One day, Ixtaple, the Coyote, came to Wokani with a bundle of sweet, succulent greens he’d gathered and set them on the ground before his little brother. Wokani, the Turtle, was suspicious. He had been the subject of of many pranks since he’d come to be, all of them because of his brothers, Ixtaple and He’eklaka. He expected this to be another.

“What are these?” he asked.

“The finest, freshest, greens I could find,” Ixtaple told him. “I know we have played many a prank on you. This is my way of saying I’m sorry if it seemed cruel. We were just trying to have some fun.”

Wokani was still suspicious. It did not seem to be in his brothers’ nature to be kind. “All this is for me? What’s the catch?”

He was suspicious, but he was also hungry. The greens smelled delicious and they were all right there in front of him, ready to be eaten. His mouth began to water and his stomach growl.

“There’s no catch,” Ixtaple assured him. “If these are not enough, I can get more. Eat your fill.”

“There’s no trick?”

“No trick.”

Wokani moved some of the greens aside, to see whether Ixtaple had hidden a snake, or spider underneath, but there was nothing but greens.

“I assure you, little brother, there is nothing there but your favorite greens.”

Wokani’s hunger finally overcame his suspicions and he began to eat the greens. He ate and ate. He ate until his belly was full and he could not possibly eat any more. And nothing happened. There was no trick. It seemed Ixtaple had simply done something nice for him.

Satisfied, and with his belly full, Wokani began to get sleepy. His eyes grew heavy and he laid his head down. Soon he was sound asleep.

Which is exactly was Ixtaple and He’eklaka, the Raven were counting on.

Once Wokani had settled into a deep sleep, Ixtaple crept up beside him and began to whisper into his sleeping brother’s ear.

Wokani began to dream.

He dreamed of a world where rugged mountains rose right from the edges of a vast ocean. Where deep valleys divided the mountains and held rivers and streams full of fresh cold water. The mountains were covered with thick stands of trees so tall they brushed the clouds with their gnarled fingers. The waters were full of fish of every description, and clams and mussels by the millions. In the forests, lived deer and elk, wolves, bear and mountain lions, raccoons, skunk and mice. Eagles and hawks, circled above the trees, while sparrows and jays hid in the branches. Beaver dammed the smaller streams, while millions of salmon fought their way up the larger rivers.

It was a glorious world, a wondrous world, he dreamed and takin gave it structure and strength and beauty.

And Wokani dreamed of human beings living amid the land. And he dreamed of the human beings living and loving each other, raising their children to adulthood, growing old and dying. The human beings lived in the glorious land and were, for the most part, happy.

Ixtaple and He’eklaka were overjoyed. Here was an entire world full of targets for their jokes and pranks. It was exactly what they’d been hoping for. Each immediately entered Wokani’s dream and began having fun.

Now the Great Spirit, Sunaktle, saw what his sons had done, for he saw and knew everything that happened in takin. He watched as first Ixtaple, then He’eklaka slipped into the new world of Wokani’s dream. He smiled and shook his head, but did nothing to stop them.

Wokani would wake soon enough.