There's a coyote ghost story from an old ranch. A coyote used to roam around the ranch at night, stealing small livestock. One day, it was caught and killed. But then strange things started to happen. The coyote's ghost was seen near the barn. It would move silently and sometimes disappear into thin air. The ranch hands were so scared that they started leaving food out for it, hoping it would stop haunting them. They believed that the coyote's spirit was angry because it died so violently.
Well, a lot of coyote ghost stories have the setting as an important part. It's often in a wild place like a desert or a forest where coyotes are known to live. The sense of mystery about the coyote is also common. People don't really know what the ghost wants or why it's there. And often, there are witnesses who are either scared out of their wits or left with a feeling that the coyote is trying to convey some sort of message, like it's a spirit with a purpose related to the land it once roamed.
The Coyote origin story varies among different Native American tribes. In some stories, Coyote is often seen as a trickster figure. He was created by the Great Spirit or emerged during the creation of the world. Coyote is known for his cleverness and ability to get into and out of trouble, which is a central part of his character in these origin stories.
Once upon a time, a hiker was alone in the desert. As night fell, he heard the howls of a coyote. He thought nothing of it at first. But then, he saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness. The coyote slowly emerged from the shadows, its fur bristling. It started to circle the hiker, growling low. The hiker was terrified and tried to find something to defend himself with, but there was nothing around. Just as the coyote was about to lunge, the hiker found a large stick and managed to scare it away.
Well, there's a story about a coyote that was so smart it could steal food from a campsite without being noticed most of the time. It would watch the campers' patterns. If they left food unattended, it would quietly take it. One time, when the campers tried to catch it, it used its intelligence to create distractions. It knocked over some cans on the other side of the campsite, making the campers think it was there while it actually grabbed the food and ran away. This made it a sort of scary smart figure in that area.
One possible moral could be not to be overly greedy. Coyote in the story might have been too greedy in trying to reach the stars, which often leads to negative consequences in such folktales.