The Lost Collar
Hector the alligator lived at the edge of the river. He regularly loved to swim near the harbor because it was familiar to him.
One bright morning, Hector found a collar near the harbor. It was a shiny, red collar with a tiny mirror attached. He wondered who it belonged to and decided to look for its owner.
He went to find his mentor, an armadillo, "Hey Brent, do you know who this collar belongs to?" Hector asked.
"I'm not sure, Hector. Maybe try and ask Sakshi, the jaguar? She is a great explorer and may know who it belongs to," Brent replied.
Hector swam over to Sakshi the jaguar who was relaxing under a tree. "Do you know who this collar belongs to?" Hector asked.
Sakshi shook her head and said, "Sorry Hector, I have not seen that before."
Determined to find the owner, Hector followed a trail of water lily flowers along the river. Along the way, he met a lizard who was sunbathing on a lily pad.
"Hello lizard! Do you know who this collar belongs to?" Hector asked.
The lizard's eyes widened and he said, "Oh yes! That collar is mine. I thought I had lost it forever! Thank you!"
Hector returned the collar to the lizard, who was very happy. "As a token of thanks, please take this jar of nectar," the lizard said, handing Hector a small jar.
Hector thanked the lizard and waddled back to the popular spot near the harbor where he found his friend, Eleanor the aardvark.
Hector shared the nectar with Eleanor the aardvark and they enjoyed the sweet floral flavor of the nectar. It was better than anything they had ever tasted.
From that day on, Hector continued to help others and lived his regular life in the river near the harbor.