The feeling of isolation is enough to keep me company.

I've never really belonged to anything. Even the members of the Piedra tribe don't treat me as one of their own. Well, they treat me well enough, and they try to include me in everything, but I've never fit in just right. I'll never be a part of them.

The only place I felt at home was in the desert, miles away from camp. I knew I shouldn't wander so far; it's extremely dangerous, especially for a coyote my age. My step mother, Hare, would be fuming like a field fire if she found out how long my "walks" were. But it was the lesser of two evils. And it's not like I didn't know where I was going. I knew my way around and I intended on returning once I felt better.

I mostly hunted while out in the desert. And as far as I went, I never crossed the border. To a human with an untrained nose, they would look at the territory line that divided our tribes and just see a wide expanse of dry shrubs growing from the red sand, but any animal would see the line as a brand of fire, threatening even the smallest gnat who crossed the line. Our neighboring pack, the Fuegos, were diligent in marking their territory and they took the job very seriously. I stayed well away from the line; I wasn't brave enough to deal with the Fuegos.

By the time dawn was calling out, I decided to head home. As I crossed a ridge, the camp broke into view. As the morning light bit the horizon, an arrow of sunlight zipped across the Earth. It made the cold, dry air instantly warm. It was inviting for five seconds, then my pelt burned, remembering the unbearable scorch from yesterday.

Most of the tribe was awake, and they gathered in the hollow that made up our camp. A small stream flowed through a small arch, like a snake slithering through a ring, and crawled around the camp towards the South East. Little trees and shrubs huddled around the river. Caves, that were once air pockets in mud, made dens on the walls of the hollow.

Most of the tribe was awake in the hollow, eating breakfast before getting ready to hunt and mark the border. Everyone looked ready to go except Hare and Bat, but they weren't fit to walk or run very far. Bat was nearly a half-season pregnant, and Hare was getting joint aches. Her limp from loosing three toes to a rat didn't help either.

I walked down into the hollow and sat next to Sego. She was eating a small desert mouse in tiny bites. I grabbed a lizard and ate with her.

"I saw you come over the ridge. Did you go for a walk?" Sego asked.

"More or less." I said.

"Astor!" She yipped.

"What?" I asked. "I didn't go out that early. The moon was less than a paw's length above the western mountains. I got plenty of rest. And I can't sleep the last few hours of the night."

"It isn't safe out there during the night. I wouldn't want- uh, we wouldn't want you getting hurt."

I smiled a bit. She was one of the few coyotes in the Sonoran desert that actually cared about my well being, and the only one I've really liked. Of course, she'd never admit it, but she liked me back. Normally I'd pester her about it, but I let it go. I'd always know what she'd say and what she meant.

We ate in silence for a minute until she spoke again. "Did it rain at all?"

"A bit. It's going to rain a lot this next quarter-season or so."

"That'll be good till it floods. Remember last season?" Sego said.

"With the big flood after that thunderstorm? How could I forget? The whole hollow was a pond and that tree was nearly covered in water." I pointed to the short tree with peeling bark.

"Yeah, that was crazy."

"Do you remember when we got stuck in the chief's den and the water-"

"Hold on a second, Hawk's calling us in." She said, cutting me off. I frowned, disappointed our opportunity to talk was spoiled.

We finished our prey and gathered around Hawk in the center of camp. I stood by Sego and Negrita, a dark russet colored coyote.

"Morning, everyone." Hawk said to us.

"Good morning." We replied in unison.

"We'll need to mark the western and the southern borders today and hunt in the Eastern part of the territory. The Fuego tribe has been getting suspicious lately, and the last thing we need is a rabbit being chased into their territory."

"I was in the Western side this morning," I whispered to Sego. "It was fine. I didn't see anyone, and I chased a jack rabbit pretty close to the border. It smelled very strong."

"What was that, Astor?" Hawk asked.

"Um, I was just saying I hunted in the Western part this morning and I didn't see anyone. Their border smelled strong." I said. I hated it when I was put on the spotlight.

"You were careful, right? My daughter would hate it if you got hurt." Hawk said.

The gathered coyotes laughed and Sego blushed. I could almost see it through her sandy gray fur.

"Father," She muttered.

"I was! Don't worry." I said. I looked at Her and she promptly broke eye contact.

"Anyways, I'd like Delta, Creek, and Astor to go on a border check. I'll go hunting with Sego and Negrita. Horizon will stay in camp and reinforce the den walls with clay."

"That isn't fair," Horizon barked. "Astor should stay in camp; he's already gone out this morning. And I put clay on the walls a few days ago!" His fluffy, brown tail pricked up like a flag.

"You of all animals know that dens can always be more secure." Hawk growled.

Horizon's golden eyes got dark. Hawk was referring to the raid that happened four seasons ago, before I was brought to the tribe. Horizon's father, Joshua, was the previous Chief of the Piedra tribe. He was killed in a raid from the Fuego tribe while sleeping in his den. Ever since, Horizon believed he was the rightful Chief of the Piedra tribe, being Joshua's eldest son. But he was too young at the time and Hawk became Chief instead.

Horizon reluctantly stood down and whined in submission. I was glad I wasn't fixing dens; I had done that the day before, and I hated the smell of river bed.

"Let's go, everyone. Meet back at camp when the sun has traveled to the Fifth Claw. Avoid the Fuego tribe." Hawk said.

Without a word, we all nodded and left. Creek, Delta, and myself headed for the Southern side of camp. A thorn of anger was irritatingly lodged in my chest; I was disappointed I couldn't go on a patrol with Sego. Hush, I chided myself. there's no reason why you should feel upset about not being with Sego every second of the day.

