By Don R. Benson - dlbenson@psnw.com

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It was such a nice warm sunny day and Whiffer was enjoying the warmth on his furry little tummy.

It wasn't that Whiffer had ever been cold, but this was the first time he had ever been outside the den where he was born.

It wasn't long until Whiffer was looking around for his mother. After all, a growing boy needs to eat, even if he is just a young otter!

He squeaked a little squeak and Mom was right there to see just what he needed. She grabbed him by the neck and took him back to the den to feed him.

The next day Whiffer got to come outside again. This time his mother took him a little way down the bank to where other otter mothers had brought their young otters.

Several of the young otters were busy chasing each other around the trees and up and down the bank.

Whiffer was younger than the rest and smaller too. He stayed close to his mother and just watched the other young otters play.

After a little while some of the young otters came over to inspect Whiffer. As they came up close to sniff at him, he sniffed back at them.

When Whiffer sniffed his nose made a funny sound. The funny sound sounded like his name, Whiffer. In fact, that is how he got his name!

But the other young otters didn't like the sound. They chirped a scolding chirp at Whiffer and scurried away. Whiffer just stayed with his mother and the other otter mothers.

The next day was cloudy and a little rainy and Whiffer stayed in the den.

Not because of the weather though; Whiffer knew inside that the other young otters didn't want anything to do with him.

He was glad when his mother came back to the den as he had been feeling very lonely. Whiffer and his mother spent most of the day in the den.

When he woke up the next morning he was all by himself. However, a young otter like Whiffer was not one to stay by himself for very long.

Soon he had investigated his way right out of the burrow. He sniffed around the rocks at the den entrance. There were bushes to sniff. There was grass to sniff.

At the bottom of the bank Whiffer found the water. One thing a otter knows just as soon as he is born is how to swim.

Whiffer slipped into the water and was soon swimming and diving and enjoying himself very much.

After a very deep dive Whiffer came to the surface to get a breath. As his head came out of the water he heard the stern chirp from his mother.

He immediately came out of the water and scampered up to her. She just turned and led him back to the den.

Inside the den Whiffer's mother chirped at him as she cleaned his fur. After he had been nursed for a while he went to sleep.

It was not long until Whiffer woke up. He sniffed around in the burrow and could tell his mother was gone.

He went outside but had not gone very far when his mother came up to him and chirped.

She dropped a fish in front of Whiffer. He sniffed the fish. When the fish wiggled its tail Whiffer grabbed the fish in his teeth as a reflex.

As soon as he tasted the fish he started chewing. It tasted very good to Whiffer.

When he had finished eating the fish he looked at his mother. She chirped at him and he followed her back into the den.

Whiffer knew that chirp meant that he was to come into the den and stay there. Whiffer always obeyed his mother.


Chapter Two - Whiffer Goes Exploring

Later that day Whiffer was awakened by his mother. She gave him another fish. He ate the fish quickly and chirped at his mother asking if there was any more.

His mother went out the door to the den and Whiffer followed expectantly.

His mother stopped at the edge of the water, turned her head toward him and gave 3 short chirps.

Whiffer stopped. He knew that meant not to follow his mother. She went into the water.

Instead, he went exploring along the bank of the water in the opposite direction his mother had taken him when they went to see the other otters.

Whiffer went along sniffing everything, his nose making the funny whiff sound that only he made.

He had not gone very far when he came upon some large rock outcroppings that extended from deep under the water to just a little above the height of the place where his home den was.

For some reason Whiffer immediately liked this place. There were several large places of soft dirt sheltered in among the rocks.

Whiffer felt at home here among the rocks. The rocks were warm when he laid down on them.

Whiffer started making a purring sound like that of a purring cat.

Laying on the warm rock Whiffer went to sleep.

He woke up quickly when he heard the sound of his mother's chirping and quickly ran to her expecting another fish.

Instead she turned and went back to the den. Whiffer followed her. He paused and looked around before he went into the den.

He knew his mother wanted him to go inside, but Whiffer liked it outside.

Slowly and reluctantly Whiffer went into the den. He found his mother in the dark and immediately started to nurse from her.

She felt warm, like the rocks, as he lay beside her.

In a little while a very contented little otter fell sound asleep.


