Jacob would wake up that morning, wondering if an earthquake had hit. He'd be lying in bed until he heard the door click and open. To the young man's shock, he was met by a young anthro coyote in beige shorts and a short, green button-up shirt.
"Hi, there! You must be Jacob right?" The coyote greeted him.
"Uh, yeah. That's me," Jacob said, still trying to shake off the grogginess of sleep, too tired to react to Pete’s appearance.
"I'm Pete, your roommate!" The coyote grinned along his muzzle, holding out his paw. Jacob shook it hesitantly, still not used to the idea of living with an anthropomorphic animal.
"Nice to meet you," Jacob said, still feeling a bit awkward. "So, you are a... um, wolf, right?"
"I’m actually a coyote." Peter corrected Jacob. "We have different color fur and we’re smaller than wolves. I know it's a bit weird, but don't worry, we'll get along just fine. Now, Wanna go get breakfast?"
Jacob smiled, starting to feel a bit more at ease. "Sure, thanks. That sounds great." As they walked to the cafeteria and grabbed breakfast before taking a seat.
"What year are you in?" Jacob asks, "You weren't here yesterday when I moved in, So I’m guessing you are a returning student."
"Yeah, Junior year, I got started here my freshman year. You're a transfer kid, right? You seem older than some of the other humans here."
"I am, yes. Junior year as well" Jacob replied. "Are there any groups or activities here that this place offers?"
"Yes, there's groups based on major, species, interests, the like. Sorta like how high school was."
"Where are you from? "Jacob asked.
"I live in a town called Sagebrush," Pete answered. “It’s a lot of sprawl, but nonetheless it is a pretty cool place with a lot to do there. Amusement parks, Casinos, bike trails, the like.”
“Somewhere near Las Vegas right?” Jacob asks confused.
“No, no, It’s Sagebrush, I guess Vegas is what humans like to call it.” the canine corrects him.
"Me? I'm from Ohio. Cleveland area." Jacob said, as his roommate raised an eyebrow in confusion. “It’s not too special of a place. Mostly just urban decay and gray skies for as far as the eye can see.” The human sighed before he continued speaking, “I wanted to get away from there, which is why I decided to go across the country here for school. I don’t have a lot of friends back home. I always struggled making and keeping them during High School. Mostly because I tried way too hard to fit in with people and I constantly embarrassed myself in the process.”
Pete’s ears began to lower hearing about Jacob’s life back home. “Gee, I’m sorry you felt like you had to do that to find people that would be your friend,” he replied. “But that’s the beauty of having a change of scenery, a fresh slate to start over. A lotta people come over here for just that.”
Jacob sends another question to his new roommate, "So, who was your old roommate? I’d imagine you had one before I came along, "
"Miles. He's actually my boyfriend. My handsome Mountain Lion boy."
"So you like guys too?" Jacob asked intrigued.
"Yeah, I'm gay." Pete replied." The gay dating scene is pretty big here and the Anthro side in general."
"I mean, I'm actually bi myself, so it should help that I have a decent pool of guys to choose from," Jacob added. “Perhaps the ladies here are pretty lovely here as well.”
Their conversation was interrupted when Grayson walked up to them. when an otter approached him. "Hey, you're one of the new students, I'm assuming you must be Jacob right?" the otter asked. "I'm Grayson. I was asked to give these out to all the new students. It's a welcome letter with some information about Claw Valley and how to get around to life on this side.It will also have results to the personality test we had you take before you got here."
Jacob took the envelope from Grayson and thanked him. It was nice to have a little extra guidance about the new school. As he was about to ask a few more questions, Grayson's attention turned toward his roommate, Pete.
"Hey there, Pete!" Grayson greeted the coyote. "How are you settling in with your new roommate?"
Pete smiled and replied, "Very well, Jacob here has been a pretty nice person so far, and you, Gray?"
"Kaid just got here earlier this morning. He's an eager beaver, and one I'm willing to get to know as this semester pans out," Grayson replied with a chuckle. "I gotta get these letters sent out, I gotta get my morning swim done. Have a good semester, you too!" With that, Grayson waved and headed off to finish his tasks.
“Is he an athlete or something?” Jacob asks as he and Pete walk back to their room
“Yeah, Water polo team, but he’d still be going for swims if he wasn’t. Otters are near inseparable from water.”
“A lot of us have the same instincts animals have in your world. I, like other coyotes, howl at the moon when it's out. We get into a lot of howling matches with the wolves here, it’s sort of like a rivalry between us on who can do it better.”
The two then close the door to their dorm room and Jacob decides to open the note Grayson had handed to him earlier.
“So, what did you get?” Pete asks as his tail wags
“Relax, I haven’t finished reading yet.” Jacob says as he begins to read the letter given to him
"Jacob, Welcome to Claw Valley University and the incredible world it inhabits.
Claw Valley University and the area it surrounds is a unique place. It is at a confluence between two different worlds. The human world you have spent your entire life in until yesterday, and the so-called "Other Side" where most of your new peers, as well as your CAs, are from. This other side is where you see the "Furries" as you may be more familiar with calling them in your world, but the inhabitants on this side refer to themselves as “Anthros” and would prefer you to refer to them as anthros the way you would call others humans. Claw Valley is one of the few places in the world to have portals that take you from one world to another from time to time, which is what happened to you last night.
You’re going to find that this world is mostly just like your old one, just a little furrier, And when you come over to this side, things about you start to change. Think of it as immigrating to a different country and assimilating into its society. Your body will adapt to this world and it will change to fit this world. You will become an anthro, just like those you have met today. It might take a week, it might take a month, but nonetheless, you will change. That is an inevitable fact of life here in the Valley and this side in general.
These changes will not be painful and they are reversible. If at the end of the semester, you want to return to the human world you can do that and you'll be back to your old self. If you decide you like it here, you can stay for good. Changing from a human to an animal might come with New feelings, new ways of looking at the world, and new lives. To adapt to this, you as well as all other new students are registered for Anthro 101. A class that helps you understand what's going to happen with you."
Jacob was stunned by what he was reading, having an anthropomorphic animal as a roommate was one thing, but the fact that he was going to become one was even more jaw-dropping. Probably explains the whole personality quiz they gave him. He also wondered what he would become. He was assigned a coyote as a roommate, maybe something complementary to Peter, maybe a similar species to him. The possibilities were very wide. Jacob continued to read as it continued to get more shocking.
"You will not be allowed to return to the human world until the start of the Holiday Break, which begins the week of Thanksgiving. The only time you can transfer to and back between worlds is between semesters. Your transformation begins today and will complete no later than the end of this month.”
Enjoy your time here at college and have fun, and be safe. " This made Jacob queasy, as he finished reading, he then noticed at the very bottom of the letter which read:
“YOUR ASSIGNED SPECIES: