Choices

"You have some decisions to make at the start of your week," it said, bending low. "Bite or nuzzle? Nuzzle or bite?" The coyote's amber eyes glittered in the soft light of dawn; the stray nodded (feeling a growing sense of empowerment). "And, regardless of what I choose, it's 'how hard' and 'how long', right?" The coyote nodded, pleased. "Start strong," it said, swishing its tail in farewell and bolting silently for the pond's forested edge. "Good luck to both of us," the stray whispered, pledging to take every day as it comes.