# In the Reign of Coyote/Why the Owl eats only Small Creatures

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WHY THE OWL EATS ONLY SMALL CREATURES
ANTONIO and Juanita had studied the tastes of their story-tellers, and the next morning they appeared at Klayukat's door with a handful of ripe olives.
"These are for you, Klayukat. They are this year's crop and just fresh from the brine."
Klayukat extended his hand and received the dripping purple globes. As he ate, the children watched him in silence. When he had wiped his mouth on his sleeve and returned to his saddlebags, Antonio ventured, "Could you tell us this morning how Coyote conquered the owl, Klayukat?"
"I think I could." The olives had softened his mood. "Sit down and I will tell it to you."
​In the days of the ancients Owl was a terror to the animal people. He was enormous in size, with great staring eyes. Every time he felt hungry, he flew down to the roadside. When an animal came along, he would jump out in front of it suddenly and demand in a loud screech: "Who are you? Who? Who?" The animal would be so frightened that it could not answer.
Then Owl would hoot: "You do not know who you are. Who? Who? I 'll eat you up." And he would swallow the trembling creature. He ate so many that every family was in mourning.
The animals went to Coyote and prayed: "O Coyote, help us. This dreadful Owl is eating our brothers, our wives, and our children. Every home is filled with sobs. Oh, help us, Coyote."
"I 'll see what I can do," answered Coyote.
He thought and thought. Then he brushed up his clothes and made himself look nice and young. He took his stone knife and sauntered down the road.
Suddenly Owl jumped out from the brush and demanded in his loud screech: "Who are you? Who? Who?"
Coyote looked surprised. He bowed politely and said, "Why, where did you come from?"
Then Owl looked surprised. He blinked his eyes and did not say a word.
​Coyote looked straight at him and repeated, "Where did you come from?"
Owl blinked his eyes again, but he did not speak a word.
A third time Coyote asked, "Well, where did you come from?"
Owl shifted all his weight to his right foot. He blinked his eyes and said slowly in a calm voice, "Where did you come from?"
"I am from no other land than this where you are living," answered Coyote. "This is my country, and I am looking for something to eat."
Owl thought to himself, "I never saw this creature before. Who can he be?" Aloud he said, "I have traveled all over this country, but I never met you before."
"Why, I have been from one end of the world to the other," replied Coyote. "I have been where the sun rises and into the land of darkness. I have been up into the long colds and down into the long heats. But I never saw you before."
Owl blinked his eyes, but did not speak a word.
"However, I 've heard of you," continued Coyote. "I 've heard that you claim to have been eating people. Let 's both bring the bones of the people we ate yesterday, and then we shall see which of us is the greater."
"He was enormous in size, with great staring eyes"
​"Yes, that is good," agreed Owl; and he went for the bones.
When Coyote heard him returning, he called in a loud tone: "Let us both shut our eyes until we get our piles fixed. Don't open them until I give the word."
"That is all right," answered Owl. He shut his eyes and went on piling the bones of the animals he had eaten.
Coyote held his eyes half open. He looked across at Owl's pile of bones. They were of large, strong animals. His own were only mice bones. He quietly drew Owl's pile before himself and put his bones before Owl. Then he called, "Let us open our eyes and see which is the greater."
They opened their eyes. Owl looked surprised at the little mice bones before him. Coyote looked at him in scorn.
"Ah, you have been deceiving us," he said. "You see you eat only mice, while I eat large animals. Therefore I am the greater."
"But I am sure I ate larger things," insisted Owl. "Let us bring the bones of our day-before-yesterday's dinner."
"That is good," answered Coyote. " And we 'll shut our eyes in the same way, until I give the word to open them."
​This time, too, Coyote peeped and changed around the piles of bones.
Again Owl was much surprised to see only mice bones before himself. "Let us try the day-before-the-day-before-yesterday's dinner," he said. "I am sure I have eaten larger game." Coyote consented.
They did this for five times. Each time Coyote shifted around the two piles of bones. Every time Owl was surprised to see mice bones before himself, and asked for another trial.
After the fifth time Coyote said: "You have made believe that you have been eating large animals, while you can show only mice bones. Hereafter you can eat nothing larger than mice. You 've been doing enough killing. I 'm going to kill you now."
Then he walked up to Owl and cut off his head with his stone knife. He took the body and threw it toward the mountains. "You may stay there, but you shall be small all the rest of your days. You may hoot, and scream, and frighten people, but nevermore may you kill them."
Since Coyote made this law, Owl has been small in size. He lives in lonely places. He often frightens people by demanding in a loud screech: "Who are you? Who? Who?" But never since that day has he been able to kill an animal larger than a mouse.
​"I wish Coyote had n't let him eat little birds," said Juanita.
Antonio noticed a coolness returning to Klayukat's face, so he hastened with "Well, everything eats what 's smaller than itself. The birds eat bugs, and we eat the birds, so we are as bad as the owl."
"Oh, Tonio!"
"Yes, we are. We 're worse, for we eat our own chickens, and our own beef, and—and—oh, our own everything."
"Oh, Tonio! Don't; I don't want to think we are worse than the owl. I won't eat any more meat. No, don't tell me any more 'We 're worse's,' for I won't hear them," and the little girl covered her ears with her hands and ran from the shop.