ORIGIN

Usui wandered the tunnels again. Gangly paws and thick limbs supported his slightly chubby body. His thick tail swung like a rudder behind him, granting the cub balance on his large paws. It was a pleasant day and the cub was out to quench his thirst for knowledge. He wanted to – or rather, needed to understand Origin inside out. The boy had been to a couple of places and learnt a few things but Tunnel J was still new to him. As he entered the tunnel, he noticed that the walls and floor were evened out – perhaps by water that resided here a long time ago, or meticulously crafted out. He walked deeper into the heart of the tunnel, feeling excited at what he was now going to discover.

To the left and right were random staircases. Tilting his head upwards, the boy’s pale green eyes trailed the path winding up the staircase to the ceiling where numerous paintings of faces greeted him. Usui eyes it keenly. The pictures were very much like what he had attempted to do with his pebble drawings but even more meticulous and had colour. Immediately, Usui took mental notes of the techniques used in the drawings. He did not know what dyes were used to get the colour to stay but he was determined to add that to his quest list.

The tunnels appeared to have been swept through once. Usui had not missed out the ruinic markings on the wall. They were scratches and symbols which he understood. For example, three scraggly lines for water followed by a curved oval and triangle told him the story of water and fish. It seemed like a drawing, but organized bit by bit in an order and neatly arranged in rows. The boy stood on his hindlegs and placed both front paws onto the rock wall. ”Wooahhhh! Coool!” he breathed, admiring the carvings. The dust immediately clung to the fur on his paws, informing him that not many had come here. Still, the boy had a sudden feeling that he was alone. He concentrated hard and attempted to sense if other gembound entities were present nearby in the tunnel.

He felt the faint throbbing of a gem nearby. It was blue, but it imprinted on him as being lighter, and was different from Makyna’s. The boy turned to the right, his body still propped vertically against one wall, anticipating the arrival of another Gembound.

It was so boring! The energetic bundle of fur was now part of Maji Walezi – but she was still too young to take on any greater roles. Quix wanted to be a scout! It sounded perfect for the little girl. She could climb over small rocks and creep through small crevices. She was certain that no one would be able to spot her as well. All that they would see was a sandy streak of fur if Gembounds did choose to lay their eyes on her. Perhaps she could be dismissed as a rodent even. She was standing at a mere 9cm now. And she was feeling bored as heck because Cancer dad was busy (pfft old men) and Makyna was also caught up in her sorrows these few days. The girl instinctively knew that she could not be the same as them. Having caught her reflection in the pool, Quix had known her fluffy ears with cute tufts of fur and pointy features could have in no way been reflective of Cancer’s or Makyna’s bloodlines. She did not even have their curved features.

She was fox. She knew that. But, it was fun to play family and besides, she instinctively needed someone to protect her and use their body as her shield. Cancer dad was her perfect candidate. So, Quix had remained silent and just enjoyed all the fun that came with tagging along with Cancer which…was not very much at this moment. Although she had to admit it was kinda nice being with him, it wasn’t all that bad and she genuinely cared for him and Makyna…though not as much as she cared for herself as self-preservation would have it, especially for such a wee creature like herself.

Therefore, the little fox had chosen to go on her own adventure. This was her self training to be a scout! No one and nothing could reign her in. She was a free spirit, and chose to go where she wanted and do as she pleased. Quix giggled as she dashed over rocks and darted forward at random cracks beneath the walls, imagining that she was Fisher catching mice. Little did the little warrior know that each time she tried to do that, she was strengthening her wit and muscles to be a fine hunter one day.

The girl was caught up in self-play of darting around that she did not realize she had entered a tunnel. Not until, she spotted this cub (like Cancer but Makyna’s colour – actually like Makyna) and came to a standstill. She looked at him suspiciously. Was he their son? No! He couldn’t replace her spot as her dad and mum’s favourite. All eyes were to be on her, their princess. The fennec fox straightened herself and wiped the shock in her eyes. Falling into her cute demeanour again, she moved daintily towards him, plush tail sweeping her hindquarters. She didn’t have to try. She was cute.

“Hello. I’m Quix. Who are you? Um..” She twitched her whiskers nervously before prodding further, slight embarrassment creeping into her voice at being so bold in asking such personal questions. “Are you Makyna’s son? You know Makyna and Cancer?” She then lapsed into silence and stared at him dolefully with baby blue eyes.

