Vulnerