Skinwalker Hit-and-Run

Mike's friend Alex was out varmint hunting in the White Mountains of Northeastern Arizona with his friends in 1990 when they quite literally ran into something inexplicable. Alex had always been somewhat quiet and soft-spoken - not one to make up stories - and was four years older than Mike. In school, he moved around in separate social circles, and would only really talk to Mike when he was passing through his neighbourhood. This all establishes Alex's lack of propensity for lying, and thusly Mike believed what might otherwise have been a fantastical story. This is that story.

## Headlights in the Dark

The White Mountains are one of the last mostly untouched regions in the wilds of Arizona, and so perhaps it is no wonder that they are seemingly one of the final bastions of the supernatural. Alex and his friends always used to go out varmint hunting in the region every summer, but once they'd graduated from high school their time to do this swiftly evaporated under the pressure of their new jobs and college work. However, after a two year separation - they all decided to get back together in 1990 for old times' sake. They knew about all the old urban legends surrounding the mountains, but they never encountered anything beyond a few drunken campers. The dark atmosphere that surrounded the stunning peaks only served to draw the boys into deeper areas of the secluded mountains.

It was mid-Autumn, and on this particular occasion they had elected to use a newly-purchased spotlight instead of flashlights - which would allow them to continue hunting for game deep into the night. They would do this by driving up and down the dirt roads while shining the dazzling spotlight into the woods to catch the glimmers of animalistic eyeshine among the trees. It was normal to see a few wolves and many more coyotes hunting small animals to stock up for the coming Winter. This night in particular, they spotted the yellow eye-shine of roaming deer throughout the ponderosa pine forest, as well as some raccoons and skunks patrolling the secluded woodland roads. There were also quite a few coyotes lurking about in various hunting spots - and seeing as coyotes are legally considered varmints which can be killed at any time of the year without a permit - the boys decided to shoot a few of them to pass the time - which seems rather sadistic when you say it like that. They used a hunting technique called 'leading' - in which a beam of light is pointed just in front of the animal so that it follows it and thus accidentally positions itself within shooting distance. Using this method, they were able to lure three coyotes towards them, but eventually two of the three gave up and slunk back into the forest. One, however, seemed far more tenacious. They continued to bring it closer and closer to the road, before the driver of the vehicle elected to test the interest of the coyote by slowly building up speed. Eventually they got to a speed of 35mph, and the coyote was still keeping pace with them in pursuit of the patch of light. The boys were amused by this, but they could eventually see the coyote starting to tire as they neared the end of the road. That particular road ended at an abandoned mine camp, and so they decided to shoot the animal before it had the chance to lose them in the camp.

The gunshot sounded, and the animal collapsed by the side of the road. Backing the four-by-four up close to the carcass, the shooter jumped out to go and inspect his macabre handiwork. The coyote had its back to the group, and they all watched as the shooter poked at it with his rifle to ensure that it was dead. When the answer to this was affirmative, he curled his toe under the animal's body and flipped it over to face him. His face immediately paled, and he gasped with terror. Wordlessly, he ran back to the truck and climbed into the back. The group had all seen what it was as well, and it was something they would never forget. The body of a '*little Native American boy*' - eight or nine years of age - lay prone by the roadside. He had the skin of a coyote affixed to his back, tied to his wrists and ankles. The group were horrified to see the child get back up and dart back into the forest '*as if it had never been shot at all*'. Blind panic set in after that, and the group drove back home for the full 3½ hour journey without ever stopping. As they were driving, they could hear the haunting yips of excited coyotes.

Two of the group now refuse to go camping at all, and none of them would ever go back to the White Mountains, whether or not it was nighttime. They all knew that they had disturbed something otherworldly, and likely felt that they had seen something they really shouldn't have.

## Source

'The Coyote Encounter' by Mike C. for *Paranormal.about.com*