COYOTE PUP
Coyote Pup awoke amidst a puppy pile of sisters and brothers, burrowed into Mother Coyote’s warm belly, on that terrible sunny, summer day.
Just like every other day since he’d been able to stumble along behind his mom, he and his littermates tripped and fell and then lunged ahead only to lag behind again as Mother Coyote led them to the meadow with tall, yellowed grass. The grass made shushing sounds as they tried to step with feet as quiet as their mother’s feet on the parched ground.
Just like every other day since he’d been able to stumble along behind his mom, he and his littermates tripped and fell and then lunged ahead only to lag behind again as Mother Coyote led them to the meadow with tall, yellowed grass. The grass made shushing sounds as they tried to step with feet as quiet as their mother’s feet on the parched ground.
While Mother Coyote hunted juicy moles, Coyote Pup raced after his sisters and brothers. They wrestled and tumbled and stalked each other through the grass. Finally growing bored, they dropped their noses to the ground to follow invisible trails made by rabbits and raccoons and other creatures that had crossed the meadow.
Coyote Pup spotted a bright orange and black butterfly, wings slowly waving as it perched on a white flower. He lowered himself until his belly hairs dragged on the ground, then stalked the butterfly. When he pounced, the butterfly fluttered up and away with Coyote Pup close behind. Finally, right before his legs got too tired to move, Coyote Pup lunged and snapped! And missed as the butterfly soared higher and higher. Coyote Pup collapsed to the ground. His pink tongue hung from the side of his open mouth.
Coyote Pup spotted a bright orange and black butterfly, wings slowly waving as it perched on a white flower. He lowered himself until his belly hairs dragged on the ground, then stalked the butterfly. When he pounced, the butterfly fluttered up and away with Coyote Pup close behind. Finally, right before his legs got too tired to move, Coyote Pup lunged and snapped! And missed as the butterfly soared higher and higher. Coyote Pup collapsed to the ground. His pink tongue hung from the side of his open mouth.
After a while, Coyote Pup raised his head. He cocked his ears first one way then the other. The only thing he heard was the buzzing of some small insect. He stood up. He trotted to the right and stopped. He listened. Nothing. He trotted to the left and stopped. He listened. Nothing. No playful yips. No mock growls. No sharp barks from Mother Coyote to call him to her. A whine began in the back of his throat. A sad, questioning whine.
The whine built as he slowly stepped forward. The whine rumbled in his belly and made his heart pound with fear.
He raised his sharp nose into the air. With a deep breath, he sniffed. Nothing. He couldn't find the warm smell of his mother. He turned to face the other way. He raised his sharp nose into the air. He took a deep breath. Nothing. He couldn't find the dusty, sweet smells of his sisters and brothers.
Where was his family? He started to trot. When he heard the hissing sound, he stopped. Snake? With his head cocked, he swiveled his ears. Not snake, but what?
He raised his sharp nose into the air. With a deep breath, he sniffed. Nothing. He couldn't find the warm smell of his mother. He turned to face the other way. He raised his sharp nose into the air. He took a deep breath. Nothing. He couldn't find the dusty, sweet smells of his sisters and brothers.
Where was his family? He started to trot. When he heard the hissing sound, he stopped. Snake? With his head cocked, he swiveled his ears. Not snake, but what?
He bellied down against the ground and crept forward. The sound got louder and louder. He peeked between the dry stalks of grass. Oh, no! The monsters Mother Coyote warned him about: Cars. They growled and snarled.
He raised his nose. Then sneezed! Cars smelled awful. How would he ever find Mother Coyote’s smell now?
All of a sudden a car swerved to a stop close to where Coyote Pup hunched down in the grass. He crunched himself smaller.
A loud thump vibrated the ground then rocks rattled and grass stalks snapped. Coyote Pup felt his heart pounding faster and faster. Could he run? No, Mother Coyote said hide, hide when something big might see you.
“I tell you, I saw a coyote pup right around here. I caught a glimpse of him just as we were passing.”
Humans. Coyotes must never go near humans, Mother Coyote said.
“Sure you didn’t see some mangy cat?” The loud laugh hurt Coyote Pup’s ears.
