the coyote and the wolf

meeting

the desert was much different than what wolf was used to. it was much brighter than the woods they stayed in, but seemed just as harsh and unforgiving. as they continued on, more caves and canyons came into view; providing some relief from both the sun, and any peering eyes. coyote lead wolf to his abode, which was a large cavern full of rock formations, natural geodes, and water. it was breathtaking; but there was a feeling of unease that enveloped the space.

"please do not judge who i live with.
i am different than you,
but they are different from us altogether.
domesticated; you would call it.
comforted by materialistic pleasures
and obsessed with what man
thinks of them.
they do not understand our savageness;
their spirits were tamed long ago
and do not falter at my attempts
to reintroduce wildness to them.
but they are my family, nonetheless."

three dogs emerged from the crooks and crannies, making wolf back up a few paces in mild surprise. they had never seen pets before.

the largest was female; a golden retriever. she was older than wolf and coyote, which would make her... coyotes mother figure. the next largest was male; a husky younger than everyone there. he looked the most similar to coyote, but still incredibly different from either wolf OR coyote... coyote's little brother. and the last; a stubby bulldog mix. he was near the golden retriever, close enough to be her mate. coyote's.. dad of sorts, though coyote didn't seem too fond of him.

the dogs welcomed wolf in with smiles too big to be genuine, and they felt the unease creep in twice as fast. these dogs seemed off. everything here seemed off. and yet, wolf stayed. they stayed for coyote; who was unlike anyone wolf had ever met.

things ended up going relatively well. coyote's den was tucked back in a corner of the cave, away from the rest of coyote's odd family. it was adorned in human lights on a string, wildflowers that coyote had picked, fur pelts of deer and hares, and other things that highlighted the small canine's personality. it was as unique as he was, and wolf enjoyed seeing their interests decorating the cave walls.

it began to get late, and the two grew too tired to venture back to where wolf lived. the moon traded places with the sun and painted constellations across the barren landscape for the canines to look at, hoping to further set the mood.

to the moons happy surprise, it worked.

wolf and coyote talked for hours about their interests and their beliefs, before falling asleep with bodies overlapping and noses pressed against each other.