Coyote

Chapter 8: A Most Unwelcome Surprise

I returned to my seat to find a most unwelcome surprise – Mr. Rodgers was lying on my seat. The fiend. He seemed to be in an argument with Eli and Asher, claiming that it was his turn to sit on the seat, and that sitting on the floor was beneath him.

"I've lived a long life, and I deserve to be comfortable!" he yelled, swatting Asher with his tail.

The argument ended when I arrived back at our seats. Eli sighed one last time in exasperation before turning to me. "Brother. Enjoyable walk?"

"Charming," I replied, trying to figure out where I should sit, ignoring the open space under the seats. "It was nice to stretch my legs and get a breath of fresh air. Who knew trains were so musty..."

The tall fellows with the trench coats opened the door to our train car and walked down the aisle. As they walked, they glanced at the other humans sitting nearby.

"What stylish coats," said Eli.

I said, "I spoke with them outside. They seemed alright for humans."

Eli spun around in his seat to look at me, whipping Mr. Rodgers in the face with his tail by accident. "Alright for humans? William, have you forgotten our mission? We're supposed to be scaring those three humans sitting in the back corner while not making friends with other potentially evil humans. And here you are making friends?"

"Woah, not making friends. Just...talking."

"Talking? We are not here to talk. We are stealth! We are the nightmares that lurk in the adjacent seats, that appear on the street corner, that pop up in books, that-"

My dear brother was still stammering when Lulu, the individual in the blue coat, stopped. She sniffed the air, saw me, and walked over to our seats. She flashed us a smile, showing us her fangs. "Hello again, Little One. Are these your friends?"

Eli jumped in. "No," he declared, glaring at me. His word, not mine. I'm just reporting the truth.

Lulu chuckled. "Well, I guess we can't all be friends. Say, have you seen a human wearing a silly green sweater? It's rather poofy if I remember, isn't it Claude?"

Claude was the one with the chartreuse coat. "So poofy, Lulu," he confirmed.

A poofy green sweater? That was our human! What did they need with him? I casually looked around at everything but our targets. "A green poofy sweater? No, I don't think I have."

"Oh, too bad. Well, if you see anything, let me know." Lulu smiled at each of us in turn. Kai was too busy staring unblinkingly at the humans to smile back. Lulu frowned, and followed Kai's gaze to the group of humans we were following. "Well well, it seems you have seen our particular human friend. Thanks for your assistance." She snapped her fingers and began walking to our humans.

Eli jumped out in front of them, spreading his front legs wide. "No, umm, you shall not...walk beyond this arbitrary point that I have just defined. Please." Just for emphasis, he stomped on the ground with one foot.

Lulu and her fellow trench coat cronies were not impressed. Red and Yellow stood on either side of him, growling menacingly and cracking their knuckles. Lulu chuckled. "Oh, I shan't, shall I? You don't know what you're dealing with, do you?"

For what it was worth, I joined my brother, heroically. If not for me standing next to him, who knows how long it would have taken for him to turn tail and run. Blessed with brains though my brother might be, he was never known for his bravery. Nor would he develop any sense of bravery after this encounter. In fact, I think this adventure is why he decided never to leave home again.

"You're a bully," I said. "Just like all humans are."

It became abundantly clear that these trench-coated troublemakers weren't as intimidated by us as they should have been. Instead of scrambling back in fear, they all laughed. Red and Yellow fell to the floor laughing and banging their fists, while Pink leaped up in the air clapping their paws together. Claude the Chartreuse stood stoically, watching the situation unfold, and Lulu smirked. In between the laughter of her peers, she said, "Little One, do you really believe we're humans? But I shouldn't be surprised. After all, you coyotes are not the most intelligent of species."

"We are wolves! We are the terror that drips-"

Wham!

Before I could finish defending my species and correcting Lulu The Ludicrous, a red blur shot out from under the seats and brought her crashing down to the floor. It was Asher. The moment Lulu was on the ground, Asher got up, ran to Eli and me, and began pushing us, telling us to go. It took us a few seconds to understand what was happening, but thankfully it took the trench coats even longer. Mr. Rodgers and Kai got up from their seats, and together, the five of us ran to the door. Asher opened it and ushered us all through. They exited last and slammed the door behind them.

"Woah," I said, staring at Asher in amazement, watching the way the wind caused their fur to move back and forth like a wave, "that was really something. You saved us."

Even outside, we could hear the howl that came from the door. Asher pointed to the next train car. "Not yet I haven't. Everyone, let's go."

The next car contained the snack bar. Humans sat at small tables eating all sorts of goodies. We sprinted to the end of the car. Asher took the rear position and swatted any loose items nearby onto the floor as they went, creating more obstacles for anyone who followed us. Some of the passengers yelled out as they found their snacks or personal belongings flying from their tables. They stood up, looking for whoever had been foolish enough to disrupt their day, but Asher ran by too fast to be noticed, and so they turned on each other. A brawl broke out between the humans.

We reached the end of the car, opened the door, ran out, and closed it. I gazed through the window, looking at the fight inside the car. It was incredible seeing the humans go after each other so violently.

"There's no way they're getting through that mess," I said.

"Why would we waste the energy?"

Red, Yellow, Pink, Claude the Chartreuse, and Lulu leaped down from the roof of the car onto the narrow walkway, landing with a thud. Lulu dusted herself off and proceeded to clap slowly and deliberately. I couldn't hear the sound of her clapping over the wind, but her point was well taken.

"Great job. Inventive for a group of coyotes, I must say. But, as it always is with your lot, not good enough."

"Mangy old noodles!" Mr. Rodgers spat. "We are wolves! We are the most feared hunters in all of the forest! Who are you to insult us?"

Maybe Lulu just liked smiling. It seemed to be her go-to response. Some people like to smile for some reason. But unlike the smiles I was used to seeing in my brother, other family members, or the adorable Asher, her smile filled me with apprehension. The smile she gave me at this point seemed to shrink the world around her to fit only her face and her words.

"Who am I? You still don't know? I am a wolf."