Coyote and Raven were friends. One day Coyote went to visit Raven. "Welcome Coyote. Why do you look so tired and sad?" asked Raven. "I have been hunting all day for food," said Coyote, "but I've found nothing to eat."

Raven did not want his friend to be hungry. He shot an arrow into the air. It came down and got stuck in his wing. When Raven pulled the arrow out, it had a large piece of buffalo meat attached because Raven had strong medicine over the buffalo. Coyote did not know that Raven had strong medicine, and he thought that he could do the same neat trick. He wanted to copy what his friend could do.

A few days later Raven went to visit Coyote. "Welcome," Coyote said. "I have no food to offer you, but I will go get some." Trying to imitate* his friend, Coyote took out a bow, and like Raven, shot an arrow into the sky. The arrow came down and stuck in Coyote's leg. He screamed with pain. He was hurt by the arrow and felt silly for trying to act like Raven.

One night Coyote was in the woods when he discovered a nest he had never seen before. "Hello," he called, "I'm Coyote." "I'm Woodpecker. Come in," a voice said back. Coyote went in and saw a bird with a bright light on his head. "Friend," yelled Coyote, "your head is on fire! Put it out!" The red-headed Woodpecker laughed and replied, "I've always worn this light on my head. It was given to me in the beginning. It will not burn anything." Coyote liked the fire on Woodpecker's head and wanted to look like his new friend.

After that, Coyote stopped trying to imitate his friends. Trying to act like and look like his friends, instead of being himself, only got him into trouble.