. Instead, they flapped about, soaring through the air before stopping in front of the coyote's muzzle. Books flipped open to the different sections, light highlighted pictographs and keywords while the librarian rambled on.

"We're going to have to speed through some knowledge of soil and metal types to pick-up where you started. If earth magic is where your strength is, then it probably wouldn't hurt to familiarize you with other nature elements. Ooh, maybe we can try out some copper sifting or metallic surveying. Heck, if we're going to do that, then we might as well--"

Just as Ernesto was pulling out scales, beakers, and an abacus, he caught a gentle cough. He swung around, unable to see the coyote surrounded underneath a half dozen floating texts. The fox waved his paws and they parted enough to reveal Mateo clearing his throat with his arms folded and a stern look in his eyes.

"What's that look for?" Ernesto questioned before slapping himself on the forehead. "Oh, right. My apologies. We had a bargain, didn't we?" With the snap of his fingers, all the books loudly slapped closed and threw themselves neatly onto the desk. The measuring equipment in his paws flew soundlessly to join them at their side. Ernesto motioned to his chair, beckoning in forward until it phased right through the desk and sat directly in front of the coyote.

"What was my first spell? That's what you want to know?" he asked, plopping down in his seat, scratching his chin. Enrnesto sat in thoughtfulness over what he remembered and what he wanted to say. The coyote was silent as he waited, but even he couldn't contain his tail thwacking the side of his chair in impatience.

"Yes, yes. I just-- It's been a long time and I wanna make sure I'm telling it to you right. You see, unlike your family and most families in this village, I came from magic. My dad, my mom, their parents, their parent's parents and so on had been born with magic coursing through their veins. That being so, me and my five brothers and sisters were expected to show magical aptitude. Almost always emerging unexpectedly."

At that, Ernesto pulled back his left sleeve until he revealed a bald spot just past his elbow. "Sister. Bolt of lightning erupted from her paws while we played. Fur never grew back, but at least it wasn't as destructive as my first spell. You see, most cubs, it comes out in a little uncontrollable fire, or a gust of wind, or a splash of water, or something mundane. My parents had charms enveloping all of the house to make sure we couldn't cause too much damage with our firsts. Unfortunately, just like you, I was not like most cubs."

Mateo leaned in, his muzzle hung as he listened. Ernesto raised his palms and cupped them at his lips, whispering inside before leaning forward with his fingers interlaced. "It was a hot sticky summer night. I was eight, sitting on my roof at night. I'd thought to just shave off all my fur then stand the heat for another second. It was inescapable, even outside and I just wanted so hard, so so very hard, to feel cold once again. I saw a shooting star and..."

Ernesto slowly opened his paws and Mateo held his breath. Leaning in, the boy could make out a tiny blue worm resting in the fox's paw. He cocked his head curiously at the larva wriggled back and forth before wings and limbs ripped out of its body. A jagged edged beak formed at its mouth while a sharp piercing point erupted from its base. When it finished its transformation it turned, opened up its nasty maw, and lunged for him only to hit an invisible barrier.

The thud was still enough to make both jump, but Ernesto just laughed and shook his head. "It's terrifying, no? He's just upset I woke him up. They always are," the fox said, reaching a paw inside the bubble and stroking the frost wyrm's back soothingly. "Now imagine summoning a dozen full grown of these things without knowing encapsulation or suspension spells. They descended on the house, taking everything but our lives. The wyverns couldn't survive the heat for long and everything we lost could be replaced."

The wyrm inside of Ernesto's paw leaned into the strokes, letting out coos of delight at the touch. Mateo was still in his chair, his eyes focused on the creature. Even in the cub's fear, Ernesto saw something familiar and important. Not wanting him to be afraid, he grabbed hold of his paw and pulled it towards his cupped palm. He resisted at first and the wyrm sensed the fear. Both retreated but Ernesto was determined.

"It's alright. Like I said, he's just a little grumpy and you're just a little scared this is happening all at once. Don't be afraid." With that, the fox carefully placed the little summon inside of the coyote's paw. He watched the boy's fur shiver in bristles at its radiating cold. The wyrm didn't look too excited to be there either, equally nervous of the boy a hundred times its size.

