Consterra (eBook)

1

Vision Quest

In the atmosphere, a menacing, foul, and vile dark shadow roamed from Valles Caldera, rapidly expanding over the four corners region and unleashing unforeseen trouble. It was an ominous night in Kawuneeche Valley, also known as the Coyote Valley. A young coyote named Ijul, stood outside the cave where his pack of coyotes lived. Ijul was a dreamer and a seeker of adventure. He was staring and observing the dark sky, hoping to spot a star hidden in the multitude of clouds. He desired to make his wish full of thrilling escapades. He looked hard through the dense canopy. No matter how much he stared, he knew he wouldn’t successfully find a star that night.

Ijul was the eldest child of two. Since he was a pup, his broad gray back made him look huskier than average, and his long brown legs made him stand out from the rest of the young coyotes in the den. Because of his enormous size, he was clumsy and felt inferior to his peers. He grew doubtful of his capacities. Consequently, all he wanted to do was hide. For he never demonstrated or gave any signs of ever maturing. Therefore, he never had a good relationship with his parents, Patwin and Roxina, and his athletic younger sister, Adina. A rigorous father and the pack leader, Patwin was firm, rigidly enforcing good discipline and behavior. Roxina, on the other hand, understood no child is alike. She was a loving and affectionate mother who tried her hardest to understand and help her children find their purpose. She only desired for her son to escape his sister’s shadow. Ijul carried so much pain on his back that it blindsided his view. Resentful, he always thought Adina was his parent’s favorite child. It seemed to him they were more understanding of everything that involved Adina’s needs.

Meanwhile, everyone else just thought Ijul was jealous of Adina’s potential. Unlike her brother, at a young age, Adina discovered her most extraordinary talent: she could outrun everything and everyone without even trying. Naturally, everyone in the pack admired her abilities. This added more fuel to the fire and made Ijul feel alone, unwanted, and unappreciated.

Indeed, like all teenagers, he was going through a difficult period in his life. He felt like he didn’t belong in this close-knit pack. Ijul was different in that he wasn’t disciplined and organized like the rest of the group. He could not and did not want to follow the rules. He lacked motivation and the proper skills to cooperate with others. He was opinionated, stubborn, and had some crazy ideas at times, always getting himself and others in trouble. He never intended to hurt no one; deep down, he had a big heart full of self-doubt and pain. No one ever seemed to understand him, so he was characterized as the rebel of the pack. Unsure of how to react and doubtful of others, Ijul never took anything seriously or listened to anyone. He never followed the pack and enjoyed solitude, which gave him peace of mind.

Unexpectedly that night, the clouds that Lakeoa had summoned at Valles Caldera had shortly arrived at Coyote Valley, darkening the sky. Thunder and lightning followed, as did the rain. It was the beginning of a massive storm. Cognizant of the storm that emerged, Roxina walked to the cave entrance and called Ijul, urging him to protect himself from the rain. “Ijul, please come in.” Her words brought him back to his sad reality, but Ijul ignored his mother, pretending he didn’t hear her because of the storm. “Sweetheart, you are getting wet.”

This infuriated Patwin as he looked at Roxina with a stern face, “Why does he ignore us? What does he get from this disobedient behavior? Who does he think we are?”

Roxina answered, trying to avoid another confrontation between Ijul and his father, “He probably didn’t hear me.”

“Roxina, quit fooling yourself. He has no respect for us whatsoever.” Patwin went outside to bring Ijul inside the cave forcefully. The lingering odious air fueled Patwin’s anger and made rage. “Your mother told you to go inside!”

“I don’t want to go.” Ijul reacted unconcerned.

“I am not your mother! I am not asking you. I am demanding you to get in at this instant!”

“No, I am not!” Ijul responded defiantly.

Patwin was tired of Ijul’s constant defiance. Without thinking, he attacked Ijul, which forced him to defend himself, and just like that, father and son began to quarrel.

Roxina ran and screamed out, worried, “Stop fighting!”

