In a dark nook at the edge of the enormous Maw of Mosses, nestled between stalagmite and leafy foliage, a small chrysalis was beginning to emit a small crunching sound. Nothing could be seen past the metallic shine of the hematite shell to give indication as to what was inside, but whatever it was, it had become dissatisfied with the newly cramped state of its residence. Another tiny crackle split a tiny, tiny fissure in the outside of the chrysalis. Then a hush fell over the area once more, punctuated by the occasional drippings of moisture from leaf to leaf and cradled by the very distant murmurings of creeks.

Gradual happenings are so strange when they finally reached that crucial point – the goal they had inched towards for so long, unnoticed. The soft murmur of potential steadily progresses at such a slow pace that it would almost be better if it never did reach that final culmination. A sudden something is so foreign to the consistent, measured action of growth that it is nearly an offense when it occurs, even if it was the desired result all along. Such was the sound of a final victorious crack rupturing the quiet as the outside of the vessel fragmented with a sudden fissure down the middle. The leaves around the chrysalis shuddered and a small piece of the rock seemed to pull away and tremble with a mind of its own while the rest fell. In the wake of the collapse, a small creature tumbled out to the ground.

He lay prone on the ground, large eyes shut and legs stretched out behind him. The ebony keystone that had pulled from the chrysalis was in fact attached sturdily to his tiny head like a crest and gleamed in the dim light. Gentle breaths circulated through his body – the purest expression of life. It was this that he noticed first. And then the feeling in his legs, and the pressure of solid ground and soft moss against his body… or was it the other way around? Becoming groggily aware of his own existence, the infant timidly blinked his amber eyes open – a motor function only instinct would tell him he had.

Green. Green everywhere. He didn’t quite have the name “green” to pin to it, but he saw it, was bombarded by it. He blinked some more, giving his eyes some brief time to adjust. Then, with growing awareness and control over his body, he struggled up to a sitting position (which looked rather funny with his two stout legs bent forward at right angles, looking like slightly oversized arms). His narrow little head swiveled this way and that, then tipping back to view the overwhelming place he was in. What was this? What was he? Such vague ideas of confusion and question swam about in his staggering brain. Deciding to take more time to soak in the environment and his newfound life, the baby bird would inhale deeply and glance around a bit before pecking gently at the moss where he sat, testing out the ground.

Quix moved stealthily through the grass with nary a crackle from the plants overhead. She was extremely small, close to the ground and agile. Having explored Pisces, she was bored of it and wanted to see more. The inquisitive child had crept away from the watchful eye of Cancer, Makyna and perhaps Bevy even to go on her own exploration trips. Not that anyone missed her though. They were all young and had to fend for themselves from a tender age. Right now, this tan furball was streaking past the gurgling creeks, entirely masked by the leafy foliage overhead. Her tiny, tufted paws brushed across the hard ground gently. Her large ears were extremely sharp and allowed her to listen to the tinniest of noises, such as an insect rustling across the ground. As such, her attention was caught when she heard a strange cracking sound.

Instinctively, the girl stopped in her tracks and lifted her head. Silence ruled the land for a moment more. Then, there was the sound again! This time, it was more brutal and urgent. Curiousity got to the girl. Ancient memory told her that this was the sound of a newborn hatching. Immediately, she cast her white sense to see if there was another gembound around. They always had bacteria that differed from the common ones hanging around in the environment. The white, shiny itty bitties became clear to her and she noticed that near to her right, the itty bitties were slightly dulled as it appeared to her in gembounds. Immediately, she skittled over.

What greeted her was the sight of an adorable little gembound pecking away at the moss, clearly unaware of where it was or even what it was. “Birby! Little birby!” she yipped gently and approached the thing, tail wagging. “Hello there lil one! Um.” She looked at the bits of gem that lay lying around. If it was new then…it must be hungry! “Wait here!” Immediately, she turned around and started sniffing. Eridanus was a beautiful place, host to many small insects. The fennec fox looked at the leaves and followed a trail of worm bites. Aha! There was a fat, juicy green caterpillar. Immediately, she gripped it between her tongue and teeth, taking care not to damage it, then carried it back to the birby and dropped it in front of her. “Here you go! Eat it!” She wagged her tail excitedly and looked up and down, from bird to the caterpillar which was starting to crawl away, beckoning for the young one to have a nibble.