Chapter Three - The Dangerous Boy

The next morning when Whiffer followed his mother outside he was eager to go to the warm rocks and lie down.

Whiffer's mother stopped a little way outside the den and sniffed the air. She made a warning sound to him that he knew to mean to get back inside quickly.

He obeyed his mother right away. His mother had smelled a bad smell.

There was no way for her to be able to tell Whiffer that she had smelled an enemy to otters - men.

Actually it was only one man, and he was not quite a man. He was a boy who was setting traps to catch otters.

The boy planned to go to college that fall and was trying to make some money selling the hides of animals he trapped.

He had come to the area where the otters gathered, to set traps for them.

Although Whiffer's mother did not know why the boy was there, she knew she must be cautious. She also knew Whiffer was too young to understand.

When Whiffer had seen and heard his mother sniffing the air, Whiffer had sniffed the air, too. It was to be very fortunate for Whiffer, because he remembered the smell of the boy.

From that time on, the boy came to the area where the otters congregated every day. For a while he caught an otter in each of his three traps every day.

The man who bought the otter pelts from the boy told him to catch all he could as quickly as he could. Trapping otters in that area was going to be banned at any time.

Before the banning of trapping could be put into effect the boy had caught all the otters for miles, except Whiffer and his mother.

The boy had used every trick his father could teach him about trapping. Eventually the boy stopped coming around and took his traps to another place to catch different animals.

After several days of the boy not coming around, Whiffer's mother relaxed her watch over Whiffer and let him have free run of the area.


Chapter Four - A Black Dog Attacks

There were lots of fish in the water. Whiffer's mother could catch all the fish she and Whiffer could eat in a few minutes.

There were other things in the waters there that otters liked to eat. After a few weeks she started weaning Whiffer and taught him how to catch fish and how to find other things to eat.

Whiffer learned how to slide down the bank into the water. He would scamper back up the bank while he was still wet and slide down the bank again.

When there are many otters sliding down a bank they soon make a muddy slide into the water.

That was what had given the location of all the trapped otters away. But where Whiffer was sliding the grass was thick and he left no tell tale trace of his playing there.

Quite often his mother joined him for some sliding down the bank. Whiffer enjoyed that a lot.

He spent a lot of time in the water.

Sometimes he would swim around exploring. In the water around the rocky area that Whiffer liked so well there were many fish. The fish liked the rocky hiding places under the water.

They were just too slow for a hungry otter and Whiffer ate fish whenever he felt like it. That was good because it made his fur coat very smooth and water resistant.

When Whiffer laid on the rocks and enjoyed the warm sun on his stomach, his fur coat was very beautiful.

One day as he was enjoying the sun, he smelled the dangerous smell of the boy. It was a little different, but Whiffer knew it was dangerous.

Instinctively he let out a warning chirp and dashed down the bank into the water.

Whiffer's mother had been digging some roots further up the bank. She dashed down the bank toward the water.

Whiffer had just swam out in the water and turned around to look at the bank. He saw his mother coming, very fast, down the bank.

Something black was coming along the bank toward his mother. Whiffer chirped again. The black thing reached Whiffer's mother about the same time she reached the water.

She yelped in pain as the black thing hit her, but she was able to get into the water and swim away under water.

Whiffer didn't know it, but the black thing was a dog. A man had brought the dog to the area as he was exploring. The man had called to the dog to stop him, but the dog was young and not well trained.

The dog jumped into the water to chase Whiffer's mother. The man stood on the bank shouting at the dog to come back to the shore.

When the dog got very tired he finally swam to the shore. The man snapped a leash onto the dogs collar and sharply scolded the dog for what he had done. The man left, dragging a very reluctant dog along.

Whiffer and his mother swam back to a spot just down the bank from the den. Whiffer quickly got out of the water and scampered to the den.


Chapter Five - Whiffer On His Own

It took several minutes for Whiffer's mother to climb the short distance to the protection of the den. Once inside she lay down on the soft bed of grasses and things to rest. Whiffer could not see the large cut in her neck in the dark. There was nothing he could have done for her, anyway.

Whiffer woke up feeling very cold. Usually he felt warm when he slept next to his mother. He sniffed around and he could smell his mother. He could not understand why she was so cold.

