Coyote and the Scattered Stars

A Bag of Stars

One evening, Coyote found a bag of stars near the edge of the camp. It was tied with a thin string and felt strangely warm in his mouth. The old Sky Keeper had left it there for one careful moment, and Coyote's eyes grew wide. He wanted to open the bag at once. He told himself he would only peek inside. He told himself he would only count them. But Coyote was known for an act of impatience, and impatience can move faster than good sense. He sat on a hill and looked at the dark night sky, thinking about how bright his own path could become.

One Small Mistake

He loosened the string. Just a little. A spark jumped out. Then another. Coyote laughed and shook the bag. The stars poured into the air like tiny fires. He tried to catch them with his paws, but the wind was already carrying them away. They flew above his head, across the valley, and into the wide night sky. Coyote stared in shock. He had not planned to make such a mess. He had only wanted to look. Now the sky was full of shining points, and the bag was almost empty.

The Sky Fills Up

The stars did not fall in a neat line. They scattered in every direction. Some landed close together, making bright groups. Some went far apart, leaving dark spaces between them. That is why people still see shapes in the heavens. They look like tracks, bowls, birds, and hunters. Coyote sat very still and watched the new sky grow above him. He felt proud for a moment, then uneasy. A small choice had changed the world for everyone. The earth was no longer covered by one great dark cloth.

A Lesson for the Trickster

In the end, Coyote learned that an impatient hand can do a very big thing. He never became a careful animal, not really, but he remembered the night of the bag of stars. When children asked why the sky shines, elders told them about the trickster who could not wait. They laughed, but they also warned each other to slow down. The stars now travel quietly overhead, yet their bright path began with a mistake. Sometimes a careless act becomes a wonder, and sometimes wonder is born from trouble.