Once upon a winter’s night, a hunter tracked a coyote by the light of a full moon. He spent hours toiling, but eventually, he found the coyote resting in a forest clearing.
The hunter raised the barrel of his gun, and the coyote bared its rotten teeth. A pitiful gesture, considering how emaciated it was. The hunter knew what needed to be done. But when they locked eyes, he hesitated.
They were green. During his life, the hunter had seen more coyotes than he could count, but never one with green eyes.
“Is that gun the last thing she saw too?”
The hunter almost dropped the gun. He knew the creature spoke. The voice even sounded familiar to him. But he couldn’t accept it.
It gave a painful, wheezing laugh. “What’s wrong hunter, not used to your dinner talking back?”
The swipe at his pride stirred the hunter out of his stupor. He sputtered, “ I wasn’t hunting you for food. You’re …”. He hesitated, unsure of himself now. “You’re rabid.”
“Rabid?” The creature pointed its muzzle down its mange riddled body. “I’m not at my best, but I’m not rabid.” The coyote lifted its lips in mockery of a smile, ”It’s so like you to miss the obvious.”
The hunter yelled, “You were staggering and shaking! I know what-” He stopped himself, and steadied the gun, “ Enough.”
The coyote yelped, “Wait. Hunter, if you spare my life, I will bring Alex back to you.”
Silence sprung between them like a trap.
The hunter was the first to be snared. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play coy with me. We both know what you did.” The coyote smiled again, “You buried her here, even though she wasn’t quite gone yet.”
The hunter’s eyes wandered around the clearing, and they widened in unwanted recognition. As he sank to his knees, he whispered no, over and over again.
Emboldened, the coyote took a step forward, “Easy, easy hunter. There’s no need for this. Your sin can be undone, and all you have to do is spare one sick coyote. What I’ve offered you is more than fair.”
“I promised my wife I would take care of you. I can’t go back empty handed.”
The coyote tilted its head in contemplation, “It’s true, she will be upset, but tell me this. Will she be as upset as she was when her first love went missing?”
The hunter had no defense, so he said, “Deal.”
“I knew you would see reason,” the creature said. Then it lifted its head back, and howled. Once it was done, the coyote turned it’s back on the hunter, and began to walk away.
Confused, the hunter shouted, “Where are you going? She isn’t here! We had a deal you mutt!”
The coyote looked behind its shoulder, and flashed the hunter one last rotten smile. “I’ve already fulfilled my side, but I had to make a lot of other bargains to even get here. Now it’s time for them to collect.”
“Them?” The hunter asked. It was then that he noticed a black shapes moving at the edge of his vision. The coyote gave no response, and kept walking.
The hunter tried to run, but he was no match for them. There was barely enough of him left to bury, so the sheriff told his poor widow that it was a wolf attack. He was the type of man that liked to wrap things up quickly. A trait the hunter had once taken advantage of.
You might be wondering how I came to know this tale, and if you truly want to know, I can tell you. Provided that you’re willing to make a bargain.