Ernesto held his breath, pulling his paws back so that the wyrm and the coyote could become familiar with one another. Without either knowing, he held a banishment spell at his fingertip. He wasn't quite as fast as he was in his youth though. If the wyrm wanted to hurt the boy, there'd be little time to stop it. The fox readied himself for the worst, but pleaded with his eyes.

Thankfully, the coyote seemed to understand what Ernesto wanted him to do. Relaxing his shoulders, he reached his own paw forward slowly and gave the wyrm one single pet down the back of its spine. It eased and leaned into the boy's paws to accept the attention. The librarian let out a long sigh, smiling with the cub as two became familiar with themselves.

"Hmm, I think I've got a better idea," Ernesto started, standing from the chair and pointing at the books and equipment on the table. In a flash, they all lept upward and zipped in the air right back where the fox had pulled them. He walked to a shelf, only pulling out a single book and sat it on the cub's lap.

"Studies of the Metaphysical, the Ultaplaned, and the Natural and Unnatural Properties of Majestic Phenomena. I slept with this very volume every night before my first spell." Ernesto said. "It's yours now. Read chapters one through three and then come back to see me. Take your time. Your family comes first, always, and so does your normal studies."

The coyote nodded his head up and down, a new sense of vigor coming to life right before Ernesto's eyes. Before Mateo could protest, he touched the wyrm with the tip of his claw and it vanished into snowflakes. The coyote looked to fret, but he softened the boy with a pet on his head. "Don't worry. I'll teach you how to bring him back soon enough. He won't even know you were gone."

The coyote nodded in understanding, and without any warning, he shot to his feet and dove his muzzle right between the opening of the fox's robe. Ernesto felt himself turn hot, looking embarrassed to receive the tightest hug he'd ever been given. Admittingly, even he couldn't deny how excited he was himself and wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders.

"This will be the start of a wonderful relationship."

*****

Aasif furrowed his brow at the coyote sniffling in front of him. The boy's shirt collar was stretched to the point of ruin and there was blood stained beneath his nostril. His lip was swollen and a black ring was forming underneath the white fur around his eye. With the wave of his staff though, he dismissed the boy.

"Get out of here and do not speak to me again," the jaguar spat.

The coyote shrivelled at that, faltering backward until he was almost off the porch of the guard's station. He'd seen him before, Mateo, always getting picked on to and from the library. A cacomistle seemed to be the leader of the group that harassed him. Despite the little ringtail being half a foot shorter than him, the coyote allowed himself to be taunted and pushed around.

"I said go!" the jaguar almost yelled, waving his staff again to scare him off the. "Your problems are your own. It's my job to stop wandering elementals, psychotic necromancers, and the occasional wild boar. Not little kids from little kids."

Aasif made a growl and looked to lunge at the coyote, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he started a soft cry, wobbled backwards until his back hit a post, and shrunk down until his muzzle was tucked between his knees. It was enough to make Aasif gag.

Part of him wanted to just let little Mateo sob it out like a sissy. His shift was ending soon and he wouldn't have to stick around to watch him much longer. But he was finding it harder and harder to ignore this suffering. It stirred something from his past, and splintered his insides.

Stepping over to the cub, he grabbed hold of the boy's arm and yanked him up to his feet. "Look at you. You're pathetic. Crying here wondering why you're always picked on. Then you come to me asking me what my first spell was? Something easy to hurt those kids the way that they hurt you. You think I would allow that? You think that would save you?"

Aasif straddled the coyote several times until he stopped crying. "You spoiled brats have it so easy, you have to make problems for each other. When I was growing up, there was no town guard because they'd all been killed by slave traders. Kids didn't pick on kids because they weren't able to be kids. You really want to know my first spell?"

As the jaguar spoke, crouching down until their eyes were level. He wanted to see the fear in Mateo's eyes. He wanted to be sure that this lesson stuck. With his claw raised close to the boy's muzzle, he ignited a small ball of fire. The heat was enough to be felt by both of them.

