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_"It was in the first grade when I first met him..." _

May 14, 2013

A stampede of school children assaulted the blacktop with a barrage of footsteps following the signal from the school bell. It was the best subject of the day: Recess, a test of who can kick a ball the furthest, or a study of those strange bugs collecting near the small puddles right next to the classrooms where the rickety, rusty, and runny air conditioners leaked.

Ian had escaped the rambunctious riptide with careful sidestepping, and strolled across the hot pavement to settle down. He sat in his usual spot; it was a square of newer asphalt, higher than the rest of the ground. The coyote looked out to the playground and watched the other students play. Summer was creeping around the corner and brought with it a hot gaze that peeked on the Earth. Ian preferred to save his energy for when he was home and to stay focused in class. Not to mention avoiding getting the sickening smell of dirty metal from the playground equipment on his hands.

He envied the students who could play under the May sunlight. He'd get tired easily, and the heat only made it worse for his densely furred figure.

The Sun's gold rays pierced the low clouds of past rainfalls and cast lumpy shadows over the school ground. Shade swept across the land, bringing with it Ian's fascination of the sky. His brown eyes watched the white and gray fluffs glide along at a snail's pace. How he yearned for it to rain again. It was warming up quick in the western regions, and the dense clouds departed just as fast. No farewell nor a sparse raindrop to kiss his forehead goodbye. The savory, almost acrid smell of wet earth was drying up in his memory from two weeks ago. Its scent only a hush that tickled his moist doggy nose.

Time could pass a blinding pace, but not as blinding as the sunlight burning up Ian's thought process, and his eyes. An unwelcome light forced him out of his cozy, dim head space. Ian bids his farewell to the clouds. He'll miss them greatly.

Now, what else to do to pass the time...

The coyote, seated criss cross applesauce, thought of his next move. Thinking was a good attribute of his. Unfortunately, his parents could never get him to act. His hand mindlessly shimmied up his thigh to dig in his pocket and fiddled around inside.

A classroom door then squeaked as it opened. An older voice spoke on the other side of it to a just as mysterious student. "I understand that you may feel a little uncomfortable around others, but please, try to get some fresh air. Recess is almost over, okay?" A masculine hand gently nudged a boy out past the door. "No buts this time," He said, shutting door tightly. A young jackal looked back with a scared expression.

Ian stared, but only for a second before returning to his own business. He didn't want to be rude to the mysterious child.

A shy rustling behind him called to his attention. At this rate, the object stuck in his pocket will never be freed. Ian swiveled his head and discovered that Little Mystery sat just several feet away from him. At first glance he thought he was a husky from the accents on his face. The jackal had a type of pattern that gave him a cute angry expression. A mixed breed perhaps. The boy's ears were tall and sharp, attentive and precise. Clad in black fur with dark brown stirred in. His facial markings were lighter in comparison, and glowed in the sunlight.

Mystery's eyes were shielded from inspection. He hugged his legs, knees to his chest as he rested his cheek between them. All Ian saw were the tiny bulges of his pupils from the side. He was so fixed on staring at the ground that he was watched for a good minute or two by the coyote without noticing. It wasn't until he decided to come in for a closer look that he realized what he was up to.

Ian scooted not even five inches closer to him and Mystery's attention went on high alert. His head rose instantly and his eyes locked onto him, carefully viewing the curious boy. Mystery froze the coyote in his sights. Never before had Ian made such deep eye contact with someone. It was uncomfortable how suddenly it had happened. He sat still and stared back, staring with enough focus to see his reflection trapped in the jackal's icy blue eyes. Mystery's face was still and expressionless, yet his eyes were telling a story of sadness, one Ian didn't quite understand.

Both stared in silence. It was a tense stare down between icy blue and earthy brown. Mystery wanted to dig himself out of the awkward situation he got himself stuck in, but Ian was quick to break the ice. Time to make a new friend.

He straightened his legs out and excavated a third time. Retrieving the lost object from his pocket was a success at last; a rescued two inch tall robot figurine. Solid green and completely stiff, Ian had gotten it from a fifty cent machine outside of a local store among other cheap items, such as a colorful bouncy ball one would immediately lose minutes after turning the knob to the machine.

Mystery watched the tiny bot stand, then launch toward him with a flick from Ian. Clickity clack, the robot bounced on the hard ground until it lied beside him. It was the perfect move to distract him for just enough time to let Ian get closer.

He simply stared, his mind full of worry. Eyes widened as he hoped he could freeze up the coyote for stepping into his comfort zone and get out of there. Where was that bell when he needed it?

A hand extended out to Mystery and held a red robot between two digits. "Wanna play robots?" Ian asked, smiling.

Cautiously, Mystery reached for the green robot and picked it up, eyes glancing up and down at it and Ian. He held its legs in a softly clenched fist and motioned it in the red robot's direction. They tapped bots. Always best to show sportsmanship before a duel.

Ian's face lit up. Without warning, he initiated the robot battle. Boops, beeps, and destructive laser blasts brought life to the miniature machines of mayhem. At least, on Ian's side, but he was more than happy to make noises for team green, as well.

The battle turned fierce once Mystery adjusted to the situation. Stomps of his mean green machine shook the earth with shattering force as it warmed up for an attack. Quiet humming from him created the start up noise for jet boosters. Then, his bot rose to the clouds and went in for a bold dive attack on team read.

There was no going back after such a brutal move.

Ian retaliated with a kick. Strikes and energy blasts exchanged between team red and green. It was an all out fight that turned more gruesome as it continued. And the furry gods controlling them simply giggled in amusement at the display.

Right when Ian was ready to set off a blackhole bomb in a kamikaze attempt to take team green with him the bell rang. The robot war was put on hold. The school children were safe from total obliteration. For now...

"Aww!" Ian pouted, lowering his robot.

Mystery returned to a shy and gloomy state as if nothing had happened. He stood up as students walked past them, and tried to give Ian his toy back so he can head back to class.

Ian denied his return. "You can keep that! We can play again at lunch time!"

The jackal nearly recoiled in confusion.

Keep the robot? He had just met this boy minutes ago and he let him have his toy just like that? Was there a catch? Was this just a mean trick to tease the jackal for something he didn't have and he'll rip the robot from his hands and laugh at him?

"Really?..."

"Yeah," Ian barked with excitement. His tail swung side to side with enough speed to whip up a dust storm. "My name is Ian!"

Icy eyes rolled down to the ground. "Okay... Um, I-I'm Gallegos," He replied, meekly. He didn't smile, but Ian could read just how he felt.

"Your name sounds cool! I'm a--"

"Alright, you two. Best get a move on. Don't want to keep your classmates waiting." A teacher cut in. They nudged the boys in the right direction, but stayed by Gallegos' side.

The jackal worked up the courage to give a tiny smile to Ian and waved at him. He watched him the whole time he walked back to class. The distance between their rooms was mildly far. Eventually, Ian was nowhere to be seen after mixing in with a group of students.

Gallegos slowly walked back to class with the teacher by his side. They smiled down at him and patted his head. "You did very good out there today. Your mother will be very happy to hear that you made a new friend. Make sure you don't lose that little thing."

He pocketed his new robot and met up with the rest of the students. He didn't bother looking at any of them. He thought about what his teacher said about telling his mom about his new friend. She didn't need to know about Ian. Not anytime soon. Come to think of it, he also didn't want to go home that day.