She knew she should not have come but there was no way she could resist the pull. She had traveled far from her home territory. Further than she had ever gone before. Her eyes and nostrils were filled with new sensations. One scent, or rather a feeling of a scent, had traveled to her over miles of desert and mountains. It was this one "smell" that was drawing her. She had fed well along the way, so it wasn't a lack of food that had caused her to travel so far. She was past breeding age, so a mate was not what she was searching for. As a matter of fact, she wasn't sure just what it was that seemed to be calling to her. All she knew was that she needed to go.

She had been moving for days. Traveling with that ground-eating lope that coyotes are known for. Her den in the mountains seemed so very far away now. It was good to run and she felt happy. Happier than she had in a long time. Food had been plentiful, for once. She had found, that in these lowlands, mice and rabbit were easy prey. She had even come upon a grouse nest that had been left unguarded. That had been a good night. Bird eggs were her favorite food and they had provided her with plenty of protein for the next day or two. During the daytime, she would find a cool, shady spot among the rocks to rest and sleep the miles off. Water, while not plentiful, had not been hard to find and she had been able to drink when necessary. The only thing that worried her was the scent that had grown stronger as she had traveled. The scent of Man. She knew about Man and the danger that came with him. She knew about his traps because she had lost her mate to one of the steel-jawed things. And yet, despite the growing sense of danger that the scent brought, she continued on. Driven.

During the fifth night, she sensed that she was close to her destination. The pull was overpowering, but she felt that she should find a place to shelter for the day, yet, she also felt a need to see just what it was that had called her so far from her home. But that could wait until she had rested a while. As she crested a low rise, she came upon a small outcropping of rock that was filled with small caves. Just the place she needed right now. As she lay her head down on her forepaws, she thought about the trip she had just made and wondered what it was that had drawn her here and why. What was the purpose? What would she find near here? As the cool black of night gave way to the warm glow of day, she drifted off to sleep.

When she awoke it was still daylight but the sun was low in the sky and it would soon be dark. Her old ears, while not as acute as they used to be, were still able to pick out some very strange sounds that were coming from over the next hill. She got up, stretched, yawned and headed of in the direction of the noise. Along the way she found and killed a large lizard that had been sunning itself on a rock ledge. Her hunger sated, she continued on up and over the crest of the hill. The sight that greeted her made her stop in her tracks. Down below her were dozens of people! She had seen gatherings of Men before but none this large. As she adjusted to the shock, she noticed that along with the Men, there were almost as many small black creatures down there. She raised her nose and tested the wind. The scent she received was that of both male and female Man and another smell. It was the smell of dog! But these weren't like any dogs she had encountered before. The dogs she had run into in the past had all been scrawny, sickly things that she had hunted down, in the mountains. They had run from their homes with Man, been unable to survive in the wild and become prey for her and other animals. These little black dogs were full of life and energy. They were all running and barking and playing. The majority of them were all in a fenced-in enclosure and were away from their Men, but some of the little dogs were walking around the area with their Men leading them on small pieces of string. She listened for any sounds of fear or aggression but all she could discern were yips and barks of joy and happiness. As she watched the strange scene before her, she noticed a commotion down near one of the boxes with wheels that the Men were going in and out of. As she looked closer, she could see that one of the small animals was running free. A number of Men were chasing it but they could not even begin to catch up to it. She sat up on her haunches as she noticed that it was headed in her direction. She was worried that Man might find her but she just couldn't move. Suddenly, from between two rocks, appeared a small black head and the little beast started barking furiously at her. She let out a low warning growl and the dogs demeanor changed immediately. Instead of acting aggressive, it assumed a posture that totally stunned the she-coyote. It's little head came down and it's tailless rear came up and the coyote couldn't believe it. It wanted to play! This crazy little dog really wanted to play with her. She outweighed it by at least 40 pounds and it was dancing around her like she was no bigger than it. She knew how to play, it just had been a very long time since she had. Suddenly the little ebony colored dog darted in and nipped at one of her forepaws. She couldn't take anymore and she gave chase. Her long legs made for a very short pursuit, despite the lead that the dog had. As she was just about to nip it's back feet, the little black bullet swerved to the left and disappeared behind a boulder. She was amazed at the nimbleness of this small black dog, for without a tail to balance it, it should have tumbled head over heels. Instead, it was now standing on top of the boulder, challenging her to another chase. Well she certainly wasn't going to let this little devil beat her. She resumed the chase and very shortly caught up to it again. This time, as she was about to overtake it, she used her snout and knocked the dogs back feet out from under it. The tireless little dog tumbled off the path, rolled onto its feet and continued running, all without missing a beat. The she-coyote was thoroughly enjoying this game when suddenly another scent came to her. She stopped dead in her tracks and checked the wind. As she shifted her nose from side to side and turned her ears to listen, she located it by the sound before she could see it. There, not 50 feet in front of the midnight hued dog, crouched a cougar. The she-coyote shot forward without even thinking about it. Passing by the dog, she knocked it from the path, causing it to slide down the hillside. As she collided with the cougar, who had been in mid-leap, she hoped that the little dog that had become her friend would be all right.