"I was your age when I was introduced to the flame. When the slavers came to my village, they simply kicked open doors and took what they wanted. They grabbed my mother and dragged her by the tail. In her screams, I felt anger so hot that it shot out my paws and eviscerated my enemies. Their shrieks are as fresh in my mind right now as they were that day," as he finished, he snuffed out the spell.

Aasif pulled his entire head back, revealing the scars the metal collar left around his neck. "The flame couldn't save me. No, it only assured my fate. They took me and they beat me and used my flame for their horrible deeds."

The jaguar closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Though the Mateo was no longer sobbing, he could still hear it in his head. He could hear the sobs of a tiny jaguar boy who just wanted to go home and see his mama again. Aasif opened his eyes again and looked deep into the coyote's for anything malicious. All he could see was the frightened cub he used to be.

"Stand up straight," Aasif ordered as he did so himself. The boy looked confused and so the jaguar yanked him up hard and adjusted him until he was standing the way he wanted. "The flame couldn't save me, because I had to save me. You're going to have to save yourself and you're not going to do it with magic."

Making a stance, he showed the coyote how to defend himself. Aasif watched him slowly try to position himself similarly. Annoyed, the jaguar slapped the boy hard on the chest and glared down at him. "You think they're going to wait for you. Get into stance quick and hold your fist high," he barked, and Mateo did so almost immediately.

"Good, now I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself, but you must do something for me in return," Aasif said, swinging into the air. "That cacomistle, the boy that's always picking on you. He's got a loose tooth on his right side that makes this whistle whenever he speaks."

The jaguar made a quick fast jab forward. When he saw Mateo replicate his motion flawlessly, Aasif smiled wide. "You're going to knock it out of his fuzzy little head."

*****

Jax needed to put his paw on his muzzle to stifle his giggling, still rocking cross legged on his bed. Directly across from him was the coyote, his dormmate and best friend, sitting with his usual sly grin. With their other two roommates gone, one in the infirmary for the flu and the other sent back home to see family, Jax knew that tonight would be the night.

"Mateo, you always ask such silly questions. You're such a goof, I can't help but laught" the cheetah said, inching a little closer.

Both arrived at Goldpine's Academy of Gifted Boys at the same time and had been almost inseparable these past three years. Jax felt lucky they'd gotten along so well. Of course, everyone had gotten along with Mateo. Even the boys that he stood up to had some admiration for him. However, Jax knew what he shared with the canine was different than anything anyone else had.

"You've seen it before, my first spell, that is," Jax said, scooting closer again.

His heart beat hard like a drum in his chest. Sandy scents filled his nostrils as he took in Mateo. He loved the way that the coyote smelled. It was so foreign and exotic to him, like a spice that tickled all of his senses. As he leaned in towards him though, they both caught a creak from the hall.

A lantern from the other side of the door illuminated the wooden boards. Lightening fast, Mateo flung both arms out at once. With his left paw, he dimmed the candles sitting on the window sill. With his right, he'd cast something at the base of the door. It took a second to fully actualize, but soon the sounds of two cubs snoring repeated into the air.

Under a light blue veil of moonlight, he could see the coyote's gritting teeth maintaining both spells at once. Jax was no dunce by any means, but his maw hung open like a gutted fish watching him work his talents. No way in heaven or hell could he cast and maintain two completely different spells in a moment's warning. It was no wonder he was top of his class.

Seconds stretched out long and Jax felt like he might pass out, both from the anxiety of it all and the fact he'd been holding his breath. Thankfully, the figure was fooled by the coyote's illusions and continued down the hall. He released the two spells with a sigh of relief, the candle's flames gradually brightened until both boy's nervous smiles were illuminated by the light. Before Jax could say anything though, Mateo waved his paw for him to continue.

"You really want to know, don't you?" Jax asked curiously, an eyebrow arched. "Well, you remember when we first met? You were crying out front of the school's gates."

