How Sir Squibbles and Faerinn Met

It was a rather cold night over the thick forest by Ravenwood. Snow pelting down on the pine, cedar, and fir trees falling in clumps. The wind shaking the branches and causing a chill even to the small naturally cold child down below. Quite literally skipping down the paths slightly cleared by foot prints and cart tracks from his parents, a small child in an oversized dark blue cloak made of wool sneezes a bit, wipes his nose on the cloak and says aloud; "pinecones, tree nuts, and Faerinn Cassius Cyrano don't forget the well water lift the lid and put the bucket on the lid so it doesn't get frozen, or else you'll have to take a cold frozen bath." He shakes his finger mimicking that of his mother. He's no stranger to walking by himself and it was cold enough where the animals won't be out, most would be hibernating as it's the middle of winter. He loved being outside anyway, often bringing home trinkets and odd fauna and flora for his parents. As Faerinn made his way to the well he tried pushing the lid off the well, it appeared to be frozen shut. "No matter I'll just chip at it with um the hammer" the child fumbling in the snow for a wooden pick hammer they used to lift the lid.
A small squeak made his ears twitch and he looked around. There was a black mass of fur in the snow, shaking, barely covered in fur even, it'd freeze soon! Faerinn always had a soft spot for animals and he quickly abandoned the quest running to the baby squirrel, he scooped it out of the snow and covered it in his cloak. "Oh no you're not supposed to be out here! It's too dangerous where's your mama??" He looked around feverishly for a squirrel's nest, finding none. As the squirrel shivered and squeaked pathetically, Faerinn raced off through the trees ducking and dodging leaping over stumps and hills as he barreled past his stepfather who barely opened the door. This caused the door to be flung onto his nose and stomach as faerinns skidded across the floor on his own. By the fire warm and crackling sat in a red cedar rocking chair, a woman in her 30s, toned with long gray hair, knitting away at a scarf, blue and green probably meant for faerinn. She looks down perplexed, about to ask where the bucket of water was for their baths when she spots a shivering squirrel. Her eyes widened a moment, mouth open to ask a question or seven before faerinn let out a bursting sob, tears and snot running down his face. "FIX HIM MOMMY HE'S COLD I DON'T WANNA WATCH HIM GO!!" As he holds up his cloak wet from the snow and housing a newborn squirrel.
There wasn't much time as she flung herself from her chair barking orders at her husband like a general as he raced around trying to gather scraps of clothes and cloth for the squirrel as faerinn hiccuped and stood right by his mother watching. She wrapped the squirrel in warm dry dressings, assessing damage, and pulling out a little vial and syringe, giving the squirrel some sort of nutrients. Faerinn sniffled trying to talk to the squirrel and for a moment it seemed like the squirrel understood. His mother watched wiping the sweat off her brow as her husband leaned over her as well. Not long after the squirrel began to crawl and he crawled to faerinn blindly smacking its paw to his nose as he sniffled. With a heavy sigh his mother smiled at her child and the squirrel, "he needs rest faerinn, we'll keep him fed and when he's old enough on his own we have to release him"
"But I don't want him to go!"
"It's the way of nature we can't keep it unless it wants to stay"
"Then I'll make sure he wants to!"
That's her child alright, stubborn willed when it came to nature and animals. She patted Faerinn's head barking at her husband to go get the well water while faerinn watched the squirrel sleep.
A bond was formed that night.
Ever since then his mother watched as faerinn learned step by step how to take care of a squirrel, and that squirrel went everywhere with him, bath time, bed time, to supper and breakfast, accompanied the lad in his pocket wrapped in a small scarf and gloves with a nest of scraps of cloth. Any time his stepfather or mother tried to keep them apart or if by accident, they'd both find each other, the squirrel scampering over to nest in his pocket or hair, or faerinn scooping the squirrel up in his hands with a smile.
And so it happened that these two became fast friends, even having a small spot at the dinner table, learning manners from faerinn, taking baths together, going everywhere around the forest.
One day his mother sat in the summer shade with her son on her lap, working on identifying food and poison plants, his stepfather cutting lumber for his latest project in the far distance with a huff and a laugh. "Faerinn, it's about time to name this squirrel of yours.." she sets the book down looking at faerinn.
Faerinn put his chin in his hands and re-crossed his legs, it seemed the squirrel mimicked him which made his mother tilt her head. "What about tiberius?"
The squirrel shook his head
"Captain whisker?"
Again another shake
Faerinn picked up the book and flipped through it, finding a fiddlehead fern, he pointed to it "these look like squibbles..squiggles.."
The squirrel squeaked at the top of its lungs running in circles around the two. "Squibbles?"
His mother questioned. The squirrel chirped and put its paws on the page. "What about sir squibbles?" Chirped again
"Sir squibbles the nutty! Heir to the squibble nut fortune in Ravenwood forest!" Faerinn declared as he picked up a little twig and knighted the squirrel who seemed rather happy, flicking its tail and chirping.
Faerinn's mother just smiled, holding her palm out for the squirrel "well sir squibbles.. if you intend to stay with my boy, then you both will look out for each other" she set the squirrel on top of his head. "Yeah! I'll always look out for him mommy! Sir Squibbles is my bestest friend in the whole world!" She just chuckled at that, letting the breeze move her hair and skirthem as she listened to her son and the squirrel talk about all the things they were going to do together for the summer. With that squibbles grew with faerinn, more than ever bonded and friends, taking up space in his bag, being together at the best and worst times, even fending off bullies in the village by crawling up their pants and shirts. To this day as Faerinn looks at the edge of their forest taking the first step over the edge where the trees thinned out, he follows. "Well squibbles.." a now more mature now adult faerinn looks at his friend who is seated firmly in his shirt pocket, above the mice family, paws at the edge. "Hopefully this adventure doesn't take too long huh.." he smiles down at the squirrel who seems to give him a thumbs up as faerinn walks. "I could really use a bite to eat when we get to the tavern the paper our book said to go to.. I've heard the outside has different food.. have you ever been on a boat squibbles?" A squeak "me neither.. I hope we don't get sick.." the two continued chatting as he walked, cloak hood over his head, towards the docks to begin their first ever journey to the outside world.