She loved to explore the tall ferns and observe a butterfly flutter in the sky.

Once, Piper observed a shimmer in the river.

She crept closer and wondered what it could be. "I wonder if it is a fish," she said.

As she stepped forward, she slipped on a slippery rock!

Splash! She fell in the river with a shiver.

The river was not deep, but the whisker she liked best was bent!

Piper felt sad. “I look so different,” she said. She did not want the other panthers to see.

She hid under the fern, trying to fix it, but it would not go back.

Just then, her pal Avery the otter popped up. “What is the matter?” Avery asked.

Piper told her the story. Avery smiled and said, “Your bent whisker shows how brave you were!”

Piper wondered. “Brave?” she asked. “Yes!” Avery said. “You explored, slipped, and did not give up. That is bravery!”

Piper looked at her whisker. It was not perfect, but this time, she liked it.

From the underbrush Piper said, “This whisker is part of my story!” With that, Piper the panther went home.