Coyote made the world and all the animals and birds that lived in it.

When he had finished he said to himself "Now I will wander around and admire my good work."

He was amazed at the beautiful things he had created.

The shimmering¹ lakes, high mountains shrouded² in mist and broad sweeping³ plains covered in lush grass.

He saw the eagle gliding⁴ gracefully⁵, high in the sky.

He watched the powerful grizzly⁶ bear lumbering⁷ through the forest and laughed at the playful antics of the otters⁹ as they splashed about in their river home.

After a few months Coyote decide that one more thing was needed.

"Hey Baldy!" he shouted to Eagle as he glided¹⁰ by. "Call all the animals and other birds to a meeting. I have something big to announce!"

"OK Chief, consider it done!" replied Eagle. And flapping his broad wings he soared away across the sky, shouting the news.

The animals and birds gathered in a semicircle around Coyote.

He waited until all the murmuring, scratching of fur and rustling¹¹ of feathers had stopped.

"I've decided¹² to create another creature - called human people" he announced.

"And I want suggestions from all of you on what they should look like and the special skills they should have."

The animals and birds started chattering¹³, growling¹⁴ and screeching¹⁵ all at once.

"They Should have fur"

"No, they need feathers"

"You're wrong! They need..."

"Hold on!" yelled Coyote. "I can't understand you when you all talk at once. Now, one at a time."

Mountain Lion growled¹⁶. "People should have a loud roar like mine to frighten other creatures - and strong teeth and claws."

"Huh!" snorted Grizzly Bear. "If people go around roaring like you do, they'll scare everything off and not catch anything to eat. I agree about the teeth and claws - and they should have fur to keep warm!"

Otter⁸ shouted "They should be able to swim and hold their breath when they dive under water!"

"They don't need to swim! They need to fly and have big claws" screeched¹⁷ Eagle. "Then they can swoop¹⁸ down on things from the sky and carry them off!"

"No! They don't need to fly" shouted Beaver¹⁹. "Otter is right. They do need to swim - but they need a large flat tail like mine to help them build their home."

"Antlers! They need antlers" snorted Stag, proudly showing off his huge set.

"Oh great! Give them big antlers that will get caught in trees and bushes" squeaked²⁰ little Grey Mouse. Everyone started talking at once again.

"Fur..."

"Teeth..."

"Wings..."

"Big tail..."

"Four feet..."

"Stop!" growled Coyote loudly. Everyone stopped yelling and looked at him.

 

You're all so vain. You want the human people to look like you instead of them being different."

He scratched the fur on his chin while he made some decisions.

"I'm going to give them things called hands and fingers. Fingers are flexible and can do lots of things.

Human people will be able to shape things to hunt with, make things to wear - so they won't need fur! And they'll be able to build homes to live in. They will be smart like me!"

"Oooh! Fingers!" said the animals, nodding their heads. "Oooh! Smart like Coyote!"

"And they'll walk on on two feet instead of four!"

"Two feet?" questioned little Grey Mouse. "That's a bit strange."

"What's wrong with two feet?" bellowed²¹ Grizzly Bear, stretching himself up to his full height. "I walk on two feet when I want to!"

"Now you mention it, two feet aren't that strange", squeaked Grey Mouse, edging away from those big feet that could easily squash her.

"Wait here while I get some clay" said Coyote. He went to the nearby river bank, scooped²² up some red clay and brought it back to the meeting.

"Watch as I shape this and you'll see what the human people will look like." He started to mould the clay.

Everyone watched as Coyote shaped a figure. Hours passed and night fell.

"It's looking good" yawned Grey Mouse.

As the stars twinkled in the sky, the animals and birds fell asleep where they sat.

Coyote did not sleep. He worked through the night, moulding and shaping the red figure.

Next morning everyone woke, snuffling and snorting and rubbing the sleep from their eyes with a wing or a paw. Coyote's new creature was alive and walking around.

"What do you think?" he asked, proudly.

"So that's a human" said Mountain Lion. "I'm hungry. I think I'll look for breakfast."

"Me too" mumbled²³ Grizzly Bear.

Beaver and Otter decided to leave before they were eaten.

"Excuse me" said Grey Mouse to the human. "Have you seen a piece of cheese anywhere? I think I've lost a bit!" And she scurried²⁴ off, twitching²⁵ her whiskers.

All the animals and birds began to wander off, looking for food.

Coyote watched them then turned to the human. "I don't think they're impressed with you", he said. "Never mind. You'll find your place with them soon enough."

And that was how Coyote created people.

 

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