Week 10 Storytelling: Coyote Secures Fire

The wolf lingered around the edge of the forest.

His name was Cato.

He could see the smoke rising above the camp, hear the laughter of the humans. It was this same group of humans that had attacked members of his family.

Cato had to avenge his brother.

The plan was simple. He, alongside the other animals of the forest, had determined what set the humans apart from all other animals. They were organized, yes. They took good care of their young, yes. They even hunted with weapons.

But there was one thing that the humans possessed that the animals did not have - the red flower.

Cato was originally confused by the red flower. The humans used it for warmth, for light, even for safety. But he had grown to hate it. He know that he must possess the red flower too if he were ever going to get revenge for his brother.

He slowly circled the fringes of the camp, being careful to stay hidden among the trees. It was late, and all he had to do was wait for his opening.

Suddenly, one of the guards left his post. The gate was open, and Cato saw a straight path to the large fire in the middle of the camp.

Bolting faster than he ever had before, Cato rocketed from the edge of the woods. As soon as he passed through the gate, the yelling began. Humans ran out from their tents, holding long sticks with metal on the end. He wasn't stopping.

Maneuvering between the tents, he made to the fire. With little time to spare, he bit down on the edge of a stick that was halfway out of the fire, returning directly from where he had entered. Moments later, the humans arrived at the fire, yelling at him and waking more men.

Cato made it back to the edge of the woods, where some of the other animals were waiting. There faces were excited. They finally had the same power as humans!

In his excitement, Cato dropped the burning stick on the ground in front of him, unaware of what would happen.

The leaves and sticks on the ground around him immediately went up in flames.

Oh no.

The animals tried to contain it, but the fire was spreading too fast.

Suddenly, a group of humans appeared. The animals were too scared to move. In seconds, the humans had thrown water and dirt around the area, quickly extinguishing the fire that had begun to grow.

One of them seemed to look Cato in the eyes, but then the group returned to their camp, thankful that the threat had been minimized.

Maybe the red flower belonged to the humans after all.


Author's Note:
In the original story, the animal is Coyote. Coyote tries to secure fire, but this fire is possessed by fireflies. Coyote is plays several games with other animals, but they end up poorly for him. Eventually, he ends up lighting a branch on fire. In his excitement, he runs away from the camp and takes the fire elsewhere. Because of his carelessness, much of the surrounding area gets burnt down. My retelling maintains many similar elements. Instead of a coyote, I used a wolf. I also gave him a name in order to make the story seem more personal. Additionally, instead of the fireflies possessing the fire, my retelling involves fire possessed by humans. There is also an element of personal vengeance, since Cato's brother was killed by the humans. Cato succeeds in stealing the fire, much like Coyote, and he also starts a fire once the flame has been stolen. However, in this retelling, the humans arrive on the scene in time to save the forest from burning down.

Bibliography:
"Jicarilla Apache Texts: Coyote Secures Fire" by Pliny Goddard: online link

Image Information: A wolf (or coyote) with fire.
Image link: Pixabay