Week 9: Fire Thieves (Storytelling)

My sister and I sat by the warm fire in our hut. I could hear the wind whipping outside. A smiled when I thought of the chill that would surround all of the nearby tribe. Unlike us they were without fire. We’d taken it.

My sister and I had lived in peace for many years with our husbands. But one day, a new tribe came onto our land. We welcomed them to visit. We gave them food and water after their long journey to our home. As they explored our land the following days, they decided it was more bountiful than theirs. And they had a tribe of thirty, while our group was just four.

When I shut my eyes, I could still see my husband yelling at them to leave us alone. That it was our land, but they were welcome to share a part of it. I can’t untangle that memory from the memory of the blood.  They let my sister and I live.

While I was always pretty, my sister was clever. She asked the gods for help, and they did. They taught her how to capture fire. Now fire was ours. It still wasn’t the retribution we wanted for our husbands’ deaths, but it was a small consolation prize to know they were living off of our land, but freezing and unable to cook.

I sat at the fire one night, as my sister was collecting water to boil, when a coyote approached. My sister had warned me about coyotes. The gods had granted them deception and cleverness. But I was a human, the coyote wouldn't outsmart me.

“It’s quite cold out,” the coyote said, while eyeing our fire.  

I studied him for a moment before responding. “Yes. It is. We stole the fire from the tribe to the North. But we have no hatred for you. You should warm yourself by the fire, Coyote.” He pranced in, thanking me repeatedly. He laid down across from where I sat in our hut. We talked a bit about the weather. I had never met a coyote before, but this one was very funny and insightful.

Soon my sister returned from her water and wood run. She stopped suddenly when she saw the coyote laying by the crackling flames. “What is this?” she asked.

“Sister, this is Coyote. He was cold. He isn't a part of the tribe who wronged us, so I let him in.” My sister’s gaze flitted between the coyote and me. My sister said nothing for the rest of the night and neither did Coyote. I fell asleep a little while later. The two were still staring at each other as I drifted off.

The next morning Coyote left. I was sad to see him go, but my sister seemed relieved.  But to my surprise, the next night he returned with the same request. I invited him in once again, as my sister nervously began watching the Coyote again.

But then, I began hearing rustling and crunching outside. Before I knew what was happening, a man from the Northern tribe rushed into our hut. As quick as lightning, Coyote grabbed a stick from the fire in his mouth and took off running. My sister and I ran outside after the Coyote and the man, but by then we could see the fire disappearing into the distance. 

(Coyote, by Larry1732)

Author's note: The original story was called The Theft of Fire. The story was about two women who stole fire from a neighboring tribe, and a coyote who helps the tribe retrieve the fire. I made one of the women the Point of View character and I gave her more of a back story, along with the other woman I made her sister. While the back story is all made up, I thought that they should be a little more sympathetic than the original story, because they did let the Coyote share the fire two nights in a role.