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What an interesting mountain Enki had just stumbled upon. Without being the slightest bit volcanic, the mountain was gigantic and had a broad, vegetation-covered summit. The flora and fauna in the area ranged from common at the base to endemic near the mountaintop. But the most interesting aspect was within the mountain itself. Enki believed a normal Modifox could spend a lifetime exploring those caves and never want for a new subject matter. These caves were rich and diverse with mineral wealth, varied greatly in size and altitude, was home to a colony of bats and a labor of moles, contained one large underground lake, and finally, the most intriguing thing Enki has found so far: a lost and lonely kit. Yes, one of these days, Enki decided he must seek out the Modeity of the Earth and congratulate her on such a wonderful creation.

Now, Enki could see that it simply was not this kit's day. He had run into the cave to take shelter from a raging storm, been scared even deeper into the tunnels by the aforementioned bat colony, tumbled down a steep hill that he couldn't climb back up, and was now curled up in a ball, confused, hurt, sobbing, and frightened. Something had to be done for this boy, there was no doubt about that. It seemed there were no other foxes in the mountain, or even in the immediate area, so Enki would just have to get creative.

A star-nosed mole crawled out of the ground and went up to the kit, sniffing the other creature and feeling him with his little nose appendages. The fox was so startled that he shrieked and jumped away. Right into the nearby wall. The mole, unfazed by the violent reaction, moved closer again and continued exploring, crawling and sniffing and feeling all around the kit's feet. Though he couldn't see, the boy gathered the creature was some sort of small, furry creature that had not yet proven to be dangerous, so he calmed down a tad and allowed it to continue sniffing him. After a while, he even started talking to it.

Enki could see the boy, who had introduced himself to the mole as 'Daedalus,' was grateful for the company, but ultimately that was not the reason he had summoned the tiny tunneler. The creature, satisfied with the information it had gathered about the boy, turned away and began leading the way through the tunnel. Daedalus, not wanting to be alone, followed as well as he could. He was having a hard time of it, though, as the cave's darkness never let up and the kit's sense of smell was not yet well-developed. Enki directed his feet as much as possible to land in the direct tracks of his guide, whose long claws left a distinctive mark on the soil below.

For a long time, this strange little parade progressed slowly through the tunnels. Daedalus, quite a clever little kit, it seemed, picked up quickly on how to find and follow the mole's footsteps, so Enki didn't have to do much to keep them in line. They trekked through many a cave. Most were as dark as ever, but some did have small openings that led outside. They helped Daedalus see a bit more, but it was still dark and storming outside. The group passed many frighteningly precarious stalactites, precious gems that went unseen in the darkness, and even the clear, cool underground lake. The two mortal creatures stopped to rest a drink for a bit before Enki urged them to continue their journey.

The last leg of the voyage involved a particularly steep hill, but Daedalus was able to climb it well enough. Suddenly a light appeared at the end of the tunnel, and Daedalus ran excitedly to greet the sunlight. And sunlight it was. The tunnel opened up onto the mountain top: untouched by the storm below, bathed in light and covered by short grass, wildflowers, and one particularly large tree. Daedalus scampered and rolled around the clearing-like summit with absolute glee until he accidentally ran into the suddenly corporeal Enki's leg. Intimidated, the kit jumped and shrunk away, barely able to stammer out an apology.

The Modeity smiled down at the kit. "You clever boy," he said gently. "Do not fear me, as you no longer fear this great mountain. Learn from this experience, and we shall meet again." And with that, Enki faded into nothing.

As a young fox, Daedalus spent his entire life travelling and exploring for the sake of learning everything he could. As he grew older, Daedalus longed to settle down and pass on his knowledge to other young foxes. He made his way back to his place of birth, Mt. Ilithyia, deciding to settle within it. Though a tribe was not his original intention -- he had at first considered his home as a school -- a tribe was what it became to the young scholars who wished to stay.