Coyote

Chapter 4: Revengers Assemble

After my success at the Wolf-Moot, it was time to assemble the team that would chase those humans down. Only the best and most fearsome of our kind could be entrusted with such a mission. They would need to be beyond cunning and able to blend in in the human forests. They would need to be fast and able to cover long distances in short amounts of time. They would need to be crafty and make only the finest of macaroni art.

Naturally, I was chosen to lead the group. My innate ferocity, wealth of knowledge, and charming smile made me the best, the absolute key, the most incredible-

"I am appointing Mr. Rodgers to be the leader of this taskforce," said Genevieve. "Which means, William, that you can stop reciting your acceptance speech. You're not the leader."

I was heartbroken. How could she not see that I was the best one for the job? I had convened the Wolf-Moot, I had seen the scourge of humans, and she deemed it wise to make the intolerable Mr. Rodgers, the most unfriendly neighbor in the world, the position of leader? It should have been me. I suppose, sometimes, the best must be kept in reserve so as to best maintain the group's chance of survival.

"I understand," I humbly offered. I bowed my head to the great Genevieve the Gnome Gnasher. "Be it as you command, oh great one."

Genevieve gave me a look. "Right. Sure. Anyway. Moving on." She turned to face the rest of the assembled group. "I have chosen all of you because you have something to offer to this mission. It will be dangerous. You will face perils of a kind that none of us have ever faced before. You will be journeying into the realm of humans, just as they wander into our own world, and treat them with the most disrespect you can muster. Now, let me introduce our little group. First, Mr. Rodgers. Step forth good sir."

Mr. Rodgers stepped forward. He may have been old and cranky, and his fur may have become scraggly and thin with age, but he walked with the determination of a man itching to kick the youth off of his lawn.

"Terrible moonrise to you all," he said, tipping his head to William. He gave me a tricky little smile that indicated his disdain for me.

Everyone clapped politely. Genevieve appraised the older man generously. "Mr. Rodgers may not be as lithe as you all are, but he makes up for it in experience. There are some things that you can only learn out in the world. While he may not have the same worldly experience as I do, he certainly has more than all of you. Is that right Mr. Rodgers?"

"Absolutely," affirmed Mr. Rodgers. "I've been around. Seen things here and there. I'll lead these youths right to the humans."

"Too right you will. Anyway. Experience certainly can teach you a lot, but it can't teach you anything. To split the difference, I've decided that Eli, the valedictorian of the forest school, should accompany you on the mission as well. He will be able to interpret what the humans are saying and track the perpetrators to their residence."

Next, it was Eli's turn to step forward. He bowed politely to Genevieve and said, "why thank you, great leader. Your command is wise and just, and I humbly answer your call. It is my utmost pleasure to be considered to serve as a member of this task force." His tail twitched in anticipation. Eli wasn't someone who got a lot of practical experience. He tended to spend his days studying. This was an opportunity to prove himself to his fellow wolves.

When the group was finished politely clapping, Genevieve called the next recruit. "Kai. Kai has proven herself to be a skilled hunter and gather. She can identify just about any plant and animal in the forest, determine whether or not it is safe to eat, and catch it."

Kai stepped forward. Her fur was a tad darker than anyone else's in the group. Most striking, however, were her ears. While most of us had pointed ears, her ears seemed to flop over halfway up.

With everyone listening, Kai said, "I also can identify a range of environmental features. For example, did you know that the rock we use at the Wolf-Moot is a glacial erratic? Or that the waterfall is actually on the hanging wall of a thrust-fault? Or that-"

"That's enough Kai," said Genevieve. "Like I said, Kai will make sure you are all well taken care of during your travels."

"What's a glacial attic?" I asked Eli.

"No idea..."

That was everyone, and I stood up, preparing to leave, when Genevieve said, "and lastly, I would like to introduce our final recruit, Asher. Asher? Where are you?"

The small questioning entity from the previous night stepped out of the shadow of a nearby bush and joined our group. Up close, I could see that their fur was much redder than all of ours. It was primarily gray, as was usual in these woods, but their legs and chest were almost a bright red. Even the tip of their nose had a reddish hue to it. It was almost foxlike. Fox-esque. One might even describe it as foxy. In the way that a fox is foxy, you know?

Asher kept their eyes towards the ground as Genevieve informed us all of their purpose in the group. "Asher," she said, "is a traveler. They have come here all the way from the far-off land of Oregon. Is that right Asher?"

"That's correct ma'am." Their voice was soft and small. Though they appeared to be my age, they sounded younger. There was no raspy quality to their voice, or annoying know-it-all-ness like in Eli's. This was a simple person making their way in the forest.

"I've never heard of this Oregon. Big forest, is it?" asked Mr. Rodgers.

Asher considered the question. "Well, it certainly has a forest. But it isn't all forest. It has lakes, and waterfalls, and even a big desert. My mother is from the desert. All the desert dwellers have a nice red coat. It helps us blend in."

Astonishing. How could anything be red. I remembered the human forest. There had been some red in that forest too. Maybe red fur was beneficial in some situations. Even here perhaps. I hadn't been able to see Asher until they walked out of their hiding spot. Now that I could see them, it was a little hard to look away. Unlike my nemesis, East Southwest, Asher was...not mean. So far. We would have to see how things progressed on our mission. I didn't want to judge them too soon. My nemesis list had plenty of room for additional names.

Genevieve briefed us one last time on the task at hand. We all knew why we were there. Humans thought they could come onto our turf and scare us. I imagined the look of pure terror on their faces when they saw us walking around their turf scaring them. Oh, this was going to be so much fun.

Genevieve breathed on all of our faces one by one. "It is my honor to be dispatching you all on this mission. When you get back, you will be elevated above the rest of our kind. You will be respected. We shall bedazzle your fur with shiny dust and lick your ears for the rest of your days! You shall feast on the finest of bird. No matter how fast those birds may be, we will catch them just for you. And then we shall adorn your necks with a bracelet of their bones. Thigh bones are all the rage right now among the youths."

A scoff came from Mr. Rodgers. "Back in my day the respectable people enjoyed a good fibula. Kids these days have no culture."

We made our final preparations. There wasn't really anything we needed or could carry with us. Our lack of apposable thumbs and pockets or handbags ensured that when we traveled, we traveled light. Eli and I said goodbye to our parents and littermates, Mr. Rodgers said goodbye to his pet snail, and Kai said goodbye to her loved ones. Everyone in the community walked with us for the first kilometer to the place where I had first encountered the humans. Then, it was time to depart in earnest. Everyone howled together one last time, frightening the sky itself with our terror.

Kai found the scent of the humans and bounded off into the forest. I, along with Eli, Mr. Rodgers, and Asher, followed closely behind her. Together, we hunted.

The chase had begun.