There once was a dog, cat, and bunny. The dog’s name was Ruff. The cat’s name was Meow. The bunny’s name was Hop. They lived in a forest. They all lived together in a house in the middle of the forest. In the forest, they played dog games, bunny games, and cat games. Ruff liked playing fetch. Hop liked to do hop races to see who could hop the fastest. Meow liked to carve yarn. Meow, Hop, and Ruff liked to see who could make the best figure. They went to a tennis court nearby and played with others who lived in the forest. The only problem was that they couldn’t drink the water from the lake or river because there were coyotes on each side of the lake and river.

They had heard stories about the coyotes not letting animals drink from the lake and river. They said that they looked scary because their eyebrows were firm, and they looked strong. The animals never went into the water unless they lived in the water. The animals felt scared because of the coyotes not letting them get water, and they were scared because they were sick and didn’t want to get more sick.

Ruff, Hop, and Meow looked a little unusual compared to real cats, dogs, and bunnies. They looked ill. Their throats and heads were sore. They were skinny, had problems walking, and had wrinkly faces, and they felt sad because they couldn’t get water and mad that the coyotes wouldn’t give them water. Without water they got grumpy; they firmed their eyebrows and got mad at each other for no reason because their brains were a little mixed up.

“Why don’t you, Ruff, try to get water,” said Hop.

“Because there are goats there!” said Ruff, confused.

“No, goats are not scary,” Meow exclaimed.

“Then what are they?” said Ruff.

“They’re goats! They won’t do any harm to you,” Meow responded.

But the coyotes didn’t know about the bunny, dog, and cat. The one that lived by the lake was named Jack, and the one that lived near the river was named Max. Max and Jack were the only two coyotes in the forest because the coyotes didn’t live in that particular forest, only these two coyotes did. Neither of the coyotes knew about each other. So, Hop and Meow and Ruff looked for help.

All of a sudden, Ruff saw his smart friend Garry.

“Oh look, there’s Garry!” said Ruff.

Hop and Meow didn’t know Garry, so Hop asked, “Can he help us?”

“He can! He’s the smartest turtle in the river and forest. Garry, we need your help!”

“Coming, one second, Ruff,” he said. But actually, it took him twenty minutes to get to Hop, Meow, and Ruff.

“What’s the problem?” he asked.

“We haven’t got water today, and we really need water because we’re sick,” said Ruff.

“Well, Max sleeps near the river, so at night you can drink. Fill your buckets to get as much water as possible. It is easier to get water from the lake even though Jack is the stronger coyote. Since the lake is a lot bigger, it will take a longer time for Jack to reach you guys if he catches you. I know someone who knows Jack. He said that the same way that Max sleeps at night near the river, Jack sleeps at night near the lake.”

Hop asked, “But, what if we want water in the daytime.”

“If you want to get water from the river, you have to ride on Max’s back. When he gets close to the river, you can jump into the river and drink as much as you want, but you have to be fast. Also, you have to be careful when you are on his back because if you move any bit, he will know that something’s fishy. If you want to get water from the lake, you should ask my friend. He’s right near Jack,” replied Garry.

Meow said, “First let’s try Max and do what you said.”

“Let’s tiptoe over,” said Ruff.

They jumped on Max’s back. But Max knew something was fishy and turned around quickly. The animals were scared because they never tried it before. They were too scared to speak. They began to quiver. They thought Max was going to eat them for being on his back. But Max was nice! He smiled at them without showing his sharp teeth to let them know he wasn’t going to eat them.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“We’re Hop, Ruff, Meow, and Garry. We came to the river to get water.”

“I’m a nice coyote. You can have as much water as you want.”

“Wow, Max is nice now?” said Garry, shocked.

Max was a little sad at Garry’s comment and said, “I was never mean.”
“I thought you were mean because a lot of people say that you’re mean and don’t let animals drink water from the river. I look at a coyote and all I think of is that they’re mean. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you for apologizing.”

Ruff, Meow, Hop, and Garry were so happy that they finally got water. They asked Max to take them to the lake. Max asked Garry to guard the river. Garry said, “Yes,” and Max went with Hop, Ruff, and Meow to go to the lake. When they got over there, Max was scared because he didn’t know Jack, and Jack looked a lot stronger than Max.

“Can Ruff, Meow, and Hop get a sip from the river,” Max asked.

“Sure, I’m not a mean coyote. Who do you think I am?” said Jack.

So, Ruff, Hop, and Meow drank the lake’s water, and they said, “We like the water from the lake and river.” They asked, “Can we have your water whenever we want?”

Jack and Max said, “Yes!”

So, they had a party to celebrate that Hop, Ruff, and Meow could finally drink water. They lived happily ever after with the coyotes Jack and Max.