Hedgehog Who Lost His Colors

Deep inside the Whispering Forest lived a little hedgehog named Hazel.

Unlike the other hedgehogs, Hazel's quills shimmered with beautiful colors. Some glowed like the morning sunrise, while others sparkled like autumn leaves.

Whenever Hazel walked through the forest, everyone smiled.

"What beautiful colors!"

"You make the forest brighter!"

Hazel loved hearing those words.

Every morning, he polished his colorful quills until they gleamed.

One cool autumn afternoon, a strong wind swept through the forest.

Leaves danced wildly.

Branches swayed.

Hazel hurried home through the storm.

The next morning, something felt strange.

He looked into a quiet pond.

His colorful quills were gone.

Every single one had turned soft gray.

Hazel blinked.

"No..."

He rubbed his eyes.

He spun around.

Still gray.

He felt as if the sunshine had disappeared from inside him.

Ashamed of how he looked, Hazel stayed inside his little burrow.

He didn't visit Rabbit.