by Alan Nafzger & Lilly Tabbytite (Comanche)
It was winter, and Coyote was passing by a frozen-over lake. He went out onto the ice and started walking around. He liked the cracking sound it made. He was walking around when he noticed Fisher approaching him.
Fisher had seen Coyote first and had gone over to the shore, where he had peeled some basswood bark and tied it to two stones. He walked over to Coyote and tied one stone to each ankle. The stones bounced on the ice behind him and made a musical sound as he walked.
He ran the last few steps to Coyote, and Coyote heard what he was doing.
"Hey, my brother, what are you doing with that basswood tied around your ankles?"
"Nothing," Fisher said. "It's just a nice day, so I thought I'd put these stones on my legs."
He danced around Coyote, making music like the stones falling on the ice. Coyote listened to the ice music for a while, until Fisher danced across the lake and out of sight. He then went to the beach. He peeled some basswood bark, wrapped it around stones, and threaded it through two holes in his lower body.
The stones made a loud noise on the ice as he walked, which pleased him. After a while, the stones began to make less and less music, prompting Coyote to investigate. He realized the stones were far behind him and that he was dragging a portion of his entrails across the ice. They'd formed a long, rope-like structure. "My nephews, the Indians, will call this the climbing vine," he said as he cut them off and threw them on an elm tree. They'll eat it if they don't have any other options. "