Tina saw Jake before he saw her. He was coming up from the creek with a muskrat in his mouth. He'd always been a good hunter whom she'd admired since they'd first met musta been 3 summers ago. He was part of the Johnson pack of dogs that her clan would sometimes sneak past to raid the chickens, but they were both just pups and they played that day. Perhaps if it was a Shakespearean tale they would have been star-crossed lovers and as they had met over the years Tina had wondered but knew she had her own path to walk. Tina was to be the leader of her family, a respected coyote clan in the valley and Jake was - well, everyone's friend. A politician, a charmer, a good hunter and friend but not a mate. As they greeted and sniffed each other Tina wondered what that scent was. It was almost like the spring wild flowers but with a sharpness on the nose -ewww! Jake knew from her scent she'd had her second litter that spring and was no doubt trying to feed both herself ...