Whiffer went out to the water and caught a fish. He took the fish back to the den for his mother by instinct. Several times that day he brought fish for his mother. Soon there was a pile of fish, but his mother could not eat any of them.

In a few days the terrible smell in the den made Whiffer leave the den for good. He went to the rocky area he loved so well. His instincts told him that he needed another den.

He started digging in the soft dirt between the large rocks. All the swimming had made him very strong. By the first night the hole was deep enough that when he was inside he was hidden from view.

Whiffer didn't feel much like sliding down the hill after he had his den dug. He had made a bed of soft dead grass the same way his mother had.

Because of the rocky ground at the entrance to the den, the dirt he had dug out was barely noticeable.

In the mornings Whiffer would go to the water and catch some fish. He would eat the fish as he floated on his back. When he was not hungry anymore he would sun himself on the rocks.

Before long Whiffer had forgotten about his mother. He would spend his days sunning himself on the rocks.

If he got too warm or if he was hungry, he would slide down to the water and either play in the water or catch something to eat.

Sometimes he would spend a long time climbing the bank and sliding back into the water, just as he and his mother had done.


Chapter Six - Whiffer Meets Squeak

One day he was having a very good time sliding and climbing when he heard a familiar sounding chirp. Whiffer was climbing the bank at the moment and stopped in his tracks.

He sniffed the air. He cautiously looked around. Then he heard the chirp again.

Suddenly, over the top of a rock came a very lively otter. Somehow Whiffer knew it was a girl otter.

He stood very still as this girl otter scampered up to him, stopping about a foot away and before slowly approaching him.

She touched Whiffer's nose with her nose. Whiffer did not take his eyes off her eyes. Then she lowered her head a little and rubbed the top of her head under his chin.

Whiffer jumped straight up into the air. He came down on the grassy area he had been sliding down. He had turned in the air so he was facing down the slope when he landed. He slid down the hill into the water.

He dove under the surface of the water and made a quick turn. There she was, coming into the water right behind him.

Whiffer swam to the edge of the water and scampered up the hill. The girl otter, whose name was Squeak, was right behind him.

They spent about an hour scampering up the bank and sliding down to the water. Whiffer felt very happy, once again.

Squeak and Whiffer spent several days having a very good time. Every so often Whiffer would stop abruptly and sniff the air. Then he would pounce on Squeak and they would roll or slide down the bank into the water.

At night they would lie close together in the den Whiffer had dug. Squeak did not seem to notice the whiffing sound Whiffer made when he smelled things.

Of course, Whiffer did not seem to notice the continual squeaking from Squeak. They were a very happy pair!


Chapter Seven - Seasons Change

One morning when they came out of the den they both noticed things were changing. The leaves on the trees were changing colors.

This was all new to both Whiffer and Squeak. The air was also much colder. Neither of them knew it, but their wonderful coats of fur were getting much thicker. Winter was coming.

An instinct in both of the otters told them to spend more time eating and less time playing. But when the sun was shining warm on the bank where they lived, both Whiffer and Squeak loved to romp up and down the bank.

For some reason, instinct told Whiffer to check the air more often. Several times he would smell that smell that told him danger. He would let out a warning squeak and he and Squeak would disappear into the den.

One morning when they came out of the den the ground was white. The trees had lost their leaves several days before. The leaves made a wonderfully soft bed.

Whiffer did not like the feeling of the white stuff on his feet. He rolled onto his back to get his feet out of the cold stuff and immediately slid right into the water. Squeak saw him slide into the water and slid right in after him.

They spent several minutes scampering up the bank and sliding on the white stuff. They slid much faster than they did when they were sliding on grass. They did not have a name for the white, slippery snow, but they enjoyed it just the same.

Soon their empty stomachs reminded them about just that. They were hungry. Both of the otters caught some nice fat juicy fish one at a time and floated on their backs, eating fish.

The sun had come out and they were warm and comfortable there, floating and eating.

When they had eaten the fish and had properly washed off the crumbs from their tummies they returned to the bank to slide some more. The snow had nearly all melted.

They went back to the grassy area and proceeded to slide there. They both grew tired earlier than usual and so they went into the den for a nap.