At that, he pulled backward, his muzzle scrunching up like a raisin. His ears folded back and he looked about to protest, but Jax shook his head quickly. "Shh, I'm not teasing you. I can understand why you were sad. Your mentor just passed and you got sent halfway across the world. I'd cry too."

Jax finished speaking with a hug. Maybe this wasn't the time to talk about that, but he wanted to tell him the full story. They were both so young when they first arrived, but not quite cubs anymore. Releasing the hug, Jax smiled and held on to Mateo's paw.

"I don't remember my first spell very well, but I'd been told the story enough times to repeat it. I was just a toddler when my grandma passed. My family was in mourning, but my older sister was devastated. She couldn't leave the bed and would just cry in her room alone. No one knew what to say or do to help her.

"I could barely understand what was going on, but they said I couldn't see her. They said it would just make me sad, but I missed her so much. On the fifth day, I walked into her room to catch her curled up in her sheets. She didn't say anything to me, but I remember walking up beside her and holding out my paw."

With that, he let go of the coyote's paw and held his own to his chest. He closed his eyes, breathing in as he recited an incantation from his heart. Green bulbs the size of marbles glittered around his fingers until a stem grew from his grasp. From nothing, an orange poppy blossomed into life.

"I pulled from myself a flower and held it out for her. When she took it, she stopped crying and swore that it was our grandma's last gift. It was her way of saying goodbye through me," he said as he brought the flower to his nose.

Taking a deep breath to assure that the spell was perfect, he then held it out for the coyote to take. "That day, when you were sad on the ground, I gave you this same flower. You took it and I knew we would always be friends."

Jax held the flower out for him to take, but the coyote clasped his paw instead. With no more words to exchange, he leaned in and planted his lips right on the cheetahs. As they fell into the bed, Mateo raised his paw and snuffed out the candles one final time.

*****

Headmistress Elizabeth Berth scoffed hard and shook her head back and forth. The question had flustered her enough that the empyrean light she projected flickered. In the millisecond that it wavered, the shadow specter underneath stirred from its dormant state. The demon wearily reached a claw out of its black blotched body, but the headmistress strengthened her spell until it collapsed like a shadow on the desk.

"We're not here to discuss me. We're here to discuss you," the bat said in utter annoyance.

Mateo seemed disinterested, studying the specter as if he hadn't heard her response. The frost wyrm on his shoulder mimicked his disregard, leaping onto the table circle around the shade. In a sadistically morbid thought, she wondered if the wyrm would poke it's little head underneath her ray. A familiar that weak would almost surely explode in an instant.

It didn't and instead made its way back, leaping onto its master's shoulder. Elizabeth pointed a finger at the wyrm and shook her head back and forth as she spoke, "Look at your summon. That is exactly the thing that I am trying to explain to you. It might have been impressive while you were at Goldpine, but you're an adult now. That thing should be large enough to fill this room, but it's only a pest I'd find scurrying my kitchens."

It took offense, growling at her, but Mateo reached up quick to stroke its chin until it settled down. That just made Elizabeth even more annoyed. "It's not supposed to be a cute accessory for your robe. It's supposed to be a ferocious wyvern that garners both respect and caution. You're not taking your studies seriously."

Her arms flung into the air, both her robes and wings flapping loudly. Every year had a problem student, but never one that acted so smug as this one. Twiddling his fingers in the air, the coyote conjured up a parchment of light listing off his courses and the marks he'd been getting in them. Definitely, the smuggest of them all.

"Stop that," Elizabeth demanded. With the wave of her paw, the light show was dismissed in a flurry of colors. "I know your studies and I've seen your marks. Simple classes. Botanical Architecture? Astronomical Anomalies? Psychonic Husbandry? All your courses are trivial. A third year student of your magnitude should be specializing, not diversifying."

Mateo dispelled the rest of his magic, but didn't ease his stance. Pouting, he folded his paws into his robes and flicked his eyes to the side. The wyrm crawled over his shoulder and draped its body around his neck. Muzzle underneath muzzle, it brushed its jagged beak underneath the coyote's. Purrs vibrated from its chest to sooth its master's grumbles.