Even the rain couldn’t hold back the riled-up pack of coyotes. Intrigued by the outcome, they wanted to witness the brawl between father and son. Most of the pack betted on the buffed and skilled Patwin; they thought he would easily win the fight. Meanwhile, Roxina struggled to separate the pair. She placed herself in the middle of the situation, receiving punches and scratches from both sides. Alas, the physical fight ended when both realized they were hurting the coyote they loved the most, but anger and disappointment could still be sensed in the air.

The three of them stood in the rain, silent. The cold drops of water cooled Patwin’s temper, slowly calmed down, and came to his senses, “I have tried to reason and understand you, Ijul. But I have had it with you! You do not like my rules and do not want to obey them. I see you do not want to be here. I will no longer hold you back from your happiness. I want you to leave Coyote Valley right this instant.”

Roxina was surprised to hear her husband say such jarring words to their only son. “No!”

Ijul responded with indifference but offensive, “I am leaving! Not because you want me to leave. But because I truly hate being here and I despise you all.”

Roxina felt a terrible blow to the heart. Hearing her son talk that way devastated her even more. All she wanted to do was calm him down. “Son, you don’t know what you are saying. You are angry right now. You just need to calm down. I know once you do so, you will realize the harshness of your words.” She wanted to embrace her son and show him her love.

Ijul didn’t want his mother’s affection, much less her comfort. So, he avoided his mother by taking a few steps back. “No, mom! I know what I said and meant every word. Nothing will make me change my mind.”

He looked at everyone in the pack with distress. The rain did an excellent job of concealing the tears from his bright yellow eyes. “I meant every word.”

Ijul started to walk away crestfallen in the rain without nowhere to go as gossip resonated inside the cave. “Where is he going in this storm? He’s a fool. He’ll never make out alive!” Roxina knew that was true as she attempted to stop him, but Patwin held her back. “Let him go, Roxina! Your stubborn son must learn the hard way! Then he will realize he needs us and the pack more than he thinks.” Roxina wept. “Stop crying! Don’t worry; he will be back before you know it!” He knew how painful this was for his wife, so he tried to console her.

She couldn’t understand Patwin. His calmness and cold attitude were hurting her even more. She loved her son dearly and felt as if a piece of her had died that night. She did not want him to leave. She wanted him to stay at home. “Many bad things are happening out in the world right now. Danger lurks in every corner. He will not survive on his own.” She looked her mate directly in the eyes, “How could you ask your son to leave? If something ever happens to Ijul, Patwin, I will never forgive you!”

“You heard him yourself, Roxina. He doesn’t want to be here. He would eventually leave us. I know you think I’m hard on Ijul. I want what is best for him. He is my son, too! I truly believe this journey he’s about to embark on will awaken his hidden talent and help him discover his true place on earth. I pray to Father Universe and hope for his own sake that he has his vision quest sooner rather than later.” Inconsolable, Roxina howled all through the night.

***

Minutes into traveling alone, Ijul didn’t go far. He wasn’t ready to leap towards freedom. He couldn’t believe it. Everything was going so fast. He was finally free from his father’s yoke. But before walking out into the world. The young coyote found the last cave out of the valley and took shelter. Second guessing his actions, thinking, did I do the right thing? Will I survive on my own? I’ve never been alone before. Just about now, the idea crossed his mind that having Adina and her friends over as companions wasn’t so bad. The silence of the cave made him think and value friendship a little more.

Golo, Adriel, Stella, Mako, and Chunty galloped tranquil into Coyote Valley despite the murky hours of the night. A droplet of water gave them a hint of the weather they were about to encounter. Adriel looked up to the sky and saw the dark, heavy clouds, thinking about the welfare of the children. This isn’t going to be a good night.

In a moment, they were in the middle of the storm. Mako tried sheltering Chunty between Stella and him, but that did not work. There was nothing around them that could be of any use. It was a long night ahead, so Golo kept going. When lightning hit Coyote Valley, the land became illuminated. At that moment, Adriel caught sight of the nearest shelter, “There, I see a cave! Go that way, Golo!” He pointed straight to the cave. “We are going to have to take cover there. The rain and the wind are too strong; we must continue in the morning.”

Golo saw the cave and started to walk towards it. By now, all five were soaking...