Microstory 1273: The Monkey and the Coyote

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A monkey and a coyote were walking over the prairie. You may think it’s funny that such different animals might know each other, let alone be friends, but the two of them met when they were very young. They grew up on a wildlife preservation campus, along with many other animals that had been rescued by good-natured humans. Unfortunately, after the fall of civilization, the animals were set free, and had to fend for themselves. But as unlikely as it was, the monkey and the coyote stuck together. They squabbled a lot, for sure, but they always had each other’s backs. At the moment, they were arguing with each other about who was smarter, and more cunning. “I can climb the trees,” said the monkey. “And I can swing on their branches.”

“I can run fast,” retorted the coyote. “I can hide in holes.”

Just then, they heard the horn of a hunting pack. The humans had broken up into factions, and since there were no more food distribution procedures, they had to go back to the old ways of finding food in the wild. “Oh, no!” the monkey cried. “There’s nowhere to hide! They will surely catch us!”

“We can hide in those trees,” the coyote said.

The horn sounded again, but it was much louder this time. “I’ll never make it in time!” the monkey complained.

“Yes, you will,” the coyote promised him. “Hop on my back.” And so the coyote raced across the prairie with his friend, and made it all the way to the treeline, but he could not stop. The hunting pack had caught their scent, and were traveling with fierce dogs who had not been raised by good-natured humans.

“We have to climb a tree!” the monkey suggested.

“That’s impossible for me!” the coyote argued. “Why, if I could climb a tree, so could the dogs!”

“I have an idea,” the monkey said. He leapt from the coyote’s back, and grabbed onto a branch. Then he hung his tail down, and let the coyote hold onto it with his teeth. It was hard, but they both made it up the tree in time; together, and safe.

This story was inspired by, and revised from, an Aesop Fable called The Cat and the Fox.