a Coyote's in the House (2004) (3 page)

What little Courtney liked to do, she'd say, Buddy, stay, and leave him sitting there all day like a dog made of stone.

Except stone dogs didn't have to pee. Buddy would stay as long as he could before racing to the dog door to get outside. He'd hear Courtney yelling, Mom, Buddy disobeyed me.

Cody and Courtney would pretend to wrestle with him and stick boogers in his hair and roll on the floor laughing. Any time Buddy saw them picking their noses he'd run and hide under a bed. The kids would tell their mom, Buddy won't play with us, in that pouty voice they'd put on, and he'd get yelled at.

Or they'd blame Buddy for something they did all the time. Cody would hold his nose saying, Buddy, shame on you. And Courtney would call to their mom, Buddy's letting farts again.

He couldn't win.

They never played tricks on him when he was making movies. Making a lot of money, too. Enough to buy this big house and fancy cars. He never got yelled at either.

They were tired of him and now Miss Betty was getting all the attention. A woman came every week in her Pooch Caboose to give Betty a bath and keep her groomed with all those puffs and pom-poms. Betty loved it. She couldn't pass a mirror without stopping to look at herself. She never wanted to play, afraid she might muss up her hair.

This year, Betty was entered in the dog beauty contest and for the first time in her life failed to win Best in Show. Buddy thought, Good. Maybe she won't act so stuck up now. But the dad and the kids would moan and pet her, telling Betty she really was the best and should've won. What all that did was get Betty feeling sorry for herself. Now she moped around the house or stayed in her room, hardly ever saying a word. It left Buddy more lonely than ever, a pet that never got petted.

What he would do, stretch out on the floor and watch videos of his movies. In every one of them he was able to act out what he wanted to tell people and get them to do something. In Buddy to the Rescue he was able to act out the little girl trapped in the cave, wolves closing in on her, and the other actors understood.

But it wasn't the same in real life.

No matter how hard he tried, there was no way to get the family to understand that he was a working dog and needed to keep busy. He'd try acting out how bored he was and the dad would say, What's wrong, fella? He always called him fella. You getting lazy, don't want to play with the kids?

Sometimes in the evening as it was getting dark, Buddy would see coyotes up on the hill, out of their dens for a night of hunting. Getting ready, goofing around with each other. They were dogs, too, but nobody's pets. They were dogs that could do anything they felt like.

Buddy had made up his mind to take off when along came Antwan: somebody to guide him up that hill and introduce him to the pack.

Up in Miss Betty's bedroom Antwan was standing now, looking at the dog show trophies she'd won and the pictures of her posing, Miss Betty still under the bed.

This all you do?

She didn't answer.

Stand around looking pretty?

Still no answer, too scared to talk.

You know what? Antwan said. They ought to put coyotes in the dog shows. I don't know any males would do it, but you'd sure see some groovy females. He waited a moment and said, Hey, quit acting like you're scared of me and come on out.

That did it. Miss Betty slipped out from under the bed and walked by him to the window -Antwan tempted to give the pom-pom on the tip of her tail a friendly nip. She pointed her cute black nose at the window and said, This is the way out. Please leave.

She turned to him now, looked him in the eye, and Antwan saw she wasn't scared of him at all. Not the least bit. No, she acted the way she did 'cause she was snooty. She was a famous showgirl who won trophies and had no time for coyotes. One thing for sure, though, Miss Betty did not look happy.

I saw you at the dog park, Antwan said, with the kids. You didn't look like you were having much fun. Don't you ever get out by yourself and run around in the woods, see what you can scare up?

All Miss Betty said to that was, You have to go.

I know, Antwan said. Hey, but I could come back sometime, take you for a run in the woods. Antwan thinking it would be cool if she said yeah, why don't you?

She didn't though. Miss Betty cocked her head like she was listening to something and said, Courtney's looking for me. ownstairs in the kitchen, Courtney was saying to her mom sipping a cold beverage as the dad made himself one, I can't find her anywhere.

Cody said, You haven't even looked.

I have so.

You have not.

Have so.

The mom pushed her hair away from her face and said, Cody, knock it off.

The dad said, Hey, fella, and Buddy looked up. The dad said something about Betty, Buddy catching the name. He knew enough human words to figure out they were looking for her. Yeah, the dad pointing to the dog door. Calling him fella again, telling him to go look outside.

The way it was in this life Antwan was right all he did was what they wanted. But Betty was probably upstairs, and so was Antwan ... There was no way to warn him, so Buddy did what he was told. He went outside.

The mom said to Courtney, I'll bet she's up in her room. Have you looked there? n t w a n was beginning to feel sorry for Miss Betty. She didn't choose to be a showgirl. It was what they wanted her to be. Betty did what she was told and now was stuck with a life of posing and looking pretty. Antwan wondered if he could help her.

He said, I bet you never got burrs in your pom-poms. She said, Will you please leave?

He tried a different approach. You know what me and Buddy been talking about?

She said, Me, I suppose.

That's one of your problems, Antwan said, always thinking about yourself. He could tell she didn't like that, so he said right away, Buddy wants us to trade places.

She looked surprised and then interested. How could you do that?

He joins the coyotes and I stay here, pretend I'm a dog. Was that a smile on her cute face? It looked like one. Now she was shaking her head.

It would never work. You don't have manners or know how to act like a dog.

It encouraged Antwan she was willing to talk about it. He said, Buddy thinks we can pull off the switch. And if I was here, girl, I could show you how to run around and have some fun. Show you sights you wouldn't believe till you saw 'em. There's a whole world out there you're missing.