The boy looked towards the end of the tunnel he knew the other Gembound was approaching, from. His muscles tensed and his heart started beating quicker in anticipation of the other. Who might it be? A scary beast he would fell in this room with his bare paws, or perhaps by chance, another exactly like himself? Usui’s pale green eyes strained to catch a glimpse of this approaching creature. He need not have tried so hard though. A pale sandy Gembound came streaking in. The lion cub put his paws onto the floor and titled his head as he observed her, curious. She looked small, very small in fact. He was but a cub and a newborn but she was almost only half his height and definitely scrawnier, except for the large flappy ears. The fox was scurrying around, darting left to right. “Whatchu doin’?” He ventured, face scrunching up as he questioned her odd behaviour. She was fox alright, but not like the typical orangey-red ones he had seen.

She noticed him then and stopped. The lion saw shock in her eyes. He deduced that she was probably too caught up in her own activity that she had failed to register his presence. Immediately, the cub took two steps back and lowered his head gingerly. He did not want to scare that cutie away – especially since they had only just met and he did wish to have an audience with any life form that came his way. He coughed and shuffled his feet, feeling self-conscious as the girl suddenly became comfortable with him. Maybe too comfortable even, asking him questions.

“Makyna? SON?” He gasped, jaw dropping as she spoke. Good heavens! Was she a messenger from Makyna or some higher being somewhere who knew what the heck was going on. The boy looked to the young fox for cues. She was twitching a little and uncertainty registered in her voice. It was a question, not a statement. CALM DOWN. The boy drew in a deep breath and released it, calming his nerves. He shouldn’t have had such a big reaction. What was he thinking, jumping to conclusions. He was smarter than that! “Sorry for the outburst um.” He paused and sat his furry rump onto the floor first before replying her so that he could, you know, be more eye-level with her. “ No but I know Maky’na she ‘n I a’met last time. We the same. We lion. But I no son. She is just a bit older tha’ me. You,” he continued, sharp gears in his mind turning, quickly turning the conversation back to the girl, not willing to reveal everything about himself to some random stranger. “Whatchu’ doin’ ‘ere, Quix?” Pale green eyes looked at her solemnly. She seemed suspicious alright, bursting in and questioning him like that. Nonetheless, he would grant her an audience. He was after all, Sensei Usui. And a teacher never turned away their pupils.

Relief registered visibly over the girl’s features as he replied in shock and with the golden word “no”. The sharp indignation Quix had felt in her heart disappeared in that moment. It was great news! She would have Cancer dad and Makyna mum to herself then. The girl giggled and she smiled at the lion cub, then swished her tail gratifyingly, evidently pleased with his answer. It was enough to know that her position was secured in their hearts. It did not strike her surprising that the boy would know who Makyna was. She assumed that they were the same kind, and therefore it was not unusual that they would have known each other out of all the gembounds.

Quix was quick to reply when the boy asked her what she was doing. “I’m practicing hunting! Like when Fisher the fisher cat did it, he killed the mouse with one blow!” Her blue eyes widened and glossed over as she remembered that glory day when she rode on Fisher and witnessed firsthand how he had swooped in onto that vermin. Then she realized it must have sounded stupid and quickly added in, ”But there are no mice here. I am just…trying.” The fennec was a bright creature and of a rather dreamy disposition, hence she did not ponder too long on her reply to the cub. She started to move around the room, little claws clicking on the ground as she looked around the place.

The tunnel was exceedingly airy and pleasant to be in. The surfaces were mostly flat, and there were strange colours and pictures all over the walls. She noticed that there were stairs too. Quix dashed over to one and tested her weight on them. Made of rock, they did not creak. But perhaps from age, a little dusting came off and a slight crack formed. The fox looked at the lion with a grin then came bounding back down. Yes yes it was dangerous she knew. Rolling her eyes at him, the fox bunched her muscles and clambered onto his back with ease, then circled twice and nestled on his fur. ”What are you doing here anyway? There’s nothing. It’s boring.” She wrinkled her nose and gave a yawn.

The lion raised a brow as the fox suddenly acted all sweet and cuddly. It struck him odd but perhaps she was just being friendly? Whatever that happened to Makyna did not really concern him. She was someone who came, and went. No string of obligation whatsoever and besides, what could this creature do to her? She was so tiny and the boy was certain he could stop her from doing anything crazy. Besides, she didn’t seem bad. Only her motivations for asking him such questions struck him as odd. Having rationalized these to himself, Usui was ready to listen to what Quix had to say.

