Teddy stopped dead in his tracks, staring down at the coyote looking back up at him, golden eyes alight with intelligence. He felt all of the small hairs on his body prickling and he shook his head, trying to clear his ears of the heavy pressure that filled the tunnel.
"Um …" Teddy croaked, throat completely dry.
Coyote sat down, wrapping His tail neatly around His feet. His black nose twitched, whiskers moving around and Teddy had the distinct impression that the animal was highly amused. As they stared at each other in the light of his wand, Teddy began to feel some of his initial shock subside and he shook his head. "I should have known you'd do something like this," he said, grinning when the coyote cocked His head to the side.
"And I have known that you would do something like this," Coyote said, His surprisingly deep voice causing vibrations inside of Teddy's head.
"Something like what? Listen, Niyol is the one that wants something from You. He came—"
"Yes, I know what Niyol would ask of me." Coyote gave a short yip, the animalness of it a sharp contrast to the human voice coming out of His mouth. "I knew that one would come knocking on My door one day. It's why I hid his egg."
"What? You tried to make Niyol not be … born?" Teddy asked, heart racing with unease.
Coyote's nose twitched and Teddy tried to calm himself, wondering if He could smell fear. "No. With all of the research you've done about me, Teddy Lupin, do you think I am that kind of monster?"
Teddy looked at him, taking in the compact gray-brown furred body, golden eyes and sharp pointed ears. His tongue lolled out, giving him the distinct impression that Coyote was laughing at him. "Um, I guess not."
"I knew that Hehewuti would get someone to help her, just as I knew that you would be the one to come alone to seek me out."
"I'm not alone!" Teddy said, feeling the need to defend his choice. I was the only one that could get in here!
Coyote made a show of looking around the small circle of light provided by the wand. "I do not see anyone else here."
"My friends are outside, waiting for me."
"And what do you think they will do if you don't come back?"
A coldness that had nothing to do with the wintry temperature in the tunnel stole over Teddy, making his stomach clench. "I—"
"Will they go to Harry Potter and beg him to find you? Will Duncan go to his Auror father and confess this whole adventure? Will Alison think of you on graduation day?" Coyote's face took on a dark aspect and Teddy's breath came short. "Will Kelly cry over you?"
"They're just outside! I have—" Teddy reached for the rope tied around his waist, fingers closing on nothing. His heart thudded in his chest as he looked down. "Where did it go? I had a rope. Duncan has the other end!"
"I guess you'll have to find your own way out," Coyote said calmly as Teddy spun around frantically, hoping that the rope had just come untied and he hadn't noticed, that it was still snaking back to the entrance. There was no rope on the dry dirt floor of the tunnel, not even any sign of one having been dragged behind him; only his own footprints and those of Coyote.
"What did You do?" Breathing hard, Teddy pointed his wand at the creature in front of him. Deity or not, he'd better not be fucking with me!
Coyote twitched an eyebrow, long pink tongue lolling out again in that silent laughter. "Calm down, Teddy Lupin. You still have your rope. I was only … playing a trick."
Keeping his eyes and wand focused on Coyote, Teddy felt around his waist with his free hand, letting out a slow exhale of relief at the feeling of the rope tied around his waist. "Some trick," he said truculently. "Listen, Niyol said that if I found Your den You'd grant me a boon. I want one of Your whiskers."
Coyote sat up straighter, both eyebrows going up and his ears swiveling around as if trying to catch any ambient sounds. "You want one of my whiskers or Niyol wants one of my whiskers?"
"Well, Niyol wants it so he can give it to his girl thunderbird and they can mate or get married or whatever it is thunderbirds do."
"But Niyol isn't the one who found my den. Why should I give him anything?"
"You won't be giving the whisker to him, You'll be giving it to me. I found Your den, You give me the whisker. What I do with it isn't any concern of Yours." Teddy folded his arms against his chest, looking down at Coyote.
"So if you gave a child a dangerous item, say a box of matches, are you saying that what that child does with them isn't any concern of yours?"
Teddy opened his mouth and then stopped, sensing a trap. "Well, a box of matches is obviously dangerous, so it would be stupid to give one to a child."
"And a piece of a deity worshipped to this day isn't?" Coyote's eyes flicked to the wand in Teddy's hand. "You carry a piece of a magical creature with you and it makes you very dangerous indeed."
"This?" Teddy lifted his wand and looked at it. It didn't look particularly dangerous, especially under the innocent light of Lumos. "This isn't dangerous in and of itself."
