Coyote

The coyote howls.
He is a dog.
Like any dog, he yearns for a pack.
To hunt with.
To play with.
To share life with.
He is small and weak, and lives off of carrion.
The dogs he yearns for seek to tear his throat out.
There is no pack for the coyote. 
He must be canny and wise.
He lives cowering in fear.
Hurt, alone, and bewildered.
But though he is dirty and foul and brown,
He is beautiful.
All
By
Himself.