Coyote-s Tale. Fire Water May 2026

He stumbled into Badger’s den and declared himself Chief of Everything.

That was the first lesson of fire water: it burns twice. Once going down. Once when you wake up. Coyote crawled to the river at dawn. His head felt like a drum someone had beaten all night. His eyes were red as embers. A crow landed nearby and laughed—a rusty, knowing sound. Coyote-s Tale. Fire Water

Coyote was hungry for more .

Because Coyote is a trickster, and tricksters don’t do never . They just get better at pretending they’ve learned. In Indigenous oral traditions, “fire water” is an old metaphor for alcohol—something that gives a false warmth, then takes more than it gives. The Coyote tales aren’t warnings in the strict sense; they’re mirrors . Coyote is the part of us that knows better and does it anyway. He stumbled into Badger’s den and declared himself

Not for rabbit. Not for roots.

But he never refused it if it was offered. Once when you wake up