Fizzy yawned and snuggled closer to Skeezix. He was big and warm and had a cushy belly. She noticed that Nippy had the same idea to keep warm. "Boy! It's a good thing ferrets like to cuddle," thought Fizzy, "or else we would be in trouble when Skeezix woke up!"
Even though Fizzy was comfy and warm, she suddenly couldn't sleep. She started thinking about what her mom had said last night. Mom had said it was suppose to snow last night. Fizzy, being a two year old ferret who lived in a nice big cage all the time, didn't know what snow was.
"Is snow something good or bad?" Fizzy knew she was talking to herself, but she didn't care. "Is snow something I can eat? Or is it something that might hurt me? Is snow a toy? Snow must not be that bad because mom didn't act scared when she talked about it." Fizzy huffed. She wanted to know what it was. Then it dawned on her: She would ask Nippy what snow is. Nippy was the oldest ferret, surely she would know.
Fizzy climbed over Skeezix tummy. He grunted, but continued to snore away. She pawed at Nippy's tummy, trying to wake her. Nippy grunted and rolled over.
"Come on Nippy, wake up!" Fizzy couldn't believe her sister was sleeping so deeply.
After lots of pawing and nudging, Fizzy decided there was only one thing left to do. She climbed up on the level above the hammocks and jumped on her sister.
"Oof..." Nippy looked crossly at her sister. "What did you do that for?"
Fizzy ignored the question. "What is snow?"
"What?"
"Mom and dad were talking about snow last night. What is it?"
"You jumped on me to ask me what snow is?"
"Yes."
Nippy sighed. Fizzy could be so silly at times. Nippy thought there might have been something wrong, but no. She just wanted to ask an unimportant question.
Fizzy was getting impatient. "Well, what is it?"
Nippy stretched from paw to tail and said, "I'm not sure. I think it is something that happens outside."
"Like outside the cage?"
"No, like outside the house. If it was just outside the cage you would know what it is, now wouldn't you?"
Fizzy ignored her sisters comment. "If it happens outside, how will we know what it is? Mom and dad won't take us out when it's cold."
Nippy yawned. "I guess you'll never know then. Stop worrying about it and go to sleep or something."
At this point Skeezix woke and put his two cents in on the subject. "They couldnt' take us out anyway. They lost one of the leashes, remember? Three of us and two leashes means no walkies."
He was right. Mom and dad had lost the leash when they took Nippy to the vet. Fizzy sighed and curled back up against Skeezix's belly.
Mom came into the room. "Guess what you guys? It snowed last night! We're going to take you outside to see it!"
The three ferrets looked at each other. How could they go out with only two leashes?
"I guess," said Nippy, "that one of us will have to stay."
Skeezix started to whimper. "I'll probably have to stay because I'm the baby. That's not fair! I want to see the snow too!" He buried his head against Nippy's belly and started crying.
Fizzy couldn't stand to see him crying like that. "Well," she said, "if you can't go, then I won't go." She sighed. She really wanted to see snow, but she didn't want him left behind.
Skeezix sniffled. "Really? You would do that for me?"
"Of course she would." Nippy consoled the large ferret. "We both will stay with you. It's all go or no go!"
Mom grabbed the green and blue leashes. Then she took Fizzy out of the cage and put the green one on her. Mom tightened up the blue harness and put it on Nippy.
"But that's mine!" Skeezix was about to start crying again when mom lifted him out of the cage.
"Skeezix, we can't leave you behind. I have an idea for a leash, but if it doesn't work, then I guess we'll all stay in." Skeezix smiled. They weren't going to leave him behind after all. Nippy was right; it was all go or no go.
Mom picked up a plastic zipper tie and wrapped it around his body just behind his front legs. Then she wrapped another around his neck and connected the two with a third one. They had really only lost this part of the leash. The part that clipped on they still had.
Mom clipped on the long strap. "Well, guys, it looks like you are going to see some snow!"
Fizzy became excited. Now she would find out what snow was!
Mom and dad gathered them up and went to the door. The three squirmed excitedly, for the door to be opened. Slowly, dad opened the door...
Everything had changed outside. Usually the ground was either green or brown, but now it was white! Fizzy couldn't believe her eyes! Was this white stuff snow?
"Let's put you down," said dad, "and see if you like to dig in snow as much as you do dirt!"
Mom and dad put fhe ferrets down on the stoop. Skeezix jumped off into the snow.
"It's cold!" He didn't expect it to be so cold. "But its soft too. It's really easy to dig in!"
Fizzy bounded in to the snow too. She sank down through the surface. It was deep! "This means we can dig tunnels through it!"
Nippy watched as the other two dug tunnels through the yard. They were having so much fun. She stepped off the stoop into the snow.
Skeezix had said it was cold, but this was more than she expected! Nippy dug around in the powdery white snow, even though it was very cold on her belly. The fur hadn't quite grown back since her visit to the vet.
She scrambled up mom's leg. "Oh Nippy, is it too cold on your belly?" Mom put her under her coat to keep her warm.
"We'll warm you up a bit and then let you play some more."
Nippy was glad to be in the coat. She had mom put her down a few times, but otherwise stayed wrapped up.
After digging and tunnelling thgough the snow so that all you could see were leashes moving around, the ferrets started to wind down. Mom and dad gathered them up and took them inside.
After getting a drink of water and nibbling on some food, Fizzy recapped the day in her mind. She looked at Nippy and Skeezix. "I think I like snow! I want to go out every time it snows!"
Skeezix was cleaning snow off his toes. "I like it too. We can dig in it and mom and dad don't give us a bath afterwards. I really hate baths."
Fizzy looked at her sister. "Why do you think it doesn't snow more often?"
"Maybe because it is usually too warm. I remember mom saying something like we don't usually get this much snow in Ken-Tuck-ee." The word was hard for Nippy as she sounded it out. "I guess that's where we are. I wish it did snow more here. I couldn't play as much because my belly got cold."
Skeezix suddenly stopped grooming himself. "Dad said we are moving, though. Dont' you remember? Maybe we are moving out of Ken-Tuck-ee."
Fizzy's eyes grew wide. "That's right! He said when it gets warm we are all moving to a place called... called..." She couldn't remember the name of the place.
Nippy racked her brain as well. "I think he called it Minny Sota."
"Yeah! That's it!" FIzzy remembered now. Her sister was so good at remembering big words like that.
The ferrets curled up in their hammock. As he was starting to doze off, Skeezix nudged his big sister.
"Do you suppose they have snow in Minny Sota, Nippy?"
NIppy yawned and closed her eyes. "I don't know, Skeezix. I don't know."