“Naw, it was a coyote. I should know since I've shot enough of 'em.”
“Well, we better find it soon. I don’t intend to tramp around ……”
“There it is!”
“You’re right. It is a coyote pup. Man, this is gonna be some fun!”
As the men slowly closed in on the frightened pup, Coyote Pup squeezed his eyes shut and pulled himself into the tiniest ball that he could make.
“Yeiiii!” Coyote Pup squealed as a big human claw roughly snatched a fistful of scruff and yanked him from the sun-warmed ground. Desperately, Coyote Pup twisted this way and that. He snapped. His baby teeth sank into soft skin.
“Ow!" The human flung Coyote Pup to the ground. "That mutt bit me!” Before Coyote Pup could lunge to his feet and flee, the human claw grabbed him and shook him hard. “Gimme that box! It’s peeing on me!”
Stuffed into stinky darkness, Coyote Pup was slammed into the box sides as he was carried away.
At last the box flaps were yanked open. Sunlight streamed in. Coyote Pup squinted as he pushed himself tight against the corner of his cardboard prison. When the human claw reached in, Coyote Pup snarled. As the claw grabbed him, he snapped his little white teeth but the human had learned to keep his hands away. Coyote Pup's teeth missed. Feet churning, he was lifted in the air, his baby snarls turned to frightened whimpers.
Moments later, the human claw squashed Coyote Pup against the ground in front of a log. Something was looped around his neck then the humans stepped away. Coyote Pup lunged. The thing around his neck jerked tight and he was flung to his back. Pulling, twisting, snapping, Coyote Pup fought to get loose.
The thing around his throat tightened until his breath rasped in and out. Coyote Pup, panting, eyes wide with fright, stared at the humans who were now several feet away. He pushed his tiny feet into the ground and scrambled back. There wasn’t enough room for him to squeeze beneath the log. He trembled as he sank against the bare, hard packed dirt.
“Hey! What’re you guys doing?” Coyote Pup swiveled his one ear towards the new human.
“Gettin’ rid of vermin. Gonna use him for bow and arrow target practice,” the man who had caught Coyote Pup answered.
“Hey, man! That’s just plain wrong.” Coyote Pup inched to one side as the new human hurried towards him.
“Get outta the way!” The one who had caught him yelled.
“Yeah, I’m going to do that. Not.” The new human reached a claw towards Coyote Pup.
When Coyote Pup growled it sounded more like a whimper.
The one who had caught Coyote Pup stomped over to the log “What’re you doin’?”
Coyote Pup shivered and turned his muzzle away from the hurtful human. He clenched his eyes shut.
“What’s it look like? I’m untying him. Duh.”
“You can’t take him. He’s mine. I found him!”
Coyote Pup felt the gentle claws fall away from his neck. He shivered harder. Slowly, he slitted open his eyes and looked…up and up and up. The human with the gentle claws towered above Coyote Pup like a Grandmother Cedar Tree. For some reason, Coyote Pup felt as safe as he did when he hid beneath Grandmother Cedar.
“This pup isn’t yours. He has never been yours. Your stole him from his mother.” The tall human squatted down again and soon pulled the tight thing from around Coyote Pup’s neck.
Coyote Pup shut his eyes and pinned his little ears against his head. He tucked himself into a tight ball and felt the gentle claws lift him up, almost as carefully as Mother Coyote when she carried him by the scruff of his neck.
“Give ‘im back!”
The gentle claws tucked Coyote Pup close against his warm belly, very much like Mother Coyote tucked him close when the night was cold. “Right. I’ll give this pup back to you as soon as you start volunteering at the local wildlife rescue and give them half your paycheck every week.”
Coyote Pup smelled the clean, fresh odor of the human with the gentle claws. This human smelled like warm grass and the breeze that ruffled Coyote Pup's hair and the sharp tang of cedar boughs. The human smelled almost like Coyote Pup’s home.
Coyote Pup sighed. A tiny whimper wavered from his chest. Gentle claws smooth his hair along his back. It reminded Coyote Pup of Mother Coyote licking him when he got scared. He shoved his nose deeper into the warm belly. And finally Coyote Pup stopped shivering.