Sego and I have had an interesting relationship. When I was first brought to the Piedra tribe by Hare, we were nursery mates. I was a few weeks older than her. We hated each other at first, but we became friends after a while. I had found out she liked me a few days ago.

I was mixed up on my feelings about Sego. It would be nice to have her as a mate, but being with her meant being heir of the tribe. I didn't want or deserve such a title.

We began to run. The red ground got hotter with each leap. The desert air was crisper than an old leaf and thinner than a spider's spindle. Within minutes the temperature went from uncomfortably cold, to pleasantly warm, to scorchingly hot. The season of rainfall had only just begun a moon ago. The season of fire would be dreadful unless the great storms came soon.

Once we ran long enough for our lungs to become dry, we slowed down and began walking. The feeling of nausea and discomfort from the heat was all normal, but it stung a little more once I stopped running.

Within a few paces of walking, we could already smell the Fuego's stench.

"You were right, Astor! The border is strong." Creek said.

"Let's show them who's boss." Delta growled.

We went on marking the border, laying ours abreast to theirs. As the sun traveled to the West, so did we. It was an arduous task, trying to make our border stink as much as theirs. To make such a stench would have taken all day.

"Astor, how long will it be till your coming of age ceremony?" Creek asked.

I was surprised to hear that coming from Creek. It almost sounded like she cared about it.

Creek was Sego's mother. When I was brought to the tribe she nursed me, but she hated it. She considered me a burden. It must have killed her to learn that Sego liked me. She wasn't striking conversation carelessly.

"In a few moons. By the time scorching season has rolled by, I'll no longer be a cub."

"Are you planning on taking a mate then?" Creek asked. Her dandelion eyes were hard as river stones.

I understood what she was doing now. I shrugged, and we carried on with marking the border. I wasn't sure what I would do about a mate. Maybe wait a year and leave the tribe to find one. I didn't really want Sego as a mate. I would become the chief once Hawk had passed on. I hated the idea of leading the Piedra tribe.

<---- ••• ---->

We called it done when the sun had reached the fifth claw in the sky. Red light pierced the thin air and veiled the land in blood. Behind every brush and pebble were shadows the color of ghost eyes. Fire licked the ridges of the great stones that straddled the horizon. The way home felt long on my aching feet.

When we returned to camp, a pile of fresh meat was ready to be eaten. We hurried down into the hollow.

The hunting patrol had caught two hares, three mice and a lizard. It was a decent catch. The raining season usually brought many animals to the prey pile.

I noticed Sego by the stream talking with her mother Creek. The resemblance between them was striking. Most of the other coyotes were talking in pairs. Hare and Bat filed out of the den cautiously; every day Bat's pregnant belly (along with her temper) would get bigger and more cumbersome.

The sun was truly beginning to set now. I decided to sit by my tribe mates at the bottom of the hollow.

"Let's eat." Hawk said. We all sat in a circle around the prey and closed our eyes.

"Great spirits," Hawk said, "we have been blessed by you. We are grateful for this meal you have provided for us. Thank you."

I respected the tribe and their spiritual beliefs, but I wasn't sure if I really believed in that stuff. We thanked the spirits for the food we had, but I was sure spirits weren't catching our prey for us.

We opened our eyes. Creek selected a mouse first, then Bat chose another. Hawk picked a lizard and Negrita got part of a hare. We went through our order till it came to me; the lowest ranking. I got food last, but luckily, we always took a fair portion. Even Bat didn't eat more than the rest of us.

I sat by Sego as we ate. I enjoyed her company.

"How was border patrol?" She asked. Her soft yellow eyes glowed like stars in the red light.

"Long. Those feather-eating, marrow-sucking Fuegos have marked the border like they'll never be allowed to go pee again." I yipped.

She giggled a little and I praised myself.

"Yeah, they're pretty territorial." Sego said.

"It's not even funny! I feel dehydrated, and we have a river running in the middle of our camp! The Fuegos have to travel a mile to get water. They shouldn't be wasting their fluids on the border."

She laughed in her throat. Her smile was so warm and friendly. The fur around her ears looked so soft.

"You okay, Astor? Is there some lizard in my teeth?" She asked.

"What? Uh, no. It's alright. I'm great." I shook myself a bit and looked away from her. I didn't notice I was staring.

<---- ••• ---->

When the sun went down, we all went to bed. I shared a den with Hare and her two sons, Horizon and Delta. I slept in the corner closest to the entrance so I could look outside.

"Mami, could you tell us a story?" Delta asked. Horizon moaned a little.

"Hush, Horizon. If you don't want to hear it, go to sleep." Hare snapped.

"That's the trouble, mother; I can't sleep with you telling stories." Horizon said. I could hear his head thump against the weeds he used for a bed.

She must have not heard him (or she didn't care), because she started telling a tale. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful, young coyote. She had the most beautiful pelt; it was the color of the Mojave sands."

"Here we go again." Horizon moaned again.

"Shhh." Delta said.

"This coyote was the mate of a strong and noble Chief. All the coyotes in the tribe adored her beauty and her hunting skills. But one day, her friend had found a rat's nest. Being the brave, honorable huntress she was, she went to find a meal for her tribe. When they got there, dozens, if not hundreds of rats attacked them! The Huntress and her friend fought diligently, but there were too many.

"The huntress told her friend to find help. As she was gone for assistance, a rat bit her two front toes off -"

"Wait, I remember this one Mami. This is the one about you!" Delta said.

"So what if you've heard it before? It's the best story I know!" Hare said.

"Ha ha."

"If you don't appreciate my stories, you don't get to hear anymore!"

The two of them went on talking for a while. I blocked their noise out and watched the stars as the twinkled into the sky.