In John Bierhorst's The Mythology of Mexico and Central America, we have a story from the Mazateca peoples, retold by Sofia Payne. 

In the early dawn of our world, fire fell from the sky above. An old woman found the fire, kindled it, and took it to her hut at the top of a hill. The villagers that lived nearby asked the woman to share the fire with them, since it was cold at night in the desert, and they'd like to cook their meals. The old woman, however, was not compassionate to their pleas and did not share the fire with them.

One day, a young opossum was wandering the village by when she overheard the villagers lamenting about the old woman's cruelty. Feeling a pang of concern, the opossum stopped and asked the people what was wrong. Hearing their story, the opossum made an offer. 

"If you agree to not eat me or my family, I will help you get this fire you speak of. Do we have a deal?"

The villagers agreed and so the opossum crept up to the old woman's hut, waiting until night fall to scratch at her door. 

"What is this?" the old woman asked, opening the door to the opossum.
"P-please, I am so cold." the opossum chattered in reply, visibly shivering in the cold night air. 

The old woman felt concern for the opossum and invited her inside, "Come in little opossum, warm yourself by the fire."

The opossum huddled near the fire, and inched closer and closer while the old woman tutted about her hut. When she got close enough, the opossum leapt into the fire, grabbing it with her tail before making a sudden exit from the old woman's hut. 

The villagers rejoiced when the opossum returned with the fire. As a result of her action, the opossum found she no longer had a lovely furred tail or paws, and her descendants would forever bear the markings of her deed.