In winter, the girl is taught coyote is enemy. The gray predator waits patiently in the canyon until the sheep are heavy with milk, lambs unsteady on new legs. Then—pounce. Not thunder, but precision: a hush like a birch leaf falling. Two marks on the neck; heart stops, milk stays warm. Gulp, coyote fills its belly. In five minutes, a lamb is orphaned. Morning brings angry men, rifles, vengeance. Coyotes killed. Sheep mauled. Lambs sent to market. Who is the enemy? Who kills the most? In the barn, she mixes powdered milk, walks towards the bellowing lamb, mothering it.
Lisa Witz is a writer of personal essays and true stories. She grew up on a cattle and sheep ranch in northern California. Instagram: @lisareginawitz