She quipped up almost immediately as though she had anticipated the question. Usui gazed at her. Play-hunting huh. ”Well…you’re pretty good a’ it,” he acknowledged her skill. Having witnessed her ability to weave in and out so quickly, her practice seemed legitimate and he refrained from thinking that she made herself the fool by pouncing at air. The lion observed the fennec quietly as she got a feel of the place. She decided to ascend the staircase. ”No NO NOOO NOT THE STAIRS!” he yelled out at her. Worry filled his features. He saw the dusting fall from the bottom and was certain that even this girl, if she pushed her luck, might cause the ancient structure to collapse. Usui got to his feet, ready to scramble over and carry the girl to safety. She heard him though and, grinning at him, came back to him. By this time, the boy was standing and staring at her in disbelief. He was wise and knew better than to throw himself in danger! Sure, they could be adventurous and courageous and grow their power but doing foolish things? Usui cast the girl a stern look as she rolled her eyes at him. But she ignored him and wiithout warning, she jumped on him and nestled on his fur!

The boy groaned, more resigned than angry at her antics. ”Girls,” he muttered, displeased with the situation. Nonetheless, he was immensely relieved that nothing bad had happened. He lashed his tail behind him, trying to shake off the experience that had just happened. Quix then spoke, asking him what he was doing here. “Yeah well nothin’ to you,” the boy muttered as he walked back to the wall with the fox on his back. ”But see ‘ere, these words.” He tilted his head to the skies. ”Those paintings.” Here, his pale eyes lit up. “They mean somethin’ Quix. Not that you care.” He turned to look at her, excitement fading into a resigned bitterness. Sensei Usui would never exceed where pupils were not excited about the world and just accepted things as they were.

The boy moved deeper into the tunnel with the cute, but ignorant furball on his back. The air was getting damper and he noted that lots of stray, broken armour parts lay scattered around. The lion bent down to sniff at it. It seemed that someone was here not too long ago ravaging the place but maybe he could try to find something? ”Say Quix,” he spoke in hushed tones and swivelled his head to look at her, “How ‘bout hunt something’ useful ‘ere?” She was small, quick and low to the ground – a perfect asset for hunting any treasures. The boy gave her a grin, knowing that she would definitely want to be part of their game, her transgressions already wiped clean from his memory. The guardian was quick to get frustrated but also, very quick to forgive and right now, he wanted teamwork to dig out something good from the piles that lay scattered and forgotten here.

Something glimmered at the corner of his eye then. Hurriedly, the lion rogue scampered over and stuck his paw inside, hoping to dig something out. Alas he would fail, for the shiny thing was stuck firmly into the rock. Not one to give up, the cub gave a low meow to the fox to come help him.

The girl tried her best to be polite as the lion pointed out the different paintings, drawings and carvings. She pricked her ears and looked at the symbols. They weren’t difficult to decipher. The simple illustrations represented things which she had either seen or were going to see in her later years when she was older and more mature. For now, Quix was more intrigued in action than in still things. Usui’s words went in one ear and out the other. Yadayada, she already knew all those. Then, she caught the look in his eye. It was a disapproving one. With a yip, Quix leaned forward and scratched him across his shoulders. “You assume too much. Just move already.” Alright, he was correct that she did not care too much, but she demanded respect and would not show her weakness to this larger thing. Thus was the way of self-protection with smaller, vulnerable creatures.

It seemed that upon her command he moved forward. The air suddenly grew more humid. Pricking her ears, Quix stood upon the lion’s back and gazed about her in interest. Now this was what she called fun and adventure! Armour and shiny bits lay around. The lion then spoke and the girl yipped at him in excitement. “Loots! Yes!” And then she was off, scurrying around. Something in a pile to the north west caught her eye. It looked like a broken piece of old leather – rounded, and which could store many things. It probably once stored a rusty shield which the girl saw, was lying battered and unusable not too far away.

Ignoring the cub’s meows for help, Quix attacked the leather piece with a snarl and clamped her teeth on it. Thrashing at it and wriggling her furry tail like a dog might with a chew toy, she attempted to drag it out. She was successful! The thing came loose with a couple of shakes. Keeping low to the ground, the girl dragged the thing that was larger than her to the cub and gave him a disdainful smirk. So much for his pitiful mewling! Now that the thing was in closer view, she observed that it looked like the satchel Cancer carried. “Cancer daddy has that. He wears it and puts stuff in it. Stuff like me.” She looked at the lion cub expectantly, wondering if he would take the leather holder she had found. It was of no use to her since she could not even carry it properly. Might as well toss it to this lion.

Usui realized that the fennec fox was ignoring him. The boy looked at her with daggers almost shooting out his eyes. He was a lion and he had lion pride. Not to mention his little manly ego. The girl ignored his wounded feelings entirely. He was about to counsel her on sensitivity and caring when he noticed she that she was dragging her loot to him. Although disdain was etched in her features, she was approaching him with it. Putting aside his petty feelings, the boy lumbered over to see what she had found. The brown thing was old, cracked and dusty. Also, it was shaped rather flatly, but seemed sturdy to the touch. And then, Quix offered the thing to him.