As she lay in the dirt, bleeding from her wounds, she thought about the fight. It had been ferocious and swift. She had hurt the cat, she knew that much but she had been hurt too. Hurt so badly that she had not been able to move much further than the small patch of shade she had crawled into immediately after the attack. She wondered at what had possessed her to take on the mountain lion but she already knew the answer. This was why she had come so far. Someone or something had wanted her here to protect that little dog from harm. As she lay there dying, she hoped she had accomplished that small feat. Night came fast here in the desert and she knew she didn't have much longer to live. With her last remaining bit of strength, she crawled to the edge of the precipice and looked down at the gathering of Men, hoping to catch a glimpse of her new friend. As she looked down upon the scene, she realized that there was no way for her to be able to tell which of the small black spots was the one she had saved. As she was gasping her last breaths, she heard a sound that made her heart soar. She could hear a lone dog barking and she recognized that bark and she knew she had done what she had been sent to do. She had saved an unknown little black dog from the jaws of a cougar so that it could continue on with its life. Suddenly the sound changed.

Sandy and Warren could tell that something was up. As a matter of fact, all the people at the Schipperke Roundup Y2K could tell that something was wrong. The Schipps had all become very restless and agitated. Lynns LBD's that were currently in their motor-home, all scrambled to get out. The dogs at the campsites all began to pace. Pats SAR dogs all started sniffing the air as if seeking something and for the first time that week-end, it was quiet. Not a dog was barking or crying or yipping. After all the noise they had been making the last two days it was eerie. All of a sudden, Dante, who had escaped from Lynne earlier in the day and returned from the desert limping and covered in dirt, started to bark. It was such a sad and lonely bark that everyone came out to see what was wrong. And then, after a short while he stopped barking, lifted his head to the night sky, turned toward a small outcropping of rock in the desert and let loose with a long, low, sorrowful howl. Suddenly, one by one, all the other Schipperkes joined him. First Kody, then Magic, then Tasha, then Tiffi and soon every Schip that was at the Oleo Ranch had raised its little snout to the sky and was howling. The people all stood and stared at one another and shook their heads. No-one knew what had caused this strange occurrence. No-one except the she-coyote who heard the good-bye howls from her new-found friends. As she took her last breath, it seemed to her that she could see her long-dead mate in a golden meadow on the other side of a small stream. As the parting cries from the little black dogs faded into nothingness, she jumped onto a fallen tree that spanned the creek and crossed over.

Click on the photo above to hear an actual recording of a "group coyote howl". We are awakened many nights here at the ranch to this sound!

Rub the coyote to hear an actual greeting. Hang on to your schips for this one!

Story Copyright ©1999 by Chad Burns. All Rights Reserved.
Web Page Design & Graphics Copyright ©1999 by Sandy Church. All Rights Reserved.