"And neither is a box of matches, if it is handled properly. That doesn't take away the potential for danger." Teddy took a breath to argue further, but Coyote spoke again. "What is it you want, Teddy Lupin?"
"Me? I want …" to be an Auror, he finished silently, staring back at Coyote's golden eyes. They seemed to glow in the light of his wand and he leaned back against the rock wall, abruptly unsteady on his feet.
"Do you want your own car to drive? Something sporty and fast?" Gaze still held by Coyote's, Teddy shook his head. "No? Maybe a little bit of extra cash in your pocket?" Teddy opened his mouth to refuse Him, but Coyote's honeyed voice rolled over him, the sound as rich as His mesmerizing stare.
Coyote's ears perked up and He took on a sly expression, licking His lips. "Do you want that pretty girl out there to fall in love with you? I can make it happen. It's a little trick I've picked up over the years."
Kelly…. Her name in his mind was like the chime of a silver bell sending an almost painful shock through his body and he stumbled away from the rock wall he'd been leaning against, wand pointed at Coyote. "No," he said, sounding like he hadn't spoken in hours. He cleared his throat and shook his head, breaking away from those golden eyes and feeling more like himself. "No. You leave her alone!"
Coyote affected a disdainful demeanor and looked away with a halfhearted shrug. "Making humans fall in love is too easy, anyway. Boring," he said. "You do want something, though. You want it with all your heart."
"I want to be an Auror," Teddy said, the words coming out in a rush before he could stop them. Could He do that for me? Despite the agreement he and Harry had come to, he still had a lingering fear that he would put his foot down. The waiver … I haven't told him that part yet. He could still refuse and then I guess I'd be taking that gap year after all.
"An Auror. Dangerous. Risking life and limb for your fellow man? I've never seen the point."
"It's important. Being an Auror is an important job."
"Ah, you wish to be important? I can make you the most important person in the world." Coyote grinned at him, his sharp teeth bright white in the light of the Lumos spell and Teddy pushed away a creeping shiver.
"No. I don't want to be important," Teddy said, insulted at the very idea.
"Then why? Why put yourself at risk for what I understand is very middling pay?" Coyote cocked His head to the side, looking at Teddy as if he were a lizard He was thinking about smacking with His paw. "What is it about being an Auror that calls to you? Is it Harry? He could have been one of the greats, you know."
Teddy shook his head, focusing his skill on keeping the tears stinging his eyes unshed. He thought of the other offers Harry had dangled before him. Magineer, Healer, law, business … none of those mean anything to me. "No. Well, not all of it. My mum … she was an Auror. Before she was killed."
"Nymphadora Tonks." Coyote nodded. "One whose time was cut very short indeed." He heaved a loud sigh and lay down, settling His chin on his paws. Feeling silly towering over Him, Teddy sat down in the dirt, leaning his back against the rough rock wall. "Tom Riddle tried to find me, you know. I had a wonderful time leading him on a merry chase, but he turned his attention elsewhere. To this day I wonder if I should have let him catch me. I wonder what he would have asked for?"
"Did You know my mum?" Teddy asked eagerly once he got over the shock of hearing Tom Riddle's name from Coyote.
"No, we never met. Everyone makes little ripples in the energy of the world, some more than others. Your father, too." Coyote's ears perked up and His tongue lolled out at Teddy again in that canine grin. "Would you like to be a werewolf like him? I can do it. I don't even need to bite you or anything."
"Um, no thanks." Teddy thought back to the unit Harry had done on werewolves in his freshman year. It was the most passionate he'd seen him in the classroom as he lectured, drilling into them that werewolves were people first and foremost and didn't deserve most of the fear and superstitions that were cast upon them. Teddy had been afraid that Harry would reveal to the class that his father had been a werewolf, but Harry hadn't breathed a word of it.
A thought occurred to Teddy and he sat straight up. "Coyote, could You bring my parents back?" he said in a rush, a hot flush of embarrassment heating his cheeks.
Coyote looked at him, golden eyes full of sadness. "No, Teddy Lupin. Once they have passed beyond the veil, I can do nothing."
It was the answer he'd been expecting, but disappointment still crashed through him and he relaxed back against the wall. "Could You have taken away the curse?"
"Yes."
"Would You have?"
"If it was what he truly wanted." Coyote yawned and set His head back on His paws, His ears relaxing. "Remus John Lupin lived with that curse for most of his life. The monster he became made him the man he was. The curse transformed the lives of his closest friends. If he hadn't been cursed, would Harry Potter be alive today?"
