Portia the Porcupine Visits the Doctor

Portia the Porcupine Visits the Doctor

            Portia was a petite, perky, proper, prim little porcupine. She was the absolute delight of her parents, Pauline and Peter. From the moment of her birth, her mother and father agreed that of all the young porcupines in their woodland home, Portia was the cutest, brightest, and most pleasant porcupette anyone could imagine. And, of course, Pauline and Peter would do anything to make certain their lovely little porcupette would someday rise to great heights. Her parents' primary desire was for Portia to become a plucky little role model for all the other porcupines of the great Porcupine Forest where she lived.

            Portia and her family lived in a rocky burrow at the base of a tall, leafy oak tree in the middle of Porcupine Forest. Her woodland home consisted of thousands of coniferous and deciduous trees. There were oak trees, of course. There were maple, elm, sycamore, aspen and birch trees, too. Porcupine Forest also contained many pine, fir, cedar and spruce trees that remained green throughout the year. (Porcupines often thought Porcupine Forest was so named because of the many evergreen trees. Evergreens have long, sharp, spindly needles that reminded them of their own sharp quills). The coniferous trees had a wonderful fragrance. The sweet aroma permeated the forest with a fresh, clean scent the entire year long.

            As is the custom of porcupines, Portia enjoyed climbing the trees of Porcupine Forest from her earliest age. She spent many pleasant hours in high branches, observing her lush surroundings. From the lofty heights of her own massive oak tree, Portia could survey her homeland rather well. Quite often, she saw her friends, Penny, Pauley and Priscilla playing and scampering about in the oaks and pines near her wildwood home. She loved to communicate with them in her porcupine language of grunts, whines, shrieks and tooth clickings.

            Portia had many wonderful physical qualities. She had coppery-hued, brownish-black fur and strong, short legs. Her round little body and small ears and head were features admired by everyone in her huge circle of friends. Portia’s teeth would grow continually as she wore them down by chewing on wood and branches. With front paws of only four toes and back paws with the standard five toes, she represented her species quite admirably. But her most recognizable feature was her queenly quills.

            “Look how Portia’s quills glisten in the morning sunlight!” Her best friend Penny would say. And it was true. Portia’s quills reminded everyone of polished copper or shimmering sunshine. Yes, her long, wavy quills were certainly befitting a porcupine princess such as Portia.