The bird poked several times at the ground, his head tilting left and right with sharp, curious motions. He soon discovered that if he opened his beak and grabbed, he could pull up little strands of the moss. Not that this was particularly useful or anything – just mildly entertaining, and an exercise of his motor skills. He plucked a few more times before his attention was quickly whipped up by the sight of a cream-colored puff, entering the general area and approaching. The infant looked up, his eyes wide and his face blank with a child’s standard gawking expression. Taking no note of the particular interest the other life form seemed to have in him, the yellow gembound instead took a silent moment to stare relentlessly. It was small, like him, but bigger than him. It looked soft and had two big broad things poking up out of its head, and then two little ones in between those.

It opened its mouth and uttered a few sounds. They meant little to him, but seemed arranged in fairly specific, intentional ways. He took more notice in the other’s excited tone though, and cocked his head – a small sign of acknowledgment. Intending on investigating this thing before him, the little bird staggered to his feet, his funny body swaying slightly as it regathered balance. The long end of the other creature swished back and forth appealingly. He wanted to peck at it. His single wobbly step forward was not enough to carry him over to the fox though before it made some sounds and zipped off. Surprised and inclined to follow (not quite realizing that the other thing was far quicker on its feet), the hatchling started off with a zealous stride and then quickly found himself tripped up by uneven landscape. He tumbled and then sat up again, staring down and then forward. His wide eyes and severe features made him look almost indignant. It was gone!

A soft exhale helped him back to his feet, and then he would walk (more slowly and carefully this time) back to the shattered remains of his chrysalis. There he would examine the pieces briefly, and become intensely engrossed in how reflective they were. He pecked at them. They were hard. Not quite nice like the moss. Before he could become too engaged in the bits of his capsule, the fluffy creature returned. The bird turned himself to cock his head abruptly again and stare at his company. It had brought something. For him? It must have been. The bright green something fell to the ground and the baby gembound stalked over to it interestedly with deliberate steps, his head bobbing forward with sharp, almost predatory motions. When he stopped, his unblinking stare followed the squirmy thing while it gathered itself and began to slink across the ground. With dramatic slowness, he lowered himself so that he might twist his head – his beak parallel to the ground and only a few centimeters above it, and one of his large eyes brought close to the plump green thing. It moved. He decided the best thing to do was what he had been doing since he’d awoken here.

Pow! The narrow beak came down lightning quick and not exactly impaled the caterpillar, but jabbed it to the unfortunately painful point of busting. Goo burst from one end, very much surprising the bird. He stood up and blinked several times, not sure how to feel. He looked back at the caterpillar, then at the creature that had brought it to him, then back. The caterpillar had stopped moving. He then poked around curiously at the goo, and became aware of the faint smell of it, drifting into his nostrils. It made him aware of his own innards, and a distant feeling of… emptiness. It also made him more aware of his mouth, and the inside of it, not just the pecking part. He wanted to put something in it, to sate the quiet gnawing in his gut. He glanced at the caterpillar, and then at the fox again. What had it wanted him to do with it? He was not so much confused as he was waiting for some more clear direction.

The curious black and striped birby responded to the worm! Quix watched it carefully and gently as it approached the fat, wriggling worm in curiousity, each step towards it in a measured, jabbing movement. He was slow in observing the caterpillar, but the fennec fox did not really care. She wagged her tail in anticipation of what the cute baby birb would do. Without warning, it darted its strangly neck and beak forward, thus delivering a swift killing blow to the soft mushy creature. The insect didn’t even get to draw its last breath in that last moment. The little fennec purred in approval and looked at the bird with bright, approving blue eyes. He was learning to survive so well! “Well done!” she yipped, praising the tiny gembound.

It reminded her of Bevy but larger and more…deliberate and dangerous. Still, Quix believed that it did not have a reason to harm her. So, she regarded him with full attention, ready to guide and coax the baby bird where it needed assistance. At this moment, it was not sure what to do with the caterpillar it had just jabbed dead. Bright orange eyes darted from the caterpillar to Quix, his curious, insatiable gaze beckoning for the fennec to show him how it was done. With a chuckle, the fox trotted over and bent her head down, ears flattening by her skull, as she carefully bit of half the caterpillar. Then, she chewed it in her tiny jaws and swallowed it down. Finally, she concluded the action by letting her pink tongue dart out to wipe her fangs. “Eat.” She spoke warmly, and pointed to her mouth. Then, she pointed to the worm and said, “Worm.” In a concluding gesture, she brought the paw back to her mouth. “Eat.” She then sat upon her haunches and titled her head curiously at the baby gembound, waiting for it to devour its meal.