Miss Betty hesitated now, looking into his eyes like she wanted to hear more or catch a glimpse of this world he was talking about. Her gaze moved past him then, her expression changing to a look of surprise, and she said, Oh no ...

Antwan turned his head to see Courtney standing in the doorway. Courtney there and then gone, running down the hall and yelling as loud as she could:

!

Be t t y was by the open window now, motioning for Antwan to go out, telling him, Quick, jump! and watched him leap through the opening to land on the roof over the patio, watched him slide down the shingles, jump to the ground and run for the fence.

Now she saw Buddy in the yard, Buddy coming around the swimming pool to run after Antwan like he was chasing him.

But he wasn't.

She couldn't believe her eyes as she saw Antwan and Buddy go over the fence together side by side. Gone.

7H E family came from the hall into Betty's room, all of them with something to say. First the dad pretended to look around the room. He said to Courtney, Sweetheart, I don't see a coyote, sounding like he was serious.

Cody said, You don't believe her, do you? A coyote just happens to be in the house?

It was, Courtney said, it was right here in this room. She makes up stories to get attention.

Cody, the mom said, stay out of it.

She does it all the time. And then cries.

Tears showed in Courtney's eyes.

See? Cody said.

I saw it, Courtney said, sobbing now. Betty knows I'm telling the truth.

Miss Betty looked up hearing her name and wagged her stylish tail. She said, Courtney's right, a coyote was in my room, but all the family heard were a few yips and a growl.

The dad walked over to the window saying, Buddy was in the backyard. He looked out. But I don't see him now. He put two fingers to his mouth, and the blast of his whistle filled the room.

The mom closed her eyes. She opened them and said, Why don't we go downstairs and have a cold drink?

Betty waited for them to leave before going to the window. She looked out at the hillside, her eyes on the open slope above the trees, but saw no sign of Antwan or Buddy. She began wondering what it would be like to be with them.

To miss her grooming appointments and run free. n t w a n loped all the way through the woods to the bare part of the hill before he stopped and waited for Buddy to catch up.

I thought I'd lose you, Antwan said, as Buddy reached him and sat down. You're pretty fast for an old-timer.

I'm not too old, Buddy said, to sniff your trail and hunt you down. I'm ready to see where you live and meet the family.

Homes, you might think you're ready, Antwan said. If you were a wild dog, it would be different. Wild dogs can catch on to our ways. But you're nothing but a house pet, used to your little doggy dish, your name on it.

I know who I am and what I can do, Buddy said. What I'm tired of is being told what to do. I want to see what it's like to live in the wild. Stay out all night and chase after game.

Like squirrels and rabbits? Antwan said.

I love chasing squirrels and rabbits.

How about cats?

I've chased hundreds of cats.

But did you eat 'em?

Look, Buddy said, standing up now, bigger than this skinny coyote with the pointy ears, Buddy convinced he was every bit as brave, I can chase what I want and eat what I want, in a dish or on the ground. I'm not taking any more of your smart-aleck insults. You say one more word about me being a pet, I'll bite your bushy tail off and make you eat it.

It got Antwan thinking, maybe this dog did have the chops to make the switch work. The pack would give Buddy a hard time, see how tough he was, but he'd stand up to 'em and give it back, wouldn't he? The pack would have to agree, Buddy was cool, for a dog.

No, the problem was Antwan pulling off his part in the scheme. He said to Buddy, You want me to introduce you to my family.

That's all, Buddy said, then it's up to me.

But what am I supposed to do, just walk in the house and say hi y'all? I need you there, homes, to show 'em we friends. I can't hope for Miss Betty to help me. That girl hardly ever speaks.

Buddy saw what he meant and began nodding his head.

You're right, we don't want to jump the gun. We better do the hard part first, get you settled in the house before we go up the hill. Buddy paused then, narrowing his eyes at Antwan. If you think this is a joke and you're playing some kind of trick on me Antwan shook his head and looked Buddy in the eye to show he was serious. He said, Homes, the only tricky part is getting your people to believe I'm a dog. Getting me to believe it, too, so I can try to act like one. He said, Listen, you go on home and I'll see you tonight. Wait for me in the kitchen. Then in the morning, introduce me as your new friend.

Buddy was thinking about something now, nodding his head again. He said, You need a dog collar.

Man, we got all kinds of 'em.

Bring one.

Now Antwan was nodding. That's an idea. Yeah, but how do I get it on?

I'll think of a way, Buddy said.

A m o n a wanted t o join the Howling Diablos, but Antwan wouldn't let her, even though two girls were in the gang. Antwan said, When you can hunt with Iris and Grace you're in the posse. You have to know things. You hear a rabbit crying is the bunny in trouble, or is it a human blowing his lure? They sound the same. You come running and he shoots you. Whenever you run you're looking everywhere, and when you're out in the open, you watch the sky.

These words were in Ramona's mind almost in the same moment she heard the crow too late to watch the sky and now she was afraid to look up, see a ring of crows circling to dive at her. She kept running, faster now, then stopped in her tracks as Cicero Crow landed on a rock, about three leaps in front of her.

You didn't hear me calling? I bet you didn't hear about Antwan, either. About him going in the house with the police dog? Not like Antwan was busted, or like he was gonna eat the dog. Just went in the house. But listen, I got one for him, a cute white Persian they let out in the yard, the new kitty in the neighborhood. Her name's Lola.

Ramona said, He went in a house?

And came out. Listen, tell Antwan to give me a howl. She climbed to the pack's grounds and found Antwan coming out of a slit in the rock wall, his den.

She said, You were in a house, sounding amazed. Antwan said, I know I was. What I like you to do, find me a dog collar, one that will go around my poor neck.

Chapter
Four.