It was not long until the snow did not all melt during the day. In fact, it got deeper. When they took the time to scamper up and slide down the bank on the snow they had a very good time. They had a great time, in fact.

It did not take long though until they were back inside the den, snuggled up close together to keep warm.


Chapter Eight - Two New Pups

On the days when the wind blew they didn't spend much time outside. They would catch a fish and quickly eat it. They did not float around chirping to each other and eating.

Once they had eaten their fill, they would scamper back to the den. There they would groom and snuggle up close together and sleep.

Sometime during the winter, Squeak became pregnant. Instinct had told them what to do and they had done it. The change in Squeak's body and the change in her smell made Whiffer much more attentive to her.

He would fuss around making sure the bed was soft and comfortable. He would groom the top of her head and the back of her neck. Squeak enjoyed the grooming very much. They were both very happy.

One morning when they went out to find their breakfast there was a noticeable change in the air. The air was warmer and the sun was shining. For the first time in many days they spent extra time sliding into the water.

Squeak was not quite as fast as she usually was. Whiffer took more time smelling the air, too. They did not know it, but they were getting prepared to be parents.

Then one day after all the snow had disappeared and the leaves had started appearing on the trees, Squeak gave birth to two cute little otter pups, as otter babies are called. They were both girls.

Whiffer could not see them in the dark of the den, but he was very proud. He made sure Squeak was well groomed after such an ordeal. Squeak would not let him groom the pups, though. She took care of that herself.

Whiffer made sure she had a fresh fish to eat. Squeak took the fish back outside to eat in the water. She ate quickly and washed herself off quickly then went back into the den with her babies. Squeak did not bring fish into the den again.

Very soon the two pups were venturing outside with Whiffer and Squeak. The parents made sure one of them was with the young girl pups every moment.

If Squeak was catching and eating a fish, Whiffer stayed with the girls. Once Squeak was back with the girls, Whiffer would go catch a fish and quickly eat it. Neither of the parents wanted to be away from their children any more than they had to be gone.

Spring time on the bank quickly turned to summer. Squeak and the girls frolicked up and down the bank. Whiffer would join them, but he spent a great deal of time sniffing the air.

When he smelled that did not smell right, he would let out two or three warning chirps. In a flash the female otters would dash into the den.

Only when they were safely in the den would Whiffer move to follow. He would then dash into the den and safety.

Whiffer did not know it, but now otters were protected. It was against the law to kill an otter for any reason.

Of course the other wild animals did not obey the law and so Whiffer still had to watch out for those wild animals. Fortunately, there were very few anywhere close to Whiffer's and Squeak's den.


Chapter Nine - New Beginnings

It was a grand summer. Whiffer and Squeak were very happy. They all spent many hours eating together and frolicking on the bank together.

Anytime the children or Squeak would start to venture in the direction of Whiffer's old den, Whiffer would let out a warning chirp. He did not know the reason they should not go there, but he knew it was not a safe place, none the less.

The summer days were just starting to cool when a strange male otter showed up. At first Whiffer was very cautious with the newcomer.

But one of the little female pups took a shine to this newcomer. In a few days the newcomer had dug a den for himself and the female pup.

Just a few days after that another male showed up. This time the unattached female and the male went off down the bank to the den the male and dug much farther down the bank.

Instinct told Whiffer and Squeak that everything was the way it should be.

The rest of the summer and fall were spent by the 4 otters in frolicking and eating. Winter came again. In the spring there were two sets of new pups, 3 girls and 1 boy.

Several years have gone by and the bank is once again populated by many otters.

If you go down to the bank, approach it quietly and down wind, (down wind means to keep the wind blowing from the bank towards yourself) and if you are very careful, taking care not to come too close, you may be fortunate to see Whiffer's and Squeak's children, and grand children and great-grand children and great-great-grandchildren playing on the bank.

It is best to watch them through binoculars. It can be just as enjoyable for you to watch them is it is for them to entertain you.


The whiff sound that gave Whiffer his name actually ended up saving his life. It gave him and his offspring a new and safer territory to live in.

So being different may actually mean life will be better for you.


© Copyright 1998 Don R. Benson
This story for use only on the Mystcorp Kids website.

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