Coyote

I met another coyote (Canis latrans) last night. I was walking near the river near First Street, and we ran into one another. Coyote was not two meters away - I just looked and said out loud,

"Hey, are you a fox or a baby coyote?"

Coyote went behind a tree. Stupid question. I'd already decided: for sure a coyote. All legs and bones, and too tall to be a fox. Still a pup, he didn't have the raging mange that most are afflicted with.

Coyote peeked out from around the trunk, decided that I wasn't a threat, and trotted off into the darkness.

I might have said "Godspeed," or only thought it.

Joni Mitchell.
Coyote
About five.

[Update: video rescue
]