Elizabeth was losing him. That's not why she'd summon him. Trying again, she relaxed and rapped the table for his attention. " You're not fighting me; you can't. I'm here to help you. You're fighting yourself. You think so many people have the resources and opportunities you've had?"

His ears flicked up at that, brow furrowed as he processed the words. Tension in his posture eased until he looked up with some thoughtfulness. She could tell that he was regretting making such a fuss, but before he could apologize the bat raised her paw. "You wanted to know my first spell, but I couldn't tell you even if it could help you hone in your studies.

"My village had little magical experience sans the passing mage here and there. No one knew what to make of me when my firsts came out. Sometimes I'd wake in the morning with my mother's pearl necklace in my paw. Other times, I'd be talking to a stranger everyone assured me was long passed. They thought I was causing trouble or delusional. Even I thought I was going insane. It wasn't until I fell off a ridge and floated safely to the ground that I knew for sure that something was up."

Curiosity raised Mateo's brow as he looked to the bat's wings, but he didn't let him ponder on it. "There, I hitched along with the next trading caravan and made my way to the city to become an apprentice. I studied everything I could, eventually found my way here as a student, and became a teacher before taking the role of headmistress."

He didn't seem too convinced by that. When she was certain that the specter lay in a state of spell induced comatose, Elizabeth leaned in and tapped her claw against the table. "That was my journey, but I've seen your talent. Your first semester, you shattered an oak tree into a full dining room set. In your second, you extended the spatial barriers of a ceramic jar to contain the volume of a lake. And, though you think no one notices, you're quite adapt at Miloy's Snatching Transference. Haven't seen anyone teleport as much food since I was a junior."

Raising her paw into the air, she twiddled a sausage between her fingers. She twirled it around, the coyote taking a second to recognize it before he reached into his own robes empty pawed. "Yeah, I really wish you wouldn't put them in your pockets." Wrinkling her nose, she tossed the link onto the table.

His face grew hot and he mumbled out an apology, but she just raised it off with a chuckle. "It's impressive but disgusting. Again, you're talented but you're not specializing and troubling times are coming ahead."

With a more serious tone, she leaned her muzzle forward and spoke in a hushed tone, "The ministry has been snooping at my steps, looking for fresh recruits as war approaches. I've been able to keep them back so far, but I won't be able to forever and they're gonna be looking at those who aren't deep into a field. That's you." She let her words hang into the air before continuing. "At the very least, you'll pair with Tristan for Arcanian Defensive Arts--"

Mateo scoffed and her eyes blazed. Light from the candles overhead darkened, shadows of the corners of the room deepened, and even the empyrean light spell sputtered under the headmistress's glare. Even the cocky coyote's attitude crumbled while the bat stared daggers at him. "You will not roll your eyes at me," she said in icy words as cold as the air surrounding them.

Sitting up, Mateo straightened out and perked his ears. Nods and apologies came rushing out of him as he noticed the spectre on the table coming to life under the weakening spell. Blood red eyes opened from its shape, turning towards him like the planchette out of a ouija board. It blinked once, sunk into the black of its own body, and then reached out with both of its dagger ridden hands.

Before it could lay a finger on the coyote, the entire demon burst into a flurry of flying sparks and sprites. The colors spewed out into the air, turning every which direction away from the bat's extended paw. A dangerous frown spread on Elizabeth's muzzle was all that remained of the existence of the spectre. Her face fixed to his and in her darkened expression, an understanding was shared between them.

With the spectre off her mind, she slumped back into her own chair. It'd be a month before she could get another specimen quite like that, but the damn thing was becoming feisty anyways. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself before speaking again.

"I know my son can be difficult. Hell, I raised him, I know how pompous he can be, but he means well. He's just as talented and bright, and maybe you two can rub off on each other." She finished her sentence, her muzzle twisting at her phrasing.

The coyote noticed it too, a slight blush under his whiskers. She quickly pulled out a parchment, scribbling her recommendation for the coyote's course transferral. Mateo rose from his seat, bowing his head as he accepted the letter and turned towards the door. She snapped his fingers and he stopped.

