The nastiest, gooey bits that clung to her fur rubbed off clumsily onto the floor. Most of the water washed out from her fur and onto the floor, creating a large patch of greenish-brown puddle. The girl got up then and craned her neck over her shoulder to see the extent of damage done. It was horrible! The green stains had extended over her shoulders and down her back. Also, tons of off-white, bad itty bitties covered her pelt. She did not want that! The girl needed to wash herself clean, preferably at the waterfall. However, she knew she could not leave just yet. Quix was determined to clean out a couple more ponds before leaving!

Looking very much like a moss-stained cave guardian guarding the ponds, the girl tried to cast her butt-hurt emotions aside and move to another pond. At least she felt a bit fuller now that she had eaten the fish. She soon reached another dirty pond to the north west of her previous location. Once again, fish swam inside. She was disinterested though, having learnt the hard way about fish. Turned off by her bad experience, the girl viewed the underwater miniature creatures with vengeance. Instead, she focused on the blackest itty bitties and attempted to draw out the nasty bacteria in a wave-like cloud.

The bacteria slipped in and out of her mental grasp. They were thick and gross, and unhealthy! Maybe Cancer should appoint a new guardian of the ponds. She could take care of the ponds which collected the remaining water while Bevy took charge of the waterfall. Or maybe she and Bevy should just warn the rest about coming close to the pond. It was infested and she realized that even if she cleaned them out now, the bacteria would accumulate from the cascading water. Still, Quix felt that some sort of control had to be put in place. Dirt could not be allowed to accumulate forever! One day, someone would fall sick.

The girl did the same thing with the bacteria. Manipulating the cloud, she trotted to the wall and deposited it into the moss. Then, she brought it to the bit of dry earth where the first moss lay and squished it together. She saw bright shiny spots transfer over to the second moss. Indeed, the good bacteria would help to ward off the germs for now.
Quix moved on to her third pond. She was rather exhausted by now but was determined to push her mental limits. Reaching out with her mind, she attempted to remove the black and dark grey junk, and as she cast her spell, her horns glowed blue.

It was a rinse and repeat. The same tug and pull of the bacteria against Quix’s will. She was exhausted after the attempt and collapsed with a little flop by the pond, dirty pelt and now mossy paws proving a mess. For once, the little fennec was not the picture of cute perfection. She seemed more like a cave dweller who was scrubbing out the entire place. “Bevy…you oughta see this!” she sighed wistfully with a curl around her lips. She knew that the little birby would be so proud of her! In fact, her motivation for going the extra mile for Maji today was none other than to strive hard to get that bit of praise and recognition from her beloved friend and mentor. Bevy was wise! She wanted to be just like her when she grew older. Right now, she felt one step closer to it all.

The girl lifted her head then and observed the work that she had done. Three small ponds were cleaned out. There were a couple others but she had no more strength to go after them. Quix was resourceful and opportunistic though. Since she was all dirty and grubby, why not get some fishy revenge? Yes, revenge! Pulling herself to her paws, the fennec fox trotted to the second clean pond and thought hard about her method. Her first method had failed her but her second method had been a complete disaster. She decided quickly to try the first method again.

The girl curved her lithe body around the edge of the pond. She chose a deeper end this time. Then, she kept her body tucked in, patiently waiting for a couple of fishies to swim by. Soon, 2 of them came, wagging their fins and opening and closing their round “o” mouths. The girl gave a mental countdown. One, two, thee!” Immediately, she shot her right paw forward, aiming to scoop out one of the two. It worked! Both fish not only got swiped out, but they flew out in an arc and landed perfectly in the girl’s mouth! She crunched on them delightedly and swallowed the fish and bones altogether with great satisfaction. This was fishing! This was THE LIFE. She was so hyped up now, she had to catch more fishies!

Having eaten the fish, Quix was starting to feel a little groggy. However, she had something to do and that was to clear up the entire mess she had made. The water would dry up on the floor but moss would not disappear on its own. The fennec girl was having a second thought about the moss. What if someone like Bevy decided to use it for her medicinal healing? That wouldn’t do! Slowly, the fox stretched out her limbs. Forelimbs first, then the hindlimbs. A dull throbbing pain began along her back from the earlier slide into the pond. Wincing for the briefest of moments, the tan padded over to the bit of earth where she had deposited the moss previously and looked it over.

By now, her ability to see the itty bitties were fading. She had to recast her magic. Responsibility vs sleep was a real internal battle for her now, and the former would win. What would Cancer and Bevy say if they saw her slacking off after creating this mess! She was no longer the young child that had just emerged from the chrysalis. And so, the girl hopped onto the patch of earth beside the three moss filled with bacteria and attempted to call forth good bacteria on her paw one more time.

Her energy had sapped a considerable amount. It was once again, barely successful. The fennec felt the mental exertion harder than before as she strained to bring the white itty bitties to her paw. It was harder this time simply because they were fading from her eyes. White sense was failing to endure for her as a magic and she was starting to lose sight of the very essences which she controlled. The bright whites had faded to dull spots, and the grey and black spots were almost non-visble. Nonetheless, her determination rewarded her. She pulled through and, with the pawful of good bacteria, rubbed them into the moss one at a time to cleanse them inside out. At the same time, she used her paw to squeeze out the remaining water in each of them so that the earth would absorb and neutralize this bad bacteria.

Once she was done, the fox sat back and thought wistfully about her future. Would she be able to take on the same mantle as Bevy? Was she ready for this responsibility? Oh, she loved to play and gambol and run around and adventure. This took patience and effort though. Quix wasn’t sure if she was ready to make a decision now.

She attempted to close her eyes and sleep this off.

Alas, she could not sleep as a multitude of thoughts came crashing over her. Giggle’s prophetic words came to mind as well. “What’s my purpose…” she mumbled, physical body willing her to sleep but being unable to do so due to the mental noise. “urgh!” she retorted and tucked her tan limbs even tighter against her body, large, black-tipped tail coming around to curl her and provide some comfort. Too many thoughts weighed upon the young one today. In summary, she had attempted to clean out the ponds, scale a ledge, and think about how she might fit into the greater scheme of things in Maji Walezi. No matter how much her thoughts plagued her, this little fennec did need sleep desperately.

She opened her mouth to give a little yawn. Her eyelids began to flutter and pale blue eyes slowly glazed out. The young ball of fur had learnt and done much today (at least to her) and now, she needed a well-deserved break. Without further ado, the little fox slept soundly, undisturbed, on her little patch of earth and by the three balls of moss that were evidence of her hard work today.

-Exit Quix-