"Mama, can we go outside and play?"

"I don't know... It's pretty cold outside."

"But I've never seen snow before!"

Ecstasy and I stared up at Mama with large pleading eyes. Months have passed since my birth, and I most certainly couldn't have asked to have been born in a different family. Mama was caring and kind, Daddy was wise and silly, and Ecstasy was playful and supportive. I love my family, and I love them even more because they helped to form my name: Double-Loved Russell.

Now, there was a large blanket of snow just outside the den covering the entire forest. It looks so soft and fluffy, and Ecstasy and I want to play in it so bad!

"Come on now, dear," Daddy spoke as he scratched behind an ear with a hind paw, a teasing tint lingering in his voice. "You're acting as if a fox or badger are gonna scoop them up."

"Bramble, don't!" Mama hissed as her quills raised, spooked at the mention of the vicious predators.

"Thistle, I promise, they'll be fine. I'll watch over them."

"Please, Mama?" Ecstasy pushed on, rearing up on his hind legs. "Double and I will be super extra good!"

"We'll even go to bed without arguing!" I added eagerly, waggling my haunch in the air.

"Well... Okay, I suppose you two can play outside. But stay in the clearing where your father can see you."

"Yes!" Ecstasy and I scampered towards the den's exit, tripping over each other's paws, and leaped into the open snow-filled woods.

I immediately squealed as my soft fur came in contact with the snow. It looked so soft and fluffy before, but now it's not. "It's cooooold!"

"Daddy told me about snow before you were born," Ecstasy squeaked as he helped me up to my paws. "It looks really warm, but it's actually frozen water!"

"Frozen water? I thought ice was frozen water."

"Snow's a different kind of frozen water."

"Nevertheless, it's still beautiful to look at," Daddy breathed behind us. He gazed up at the snow in the treetops as they sparkled in the sunlight, creating tiny diamonds.

"It is!" Ecstasy grinned, following his gaze. "Hey, Daddy, how much do you like the snow?"

"Oh, I don't just like it, I love it," he grinned. "Your mother, on the other hand, doesn't seem to share my enthusiasm during the winter time. Something about getting her tushy frozen whenever she sits down."

"I heard that!" Mama's sharp voice hissed from the den, making the three of us giggle.

"Hey, Double!" Ecstasy suddenly chirped. I turned to face him just before he toppled me over with his muzzle and scampering off, sending the snow flying.

"Hey!" I yelped as I climbed to my paws and bounced after my brother. I found it very difficult to keep up with him, especially with the thick snow holding me back. By some luck, I managed to make a mighty leap and tackle him down softly. "Gotcha!"

"Get offa me, ya lug!" Ecstasy giggled as he flipped around underneath me and softly pummeled my underbelly with his hind paws. I yelped with laughter and leaped off of him.

"Ooo, someone's ticklish!" Ecstasy smirked playfully as he leaped to his paws and toppled me over. He then began skittering his tiny dulled claws across my soft underbelly, causing me to squeal and thrash, sending snow flying across the clearing.

"N-No! Stahahahahap!" I yelped as I struggled to escape. I was actually tickled quite a bit by Daddy when I was just a month old, so I had grown to like it. But I certainly won't admit it to him so easily!

"Okay, boys, settle down," Daddy chuckled as he gently lifted Ecstasy off of me and placed him down in the snow.

"I love the snow, it's so much fun!" Ecstasy squeaked happily as he bounced around once again. He made a mighty leap and suddenly disappeared in the snow.

"Ecstasy!" I cried out as panic surged through me. I scampered to where he disappeared as fast as I could, but Daddy sped to the area faster. He stuffed his broad head into the snowy abyss and plucked a large lump of snow out. He placed it down next to him and Ecstasy was seen shaking the snow off from underneath.

"Eeek! That's cold!" he shivered, trying to puff out his short fur against to cold.

Relief flooding over me, I giggled. "You look like a tiny burr!"

"I don't care what I look like, so long as I get warm," the shivering hoglet retorted.

"I think it's about time we both went back inside," Daddy smiled as he scooped up Ecstasy gently in his jaws and padded towards the den.

I heaved a heavy sigh. I didn't wanna go back inside yet, but I knew I had to obey my parents, otherwise they wouldn't let me go back outside tomorrow.

I waddled after Daddy, grunting as the snow slowed me once again.

And I stopped when I heard a tiny squeak.

I recognized that it wasn't Mama's, Daddy's, or Ecstasy's, and it most definitely wasn't mine. I pricked my ears, trying to listen for the noise again.

