by Alan Nafzger & Lilly Tabbytite (Comanche)
Coyote was married to two women. He had a son from the older wife and some young children from the younger. The younger wife envied the older son. She expected him to inherit the chieftainship from Coyote, so she tried various ways to tell stories that reflected poorly on the older son. She informed Coyote that the boy was attempting to sleep with her. Coyote was skeptical at first. He was very fond of the young man. He became suspicious after a while.
The young lady went out to hunt partridge one day. She invited the boy to accompany her, but he declined. He told her to take one of the village's younger boys. But she claimed he was the best hunter, and he eventually agreed to accompany her. He shot a partridge for her before returning to the village. On the way, the young woman pulled up her dress and scratched her lower parts until they bled.
Coyote wanted to sleep with her that night, but she refused because she was too tired. "I'm bleeding from a fight with your son." Coyote examined her wounds. She claimed she fought with his son in the woods and that he raped her.
The next day, a large group of people arrived in canoes to pay a visit. Coyote was well-known and well-liked. "My friends," he said, "we're going to the islands tomorrow to collect eggs for my son." We'll throw a party for him." They would do whatever Coyote said.
"You must go, too," Coyote said to his son the next day. "No, sir," his son replied. "I'm not interested in any eggs." But Coyote forced him to leave. Coyote was in the back, and the son was in the bow, as they paddled toward a large island. "Is that the island?" inquired the youngster. "Yes," Coyote said. Despite their efforts, they never seemed to get any closer. When they got close, Coyote was blowing on the island, pushing it further out to sea. When they arrived, Coyote and his son began gathering eggs. Coyote then suggested to his son that he go inland. "The best eggs come from further inland." "Go right ahead." Coyote jumped in his canoe and paddled away once the boy was out of sight.
"Father! Father! You're going to leave me. Wait! "
"You've been making your stepmother your wife," Coyote said over his shoulder as he paddled away. As a result, the boy was abandoned on the island.
The boy met a gull one day. "Oh, grandchild, what are you doing over here by yourself?" the Gull inquired.
"My father abandoned me here."
"You can't get back by yourself, but perhaps I can help you." The boy attempted to climb on the bird's back, but he was too heavy. Gulls could barely stay aloft.
"Go to the far end of the island," advised the gull. "There is someone who can assist you."
The youngster did as he was told. He discovered a fish with two horns on his head at the far end of the island.
"How come you're all alone?"
"My father abandoned me here."
"I'll take you to the mainland." Just hop on my back and grab my horns. "
Before they left, Fish inquired about the weather. He was terrified of thunder. "Do you see any clouds?" "No, sir," the boy replied. "Are you certain?" "I am certain."
The boy received a stone from the fish. "If you see clouds, hit me with the stone and I'll speed up." "Are you certain there aren't any clouds?" The boy stated that the sky was clear.
So they started out. The fish moved quickly, but every now and then the boy would rap him with the stone, causing him to speed up.
It soon became cloudy. "Are you sure there aren't any clouds?" the fish inquired. "No," the boy replied, "it is clear." And he struck the fish once more with the stone. The clouds were gathering, and the fish thought he heard thunder, but the boy said no. Just as they were about to reach the mainland, a lightning bolt struck and smashed the fish to pieces.
For a long time, the boy wandered. He came across a lodge one day. Fox was sitting inside it, a small kettle on the fire. "Come in," she said. The youngster entered. "Grandchild," Fox inquired, "what are you doing here?" "My father abandoned me." "Well, your father is very strong and intelligent, but I will try to assist you in returning." First, take a seat and eat. "You appear to be very hungry."
During this time, the boy's mother was mourning her son's death. She would go into the woods and cry all day, and Coyote would throw burning ashes in her face when she returned home at night. This happens every day.
Fox led the boy through the woods toward his village, and one day they came to a spot where fish hooks hung from the sky. You couldn't go through there without being apprehended. The fox transformed into a small animal and flew into the sky. She jerked the hooks up and told the boy to hurry. He made it.
They arrived at a point where two large dogs were guarding the path a little further on. It was a narrow passageway between high cliffs. There was no way around it. Fox transformed herself and the boy into weasels, which appeared here and there on the rocks before quickly disappearing. The dogs began to bark angrily at them. They teased the dogs until they became frantic, at which point their owner came out and killed them for making such a fuss over nothing. He couldn't find anything in the rocks no matter how hard he looked.
Fox and the boy spent one night with two women. Fox warned him not to go near the women because they were cannibals. They would try to murder him. Fox brandished a knife at the youngster. That night, one of the women slept with him. She got up and went back to her own bed as soon as she felt the knife. Fox and the boy left the next morning.
While the boy was returning home, his mother mourned for him. Some birds would always say to her when she went into the woods to cry, "Mother, I am returning." She thought it was her son and looked up to greet him, but then she realized it was just the birds. This made her even more depressed. The coyote threw hot ashes in her face when she returned home. She became increasingly depressed. When she went into the woods to cry, she didn't notice the birds singing, "Mother, I'm coming back."
After many trials, the boy came close to the spot in the woods where his mother was crying one day. "Mother, I'm coming back," he said as he approached her, but she didn't look up, thinking it was just the birds. He approached her and took her face in his hands. "What caused your face to be burned, Mother?" "It was done by your father. He claims that my son will never return. "So, you go to the village and tell Coyote I've returned."
So she returned to inform Coyote.
When Coyote saw her approaching, he picked up coals from the fire to throw at her. "Your son will never return," he exclaimed. "Yes, he's returned," she said. Coyote was taken aback and dropped the ashes. He looked up and saw his son.
"You have been cruel to me and my mother for no reason. You abandoned me on an island. I've returned. Now I'm going to be cruel to you. "You will crawl on the ground for the rest of your life." He turned Coyote into a frog. Then he told his mother, "My mother, you will be the most beautiful bird in the world." Nobody will ever kill you. You will play the role of the robin. " He then transformed his mother into a robin.
The frog is creeping on the ground today, and no one is killing the robin. It was done by Coyote's son.