"Not that I think anything will be going on, knowing your two's feuds, but I must remind you that Tristan is betrothed." Her voice was flat, her words stern. "I'm privy to your...reputation. I've no problem with your preferences of bedmates, but I will ask you to mind your choices when dealing with my son."

He turned, bowed again, then left her office without a word. She noticed the devilish smile he tried to hide, and there was no doubt she might just send him straight into the upper stratosphere before he'd graduate.

******

"We're going to die, and you want to know what my first spell was?" Cameron laughed, his chilled breath visible in the air.

Mateo shrugged, teeth chattering. He murmured something, but the crashing waves interrupted him. The otter lifted his blanket, waving his paw. "Get in here. Rather have some plump tits against me right now, but yours'll have to do."

The coyote nodded his head, his military uniform not enough to stave off the biting cold in the icey night. The wyvern on his shoulder flocked up, fluttering around until it found a spot in the sand it could settle in. Mateo squeezed into the otter, letting him drape the blanket over them with their backs against the cliff towards the open ocean.

"Could you not have learned to summon a fire elemental before you left that fancy school of yours?" Cameron joked, but pulled the coyote in to share his warmth.

The two sat in silence, surrounded by other soldiers barely visible in the darkness. All campfires had been extinguished, the only relief was to bundle in blankets tightly. Some slept. Most couldn't, too afraid to sleep. The Monsarian army would be shoring up along the beach by morning, twenty thousand men armed with swords, spears, and magic. They weren't half of that. Probably not even a quarter.

"I don't think I'll sleep tonight," Cameron said.

He saw the coyote turn his head, but cut him off before he could speak, "Not gonna happen. That one time was more than enough for both of us, and you've got your bat at home."

The words left his mouth before he meant to say them. He didn't have much but his family waiting for him, but if they couldn't hold them off here, it wouldn't matter much. The Monsarians weren't known for their mercy and they were the last line of defense before the war would be at their doorstep. Everything and everyone they loved was dangling on a thread.

Cameron sighed, really wishing he had those tits next to him instead. "My first spell? It was planned. Us river folk can sense it. We're just intune like that."

He said it knowing full well the coyote must've known. That didn't stop Mateo from curling into him, a paw wrapped around his chest under the blanket. He just leaned in, taking his scent and listening silently. God damn, if he couldn't ask for a better friend.

"Her name is Cassandra. She was the same age as me, six or seven, when I felt it stirring underneath. I'd held it in for maybe a week before I got her alone. The magic was roaring inside of me, wanting to escape out of every limb. There was a fear it was gonna shoot out of me in my sleep if I kept it in any longer"

Cameron let his gaze wonder, the cold waters ahead disappearing to the warm streams he grew up in. The salt rich sea transformed into the woodland must pools he was familiar with. There, as if clear as day, he could see the otter lass standing in the shallow waters with him.

"I told her I had a secret for her. I told her to close her eyes and relax. I told her to lean in close to the sound of my voice. I told her to hold still and when she was close enough, I sprayed out a splash of water from my hands!"

Cameron slapped his paws together, causing the blanket to fly up off them. Groans from other soldiers, a call for them to shut up, rang out from the troops. He didn't, laughing loudly over the coyote's snickers. They pulled the blanket back over themselves and he finished his tale.

"Only meant for it to be a squirt, but I'd held it in for too long. Might as well have shot a full river at her. She knocked up into the air and came down with a splash. Her clothes were drenched and she went screaming to her parents!"

More groans and hushes, and the otter began to settle down. "My da tanned my hide for that. Mom scolded me for a month. Cass didn't talk to me for years an' I still think she's a little pissed." He paused, her smile still fresh on his mind like they'd only said goodbye yesterday. "When I come back, I swear I'm gonna ask her to marry me."

Choking croaked from Cameron's throat, caught just before it could escape. Sniffling in his ear, and he knew Mateo was thinking about his bat similarly. They were men, soldiers sworn to defend their home, yet neither could hold back tears. He leaned into the coyote's neck, craning his head back to comfort him. As he did, a flash passed before his eyes.

