Week 11 Story: The Yellow Bird and the Red Coyote

Coyote from Pexels

There once was a pretty yellow bird who was surrounded by other pretty yellow birds all day long. While he could appreciate his own beauty, he was bored with the same old, same old. Once day he and his best friend, another little yellow bird, were perched on a little branch in a tall, narrow tree.

"Say, why do you think it is that we are all yellow?" he asked his friend. "I've never seen another color bird in my life. Surely there are other colored birds."

"I've never thought about it before," his friend replied. "I do love being yellow though! Isn't it just the best color?" he piped in a singsong voice. The bird examined his friend and could see that he truly meant it; he loved being yellow.

At that point, the bird started to think something was wrong with him. Why did he feel so blue about being the color yellow? At that thought, a light bulb metaphorically popped up above his head. Maybe blue was more his color.

Per chance, there happened to be a coyote prowling below the tree where the two little birds sat. She was hunting some other prey, but became interested in the conversation between the yellow birds. She started to ask herself a similar question. Why was she red? She'd like to be a different color too.

"Hey, little bird!" she howled from the base of the tree.

"Yes?" he responded in a tiny voice. Usually talking with coyotes was a sure sign of trouble to come. They were a predator who hunted the yellow birds.

"You've made me consider why I am the color I am. Why don't we go find a way for us to change colors together?" she asked sincerely. She could protect the little bird, and the bird could use his flying to help scope out ways to change color.

After pondering it for some time, the bird agreed. He said his goodbyes to his friend, and before sunset, the coyote and the yellow bird were on their way.

Around three days into the trip, the coyote and the yellow bird happened to come across a wise old tortoise. They told the tortoise of their adventure, and to their surprise, the tortoise knew of a way the two could change color. He had heard of a lake, just two days across the hill, that had magical abilities. If they bathed in it three times a day, for a week, while singing a special song, they could change into any color they so desired.

After hearing this wonderful piece of news, the yellow bird and the coyote set out for the lake. Once they found the lake, the did as they were instructed. Within a week, they could feel the magical powers of the lake finally filling them with confidence. When they stepped out of the lake for the final time, the yellow bird was missing his feathers and the coyote was missing her fur.

"What do we do now, little bird?" the coyote asked nervously. What if their fur and feathers didn't grow back?

"Well, now we think hard about what color we want to be of course!" he replied with confidence. At that, the bird wished to be blue and the coyote wished to be grey. They wished as hard as they could, with their eyes squeezed shut.

When they opened their eyes, they were pleased with what they saw. The bird was now a magnificent royal blue and the coyote was a cool dusty grey. Having got what they wanted, they went their separate ways. The bird returned home, met with fame over his new color, and the coyote went back to prowling, with greater success now that she blended in with the brush.



Author's note: This story is heavily based on the story How Bluebird and Coyote Got Their Colors. The original is rather short, lacking many concrete details. Before, the bird turns blue first after bathing four times a day for four days in this magical lake while singing a song. The coyote wants to be blue too, and follows the ritual the bird described, but when he went on his way, he fell into dirt and the blue color was lost. In my version, I changed it so that the bird is yellow, rather than some ugly color. He is beautiful already! But he wants more. I also made the coyote a girl, purely so pronouns would get mixed up. I am kind of bad with ambiguous pronouns (lol). Then, I had them go on this color changing adventure together. Also, they desire to be different colors. Basically, I made the story a lot longer and changed a few key details. But it is mostly the same story. Also, forgive me if the coyote picture is of a male. I have no idea how to tell (lol), just pretend she is a girl. Also, is it even a coyote? I kept finding wolf pictures. Ugh, I don't know wild life very well.

Bibliography

How Bluebird and Coyote Got Their Colors from Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson (1912)