And if Harry weren't, would any of us be? Teddy thought of Voldemort's stain spreading over England and Europe until it crashed over North America like an enormous black tidal wave, destroying everything in its path. "That's why I want to be an Auror," he said. "No more Voldemorts, no more Harry Potters." Or Teddy Lupins.
Coyote stood up, stretching and shaking His whole body until His fur fluffed out to make Him look nearly twice His size. "Well, we'd better get going, then," He said as he trotted off down the tunnel toward the entrance.
Teddy scrambled to his feet, beating the dirt off the seat of his jeans with his hands. "Where? Your den?"
"No," Coyote said, wrinkling His snout in amusement. "There hasn't been a human in My den since … well, never mind how long it's been or who it was. Your friends are waiting for you along with a very impatient thunderbird."
Harry blinked in surprise when Teddy appeared at the entrance of the cave. He just went in … I guess he didn't find anything? He watched as the teenagers exclaimed in surprise as Duncan held Teddy's broom steady while his godson clambered onto it.
The kids were all chattering at once and Harry strained to make out what they were saying. So, he did meet Coyote? Then where— His thoughts were interrupted when he sensed a heaviness in the air. He looked up at the sky, expecting to see black, swirling clouds getting ready to pour down rain, but nothing had changed. All of the small hairs on his body felt like they were standing up and his phoenix feather tattoo throbbed in time with his heart.
Led by Teddy, now back to his normal size, the four teenagers and the thunderbird landed at the base of the cliff and Harry held himself back from rushing forward, looking for the source of the magical disturbance he felt so keenly. He desperately wanted to spring into action and he had his wand in hand when he had his breath taken away by the sight of an enormous coyote trotting forward to meet his godson and his friends.
At the base of the cliff, Coyote strode out of the bushes and sat down, gazing calmly at them. A ray of light managed to break through the cloud cover and touch Him on the tips of His ears. Teddy shivered at the prickling sensation all along his skin, feeling like his ears were stopped up and he shook his head, trying to clear them. Next to him, Kelly sneezed three times in a row.
Teddy winced when he heard Alison gasp. "Awwwww, He's adorable!" she whispered, giving him the crazy impulse to giggle. Now that he saw Him in the muted sunlight outside of the tunnel, he had to admit that the creature in front of them did look adorable with His brushy tail wrapped neatly around His feet, black whiskers twitching along with His nose.
He felt Kelly clutching his arm tightly and he abruptly realized that he was back to his normal size. How did He do that? I didn't feel anything! He'd never let on to his friends, but depending on what he was doing, changing his body could sometimes be downright uncomfortable.
"You were gone hardly any time at all," Kelly whispered, eyes glued to the deity sitting at attention in front of them, "did you meet Him at His den?"
"What are you talking about? I was in that tunnel for ages," Teddy said, glancing at his watch. He saw only about five minutes had passed and he frowned. "Um … well, maybe it felt like longer than it was?"
"Teddy Lupin, you have the whisker now?" Niyol asked, swooping down to land on a nearby outcropping of rock, eyeing Coyote suspiciously. Coyote returned his look with one of disinterest and yawned, deliberately looking away.
"No, I asked for it, but He wouldn't give it to me."
"Coyote! We have found Your den and You are required to grant us a boon. We wish to have one of Your whiskers," Niyol said forcefully, fluffing up his feathers to make himself look larger.
Teddy held his breath as Coyote looked at the young thunderbird, disdain clear on His face. "Are you using the royal 'we', Niyol? Because as I recall, only this young man managed to attain the entrance to My den." Outside of the confines of the tunnel, Coyote's voice still sent vibrations all through Teddy's body, making him think of when Harry would take him to a concert and how the music would roll through him.
"The hole in the rock was too small and I could not fit!" Niyol protested, relaxing his feathers and looking more his normal, but still enormous, size.
"That is not My problem, then, is it?" Coyote looked at each of the four teenagers in turn and Teddy had the feeling that He was seeing more than their outward appearances. "You have all had a hand in locating My den and as custom dictates, you may ask something of Me. What boon would you ask Me to grant?"
Teddy heard a general shuffling of feet around him and he glanced around to his friends, wondering if any of them would actually ask for something. Coyote sat silently observing them, favoring them with His canine grin. "Come now, surely there is something you would want. Fame? Success? New clothes? Money?"
"Um, no sir," Duncan said, sounding like his voice was on the verge of breaking. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Teddy told me about Niyol and I, um, I just wanted to help." He shrugged and gave Coyote his own grin. "I couldn't pass up an opportunity to meet You."