"Well, look at that, a shooting star," the otter said listlessly. He said he wouldn't sleep, but his eyes were growing heavy. "Wish for some breasts so I can have something to play with 'fore morning comes."

The coyote snorted, jabbing at his side. It wasn't enough to rouse him from the slumber slipping over him. He wanted to fight it, not wanting his last hours spent asleep. There was no winning, just like tomorrow, and so he let his eyes close and drifted off. The last sound he heard was Mateo rising from the blanket.

*****

Duncan squirmed, feeling small in the seat he couldn't quite fill out. Under the coyote's gaze, he felt younger than nine. More like five and in need of a parent to hold his paw. Mateo's study felt looming. Not wanting to be intimidated, he answered the question with a question of his own.

"Hasn't grandpa told you already?" He asked accusingly, looking over the coyotes shoulder.

Behind him was a painting, frame lit by ruins. The scene was of a wedding, Mateo in the middle clasping paws with the late Tristan Berth. Standing beside the coyote was his grandfather, an otter smiling in his decorated uniform. All of them seemed impossibly young, fur full of color not yet washed out in grey.

He didn't answer, muzzle fixed in that same quiet stare. Usually, the coyote would be running his ears off sharing all his tall tales and adventures. Now, the silence was biting, tearing at his insides. It was aggravating.

"It wasn't my fault," he whined, sliding further into his seat.

Sharply, Maestro Mateo snapped his fingers and the door to the rest of the library swung open. In came a rug, riding in the air half crisped. Part of it was still smoldering, scenting the room in ash. The rug leaned in, as did the coyote, awaiting a confession.

Duncan looked down sheepishly. "I've got it under control."

At that, the coyote got out of his seat and planted his behind firmly on his own desk. His tail flipped upward so the otter could see the tip of his singed tail.

"Mostly," Duncan coughed.

Mateo sighed, his old age apparent. His paw encompassed his face as he fell into it. The arm of his robe pulled back, revealing a skinny frail twig. Long gone was the soldier, the hero, the titanic legend that was awed. Now only sat a tired old dog at the end of his days.

The coyote turned to the door, looking about ready to dismiss him to the remainder of his day mending the scorched remains of the library furniture. There was a sadness in his eyes, one deep enough to move Duncan's core.

"I'm sorry, Maestro," he blurted out in tears. "I'm really sorry, it's just, I got caught up. I was..."

He trailed off, unable to put into words what he felt while he was browsing Mateo's library. There was a garden of exotic fruits he bloomed during a drought, a staff behind glass he used to summon a forest to stop an impending avalanche, and the massive tapestry of the ice drake he summoned during a meteor shower to maroon and fracture the Monsarian army crossing the ocean.

Taking in the beast's destruction as it splintered mighty ships into planks woven into the fabric was too much. The sight boiled his blood until it came out in flames he couldn't control. He didn't want to admit that. He didn't want to feel like he couldn't handle the magic coursing through his veins. He said what he wanted more than anything.

"I want to be like you. I want to perform great feats!" Cameron clasped his muzzle shut, holding it tightly between his paws.

Maestro Mateo looked up, a little surprised at the outburst. Despite his age, a flint's spark of light glimmered in his eyes. He turned, facing the otter with a stare that bore into his bones. Cameron shrunk again, even further than he thought he could, but Mateo waved him off. In a flurry, he flung himself to his bookshelf and grabbed a single book before returning with it clasped in his paws.

There was an ache, they both unwittingly shared. Cameron knew that with how tightly he clung the book to his chest. Mateo slowly unwound, taking a deep breath in and setting the book into the cub's lap. With that, he let out the longest sigh of relief that he thought possible. With that, his Maestro let everything loose and blinked out the weariness.

In the otter's paws sat a text he'd never seen before. It was worn, frayed at the edges, tears and snot bled into the pages, but it felt warm. Studies of the Metaphysical, the Ultaplaned, and the Natural and Unnatural Properties of Majestic Phenomena. Mateo clicked his paws against the title several tires, but Cameron knew what this was. It was the start of a wonderful relationship.