Squeak...

I heard it came from my right side. I bounced through the snow towards the noise, my curiosity getting the better of me. What if it was another forest animal? Or maybe even a fox fixing to lure an overly curious scrap of breakfast to it?

I shook my head to shake off the snow that had built up on my head as well as the dark thoughts and continued on. I heard the squeak was much closer and I pushed through the snow faster.

"Double!" I heard Daddy call from the den. I sighed and was about to go back, giving up my search, when I heard the squeak come just behind me. For the first time since I was born, I ignored my parents and looked for the source of the squeak.

I noticed a little hole in the snow where the rest was flat, and I figured there was something in it. I peered inside and let out a gasp.

"Double!" Daddy's voice grew sharper as he spotted me and waddled towards me. "Double, what are you doing? I told you-"

"Daddy!" I squealed. "Come look! Hurry!"

The larger hedgehog sped towards me and followed my gaze when he approached and he let out a gasp. "Oh, my..."

"What is it, Daddy?" I asked, millions of questions filling my mind at once.

But rather than answering, he looked around, as if looking for something. "Oh, dear... I don't see its mother anywhere..."

"Mother?" I echoed as I looked back down at the tiny shriveling creature. Its white pelt was barely noticeable in the snow; I could only tell it was a baby animal by its bright orange spots dappling its frosty coat. "Daddy, what is it?"

"It's a guinea pig pup," he replied.

"A guinea pig pup?"

"Guinea pigs are rodents. They're known as pets to humans. But what on earth is one doing out here?"

"Bramble! Double! Where are you?" Mama's voice called from the den.

"We have to get back to your mother now," Daddy said to me.

"But what about the guinea pig?" I squeaked. I looked down at the shivering bundle of short fur again. "We can't just leave it out here to freeze to death, or for a fox to find it."

"You're absolutely right, Double." Daddy scooped up the pup by the scruff and padded towards the den as I followed. I noticed its nose and paws were almost a light shade of blue. I found myself whimpering in concern over the poor baby creature.

"Bramble? What on earth is that?" Mama gasped when Daddy and I crawled into the den.

"Double found it in the snow," he responded as he placed the pup down. "And just in time, too. If he hadn't, it would've frozen to death overnight. Its mother isn't anywhere to be seen. Once would think it was abandoned."

"Abandoned?" I yelped. "Why would its mother abandon it? That's so cruel!"

"Well, whatever the reason, we can't have it freeze to death," Mama sighed. She gently picked up the pup and placed it near her belly, where it instinctively began suckling. "She's weak, but hopefully she'll regain her strength."

"It's a girl?" I asked.

"I could tell by her eyes."

"Mama?" Ecstasy yipped as he crawled over the yellow hedgehog's body. "Who's that?"

"It's a guinea pig," Daddy replied as Mama licked her frozen fur. "And from now on, she's also your new sister."

"We're going to keep her?" I gasped excitedly.

"What else can we do? Besides, it'll be nice to have a little girl here to keep you two rascals out of trouble." Daddy nuzzled my side playfully and I squeaked.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Ecstasy grinned. "Double, we have a new sister!"

"But what are we gonna name her?" Mama asked as she looked up at Daddy.

"Well, Double found her next to where the wild violets would usually grow in the spring," Daddy replied.

I grinned suddenly. "I know! Let's name her Violet!"

"That's a beautiful name, Double," Mama smiled as she nuzzled Violet's tiny body. Her body began to shiver a lot as a strange noise escaped her.

"What's she doing?" Ecstasy asked, tilting his head questioningly.

"Why, she's purring," Mama smiled brightly. "She seems to be very happy now."

I waddled over to her and nuzzled her as well, and she made the purring noise again. "She likes me already!"

"Of course she does," Daddy smiled. His gaze suddenly darkened. "But you two must do something for her. You must never tell her she was adopted. If she found out... Well, just don't tell her."

"I won't tell!" Ecstasy yipped.

"Me, neither," I agreed. I would never tell Violet something like that.

Daddy's gaze softened again. "I knew we could count on you two. Now come on, time for lunch and then a nap. I'll take you two back outside again."

"No, I wanna stay inside and spend time with Violet," I squeaked.

"Yeah, me, too!" Ecstasy grinned. "The snow can wait till tomorrow!"

"Okay, then," Mama smiled as she plucked me and Ecstasy over to her belly. We both began suckling on either side of Violet, all three of us purring, happily.

I have a sister! My family is the best family ever! I can't wait to see what we find next!