The other creature seemed pleased with his action, and he tilted his head at her and stared for another moment. He liked the sound of approval. He was silent for a bit longer, then the other stepped forward. The younger gembound hopped a few paces to the side to allow room, and watched as the blue-eyed creature ate a half of the squishy thing. That made things much clearer. He eyed her attentively for another second, and then hopped closer to the caterpillar. There was a moment of hanging suspense, and then he snapped it up, lifting his head up high and tilting it back, then jiggling it to slide the half of the caterpillar down his throat. Ah, yes! That did it! It washed him with a satisfied feeling, down in his belly. He’d turn to look back at the other gembound with his continually shocked-looking face, and open his beak to let out a little “peep” of thanks.

The sound came as a bit of a surprise, and the baby bird would sway slightly where he stood, his amber gaze falling to the ground while his mind focused on other things. He had just made a sound! It was… another satisfying thing – being able to also make a sound. He would look up suddenly, cocking his head again and snapping his beak open to “peep” again. Very nice. He soon decided that he rather enjoyed this newfound ability, and began hopping towards the four-legged creature while letting out “peeps (and maybe a “cheep” or two) in rapid succession. And now that the wormy thing was gone, this also gave him time to consider the thing that had brought it to him. Being the only other moving, breathing thing around here that he could notice, it quickly became the very strong center of his attention. He wanted to touch it, and smell it, and most of all be near it. He had no intention of letting this thing just walk away again. After all, it might not come back!

The kit cooed in delight as the birby got it! He understood how to eat. In her excitement, the kit scrambled all around the birby. “You eat! Good!” Once more, her tone was that of stark approval and she beamed at the striped critter. He made a sound then. It was so cute! Immediately, Quix paused in her tracks mewled back at it, encouraging it to vocalize. Yes, speech next! Talk was good! The fennec did not understand why the birby was not speaking yet. Maybe they all grew at different speeds! It was okay though, she would teach this thing the way of this world.

Yes! The little bird peeped again. Quix giggled and purred at it. Then, it grew excited at his tone and perhaps the sounds around it and peeped at Quix continuously. “Good birby!” She exclaimed, looking at the thing in approval. It was now eyeing her curiously and the girl could tell he wanted directions from her. “Hunt!” she grinned at him and yipped in delight, tail wagging behind her. Quix attempted to nudge the bird forward with her nose, and fell in step beside it, using her small body as a shield lest he fall over or needed help balancing.

The leaves crunched beneath her paws as the fox guided the birb to a good feeding spot! Aha! There was a large fallen log ahead of her. She nosed around it and saw the creepy crawlies. Lots and lots of worms! They were all edible. With a squeak, the kit darted her mouth in and chewed on one worm. Crunch, crunch! She then swallowed it and looked bright-eyed at the birby. “Eat!” she repeated the word again, and waited to see if he would follow suit.

Oh yes! That must have been right! Very right, for the other creature continued with her praise, smiling and crooning. All of this, he liked – feasted on with growing need for further approval. He watched with his saucer-eyes as she purred and spoke more, and slipped closer to him. He tilted his head curiously and turned to face her, but did not move away when she nudged him. When she began to walk, he followed. The close proximity felt… safe.

He continued to stride along with his newfound companion, attentively studying her motions to pinpoint their route. Eventually they came to a fallen log, its bark nearly half sloughed off. The bird halted for a moment to stare as the other went in and dined. There seemed to be lots of moving specks there, on the rotting tree. The baby gembound twisted his head this way and that, briefly assessing, and then strode forward to collect some for himself. There were lots of things to put in his mouth! All moving and writhing and enticing. He pecked at some of the weak bark, and it fell to expose a sea of insects. It was very exciting. With eyes widening, he jabbed and stabbed, his beak darting this way and that with his only pauses being to lift his head for ingestion. That was nice!

When he decided he was done, he turned and looked curiously at his companion. “Eat.” This must have been “eat.” He felt the urge to parrot the sound – the desire for more approval and learning. He opened his beak with all the likeness of a piece of clockwork, and would give it a go. "E a t," emerged the sound, though it didn't quite seem like it had come from the child's own mouth, which hadn't moved once from its gaping position since the first vibration. The word, being recognizable enough for what it was, also had a distant but startling sound of the older gembound's own voice - a faint and fleeting grasp upon the familiar noise. The baby bird left his mouth open for another surprised moment, then tilted his head to the right and shut his beak. He blinked deliberately, and decided that he was pleased with the outcome. He wasn't sure he'd be able to do it again though.