Interest renewed in Usui. He paced around it once, then brought his paw and swip-swoped over the surface a couple of times to wipe off the dust. With the thick layer of dirt somewhat gone, their prize looked clearer now. The leather holder was like a bag and had a flap. There were no handles though. Two gaping holes were pierced through the left and right-most ends. The boy was unsure what to do with it, having never seen someone carry a bag before. He turned to Quix excitedly as she mentioned Cancer."How do you wear it Quix? See, the bag has two holes. But, what is 'tha best way 'tha balance 't?" The lion flicked his tail excitedly. Although the thing was larger than Quix, it would fit him comfortably, and especially so as he grew larger.

The cub scampered over upon seeing what she had brought him. Quix was pleased that her efforts were not wasted. This cub, it seemed, had the decency to take an interest in the leather thing which she had dragged. The fox eyed him curiously as he paced around it and wiped the dust off. With a giggle, Quix joined in the action too by turning around and using her tail to dust off the grime and itty gritty sandy bits. The dust was about gone now, and both the fox and the lion admired the piece that she had found.

“You just sling it across your furry chest and shoulder silly.” The fennec chuckled, amused by the cub. How dense could he get! “We need a strong string.” She scampered around, looking for a long piece of string or rope. It had to be sturdy! Unfortunately, only dusty armour greeted her. The fox was not to be he put off though! She dug through the armour (lots of bits) and found a long chain. It was rusting in some places though. No matter, the fox gripped her teeth around it and dragged it out. It let off a rather shrill sound against the floor when dragged. It tasted bitter and icky and gross in her mouth, so the fennec, upon dropping it at the cub’s paws, worked her magic to increase her health just in case she might have had metal poisoning.

Sensei Usui listened intently as Quix explained the mechanics of it all to him. He nodded and went off to find string – but he did not even really know what that meant, since he had never actually cast his eyes upon handiwork before. Instead, he went to the place where he had failed to dislodge the shiny thing and cast his magic, hoping that he could shatter the random mineral earth pieces lying around it to loosen it up. He did it! With a sharp shriek, the earth shattered and the silver thing he had been eyeing tumbled towards him. It was sharp and looked like it could pierce someone. The boy looked around for clues, his eyes scanning the walls. There! He clambered over to see the picture. It depicted the treasure he had found. It was being used in some weird way by being held and drawn back with a taut string by a strange creature. It was, in essence, an arrow head but one made of metal.

The boy gripped the piece carefully between his teeth. This one hadn’t rusted, hence the shiny gleam. Just at that moment, Quix dragged a long metal chain over. Now, they had to work this. He hooked his claw through one of the chinks and weaved the chain in and out. He was clumsy though, and unsure of how to tie a knot to secure it. The boy looked at Quix, hoping she knew how to do it based on her experiences.

The fennec watched as Usui attempted to attach the string to the bag. She did not know how to tie a knot to secure it. Besides, it was a metal chain! It was small enough, but not as small to secure the bag in a knot with much traction. The fox sat on her haunches and scratched her tufty head with one paw. Quick eyes flitted from the arrow head the boy had found, to the bag and the string. She had an idea! Immediately, Quix got up and moved over to the metal chain. Slowly, she brushed a paw over till she felt a sharp edge. “Put the chain through the hole and secure by piercing this protruding edge through it, then wind it around so it won’t drop off. Same as the other.”The girl was not going to do this hard labour for the cub, he could do it on his own. The sharp, shiny arrowhead did not interest her either. Being small, armour was not her cup of tea. Neither did she intend on carrying around such bulky things. Speed and agility were her protection.

Disinterested now, the free spirit moved daintily to a corner of the room. She had discovered her ability to use fauna cleanse because of her second newfound skill. Sometimes, she had the ability to tell what invisible dangerous things – bacteria, they were called – lay wafting about. Very often, she could use this to pinpoint lifeforms nearby since the same kind of good and bad bacteria tended to lie in gembounds’ guts. Closing her eyes, the fox tried to conjure up her white sense for practice sake.

Immediately, tiny micro organisms appeared in her eyes. She could see where they were, and even more so, strains in this room which she had never seen before. Her large baby blue eyes saw that her own body teemed with bacteria, good and bad, and so did Usui's. In fact, she noted, her proportion of good bacteria had increased from her fauna cleanse spell earlier. The girl was delighted, and smiled. She was good at this! “Dirty lion!” She called to Usui, eyeing him up and down. His paws especially, had tons of bacteria, notably due to him touching the rusty metal.