Coyote seemed to inflate at the frank admiration in Duncan's voice and He nodded, taking the regard as His due. Next to Duncan, Alison spoke up. "Um, can I touch you?"
Coyote's golden eyes lit up and He seemed to smile even wider, showing sharp white teeth. "Oh, brave girl to want to touch one such as I." He inclined His head at her and she hesitantly stepped forward, letting go of Duncan's hand. She stood before Him and carefully stretched out her hand, patting Him gently on top of His head.
"He's so soft!" she exclaimed as Coyote pushed His head against her hand, moving around so she would scratch His ears. Teddy watched, utterly amazed as the deity practically went to pieces underneath Alison's hands, going so far as to stand up so she could rake her fingers over His ribs, but stopping short of offering her His belly. As she worked up a storm of loose hair, Teddy's skin shivered and he sneezed, even though he knew he wasn't allergic to animals.
Alison gave Coyote a final pat and laughed as He shook His entire body and sat down, panting happily. When she turned back to him, Teddy saw that her blue eyes were practically glowing and he wondered if she would have any lasting effects from contact with the ancient trickster. She took Duncan's hand again and they put their heads together, whispering excitedly.
Dignity recovered, Coyote surveyed them again. "Anyone else wish to ask something of Me?" He asked, golden eyes settling on each of them in turn.
Out of the corner of his eye, Teddy saw Niyol open his beak, but he held up his hand. "Coyote, I would like to have one of Your whiskers," Teddy said, concentrating on keeping his voice even.
"Teddy Lupin, are you certain this is what you would ask of Me?" Coyote asked, His words having the ring of formality.
Teddy took a deep breath and swallowed. "Yes, sir. This is all I would ask of you."
Coyote looked at him for a long time, giving Teddy the feeling that He was somehow simultaneously disappointed with and proud of him before he finally nodded once. "Approach Me."
Kelly squeezed his arm tightly before letting go and Teddy walked forward, acutely aware of Kelly, Duncan, Alison and Niyol all watching him. Now that he was back to his regular size, he realized that Coyote was much larger than a normal coyote, His head well above Teddy's waist. He stood in front of the deity at a bit of a loss. "So … um … do I just …?"
"Choose wisely. You want to make sure you get a good one," Coyote said with a hint of a grin as He held His head still.
Teddy looked at the black whiskers clustered on Coyote's snout, noticing their shimmer in the waning sunlight. He pinched one in between his fingers and gave a pull, almost jumping at the sound of a bell as the whisker came away in his fingers. He looked around, but no one else seemed to have heard it.
"Done!" Coyote proclaimed. "Teddy Lupin, you have found the entrance to My den and as such I have granted you the boon you requested. When you leave this place, you will forget how to return." The feral grin returned. "I can't have you kids here every day bothering Me for whiskers and whatnot."
"Will we forget meeting you?" Kelly asked, taking his hand as Teddy stood next to her again, precious whisker clutched tightly in his other one.
"No. I would never allow you to forget meeting Me," Coyote said kindly as He stood up. "Perhaps you'll see me again one day." Teddy watched, spellbound, as Coyote simply walked into the surrounding underbrush, disappearing from sight in seconds.
"That. Was. Amazing!" Duncan said, eyes dancing with delight.
"That was pretty cool," Teddy said, squeezing Kelly's hand as he smiled at her, a tingle running through him at her responding smile.
"I can't believe we actually met a god." Alison's voice was full of wonder as she looked back up to the caves dotting the cliff above them.
"Stick with me and you'll go places," Duncan said, wrapping his arms around her and making her giggle.
"Teddy Lupin, you will give me the whisker now?" Niyol asked from his perch on the rock outcropping.
"Yeah, all right. It's yours. Or Yoki's?"
"Yes! I will give it to Yoki right away and she will build a nest that will stand for generations of thunderbirds."
Teddy held out the whisker, unsure of how Niyol planned to carry it to his lady thunderbird until he stretched out a foot, wickedly sharp talons shining. "Wait!" Kelly said when Niyol spread his wings.
"Yes, Kelly Taylor?"
Kelly looked at Teddy and licked her lips nervously. "Can I, um, can I have one of your feathers?"
Niyol looked at her, surprise evident on his usually stern face before finally nodding. He extended a huge wing and a single feather detached itself and floated down. It shone bronze and gold and Kelly caught it before it could hit the ground, stroking it reverently. "Thank you," she whispered, tucking the feather away in her coat pocket.
"Thank you for your help, Teddy Lupin. If you ever have need of me, call my name and I will hear you on the wind." The thunderbird spread his wings and gave a mighty flap, launching his body into the air with a thunderous boom.
The four teenagers looked up in the sky, watching as he became a tiny dot against the gray clouds. "Well, I guess that's it," Teddy said. "I guess we'd better get back. That movie is way over by now."
"We'll say we hung out in Japantown and got noodles or something," Duncan suggested.
"What about Katie?"
"Oh, man, I forgot about her. I guess we need to go back and get her."
"Well, let's get going then," Teddy said, turning back to where they'd left the brooms leaning against the cliff. "Hey, where did—" he said, sucking in a breath when he saw Harry leaning nonchalantly next to the brooms, arms crossed.
"Oh shit. We're boned," Duncan said, taking the words right out of Teddy's mouth.
You ridiculous boy. You crazy, brave, ridiculous boy, Harry thought as he watched his godson pluck a whisker from the muzzle of a god. And Alison! My God! He'd nearly blown his cover when she approached Coyote and reached a hand out to touch Him. Heart in his throat, he held himself, half-ready to Apparate and grab the girl at the first sign of mischief. Like the rest of them, he found himself completely dumbfounded as she proceeded to give Coyote a very thorough rubdown, the magic in the air making his tattoo burn almost as if he were being Summoned.
Duncan didn't ask for anything. I thought sure he would ask for something like guaranteed acceptance into the Auror Academy, he thought, knowing that the boy ached to follow his father into the Aurors with his very core.
As Coyote took His leave from the group, Harry jerked in surprise when the old trickster's eyes met his, the mellow gold color filling his vision for an endless second. Harry sucked in a huge breath when He turned away, sighing quietly in relief as the throbbing ache in his tattoo gradually faded as He sidled into the underbrush, finally disappearing all together a few seconds later. He knew I was here and didn't betray me. Interesting. I don't think I've ever felt a presence that strong before, he thought as he watched Teddy and his friends exclaim over the event. Don't think I've ever been in the presence of a deity before …. He pursed his lips as he thought, watching as Teddy gave Niyol the hard-won whisker.
The boom of the thunderbird taking off shook him out of his reverie and he glanced around, spying the brooms leaning against the cliff. Moving carefully, he went and stood next to them, making sure to lean casually against the rock wall. Choosing his moment, he dispelled the Disillusionment Charm just as Teddy turned to look for the brooms.
"Harry!" Teddy squeaked, wincing as his voice went up two octaves. Kelly clutched his hand even tighter and he grit his teeth against her strong grip. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Harry, um, what are you doing here?"
Harry didn't say anything, just continued looking at them and Teddy desperately searched his face for any hint as to how this was going to go. Digging his hand in his pocket, he came up with his phone, heart sinking at the text message displayed on the screen. "Coming to meet you," he muttered.
"A fine time to check your phone," Harry said, voice that sort of calm that Teddy had only heard a few times in his life.
"Mr Potter we—" Duncan said, interrupted when Harry scowled at him. Alison let out a quiet 'meep' and leaned closer to him, burying her face in his shoulder.
"You four are going to come with me. Now." Their brooms flew toward them, Teddy catching his on reflex and for a moment, he wondered how Harry was going to fly back to the school with them, feeling stupid when his godfather bent over and picked up a pine cone, gesturing for them to come closer.
Teddy traded a look with Duncan and took a deep breath, squeezing Kelly's hand reassuringly as he touched the pinecone, the familiar jerk behind the bellybutton sending him and his friends along with his supremely angry godfather back to the closest Apparation point near St Ambrose's. The walk back to the equipment room to return the brooms was uncomfortably silent and Teddy felt the spot right between his shoulder blades starting to burn with tension.
Once the brooms were safely locked away, Harry broke the silence. "Duncan, your sister is at my house. We will go to my house where you will pick her up and take her home."
"Yes, sir," Duncan said, looking down at his trainers.
"Alison, you may head home anytime you like."
"Yes, sir. I'd, um, I'd like to make sure Katie's okay," she said, giving Harry a shy smile.
Harry nodded and turned to Teddy. "Once Katie has been escorted home, you and Kelly are coming with me to explain to Kelly's father why she wasn't studying at Alison's like she told him she was going to be."
A swell of lightheadedness came over Teddy and for a moment he thought he was going to be sick right in front of everyone. Kelly gasped and put her hand over her mouth, eyes looking huge in her face. The vision of Mr Taylor's angry face swam before him and his gut roiled once more. He took a deep breath, fixing Coyote in his mind. I just plucked a whisker from a god. I can face an angry father.