The little fennec watched on warmly as the newly hatched gembound ate. From standing up to eating, he was slowly getting the hang of things! And she, she had taught him all these! The girl was too young to feel any form of maternal instinct, but she was extremely excited that this striped birb was adjusting to the world under her nurturance. As he dug into the log, the fennec fox watched and ate her own fill as well. Now, as she encouraged the other to speak, Quix suddenly felt that she had great expectations for this young one. He would grow up to be quite a mighty birb, she was sure of it. He looked at her with beginner’s apprehension, to which she wagged her tail and yipped in encouragement, encouraging it and pumping the young gembound with the confidence which it needed to tap into. The striped bird’s dark beak opened then and she wriggled about, expecting the young one to emit some form of speech other than the peeping sound which he had been making previously. The anticipation was written in her watchful, expectant gaze and excited pose.

“E a t” came forth a warbled sound that sounded just like her. The fennec fox blinked in surprise. The tone was hers, although the syllables seemed to fall apart. He had just copied her? The girl looked at him curiously with her large, baby blue eyes, pausing for a moment to grasp the situation. She did not quite know whether his skill was to steal other’s voices or that he truly was just learning to speak. So, Quix decided to test it out again. “Eat!” she repeated, and then bent her head down to pick up a grub, crunched it and swallowed it. The girl then grinned at the bird, quite certain that it now knew what “eat” meant.

Next, Quix decided to teach the bird what it was! With another yip, she stretched out a paw and attempted to nudge it gently on the back. “Birby!” she spoke affirmatively. Then, she withdrew her paw and this time, placed it on her chest. “Fox!” she exclaimed. She repeated the motion again – back to the bird, with one utterance of “Birby!” then back to herself, “Fox!” She then kept silent and waited to see if the bird could understand and learn this.

The other furry creature’s body wiggled with excitement – more approval! Yes! Very good! She liked his wriggly-thing-catching and his “eating.” After he had finished, and made his attempt to imitate the sound. His companion was surprised, and he in turn seemed surprised (although he just about always looked surprised). Was this good or bad? A head tilt, a blink. Wide eyes stared back at wide eyes. The bird waited in suspense for another signal. She squeaked out the sound again – the sound of “eat” – and scooped up another morsel. He felt again inclined to copy the noise. Making noise was quite nice. His beak snapped open again, prepared for the mimicked sound that would indicate understanding… Nothing happened. He stared, unblinking and open-mouthed for a moment before uttering a somewhat crestfallen chatter. No, it didn’t feel quite right for an “eat.” Oh well. He was content enough with chirping and the like.

Clacking his tiny beak shut and hopping a step to the side, he would straighten himself and continue to devote his most thorough attention to the other gembound. She nudged him on the back, and then spoke again. Birby. He watched the paw that journeyed back to her chest. Fox. She did the motions once more, her intention becoming clearer with the reaffirmation. He… was Birby? Well enough. And she was Fox. He snapped his beak open again and let out a “peep” of acknowledgement. He would then return his gaze to her face, letting it linger a few seconds before blinking and hopping towards the Fox. He would attempt, with his growing curiosity, to nuzzle his little beak into the soft looking fur of her hip. He wanted to see what it felt like. Would it be like moss? Or like his own fluff (which he realized he had yet to feel with his own face)?

The bird failed in speech, but it was okay to Quix. Everything took time, and the girl recalled how hard she had tried to conjure up her magic, or even do simple tasks. Not to mention she had been a brat to Cancer as a fresh fledgling (but for good reason). She watched on bright-eyed as he seemed to understand that he was birby and she was fox. He peeped in acknowledgement and the girl gave an approving purr and a couple of yips while nodding. ”Yes, yes, that’s it,” she was telling the birb. “Peanut birb!” She placed her paw on the birby again. That was it! His beautiful stripes and tan reminded her of an overgrown, fluffy peanut. This time, Quix was more patient, she repeated the word slowly, while gazing at him. “Peaa---nut. Peanut birby! Peanut birby!”

By this time, the cute thing had hopped over to her side and nuzzled into his fur. The girl giggled, trusting that he wouldn’t bite a chunk of it off (even if he did, she would forgive him! He was so adorable!). As he brushed her fur, she would attempt to swish her fluffy tail and curl it around the birby to give it yet another added sense of security and warmth. She waited to see what he’d do next, all the time crooning to him and chitter chattering, producing a mirade of fox sounds that conveyed her joy at having him around. She was so proud of his progress! Maybe he'd be able to travel with her now, back to Maji Walezi. She took several steps forward, allowing the bird to accompany her. She took slower steps protectively beside her birby. This was it! They would start on their journey.

-Exit Quix- Next location: Tunnel H, then Pisces.