"The Nemeton isn't usually fickle; if summoning is now a fact of life, it should work as you expect. We can skip that step, if you think it's unnecessary."

"I'll contact the relevant teenagers, then."

He makes a call.

"What makes the teenagers relevant?"

"Most of them are magical. And they seem to be the resident problem-solving team."

"The teenagers he's calling in particular are the ones with the unusual connection to the Nemeton. He should probably call the hellhound as well. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He steps out, following his friend. 

"So why me? I presume you wrote that circle."

"They wanted to test summoning. Given the uncertainties, I didn't want to impose a restrictive binding. You're one of the few I'd trust with that. And your versatility could prove useful."

"It's okay to say you missed me, you know."

And he returns.

"Scott, Stiles, and Deputy Parrish should be here soon. Is there anything you'd like to do until then?"

"What are their," handwave, "deals?"

"Scott is the local alpha. He's surrounded by a pack of fellow werewolves, a werecoyote, a banshee, a kitsune, and their human companions. They chose to follow him, mostly, for reasons that amount to being otherwise alone or isolated. Stiles is a human who has been involved with local supernatural politics for almost two years. He's not very relevant besides the fact that both he and Scott have a special connection to the Nemeton. Deputy Parrish is a hellhound, and they have a unique role among shapeshifters; they serve as a conduit to other powerful forces, including the Nemeton." 

"Why do they have a special connection to the Nemeton? And is Deputy Parrish's deputy-ness separate from his hellhound-osity?"

"The special connection is a result of a magical ritual. The hellhound is also a deputy; the two things are...theoretically unrelated."

"And how closely does the theory match reality?"

"Hellhounds protect the supernatural community. He arrived here after the Nemeton was awakened."

"Well, I don't know about you, but that sets my conspiracy senses to tingling."

Ellie rolls her eyes.

"The Nemeton attracts the supernatural. I imagine he was drawn by the sudden influx."

"Is-"

"I am reasonably certain there is no such thing as a secret cabal of hellhounds. He didn't even know he was one until a few days ago."

"Most shapeshifters don't know. A few are born into families that explain things, and some are turned by a helpful alpha, but mostly, everyone figures it out on their own, or dies. It's not a very pretty system. We were working on it," he adds, with a glance at the doctor.

"You died. She died. I retired."

"Blood transfusion from an immortal Nazi werewolf," she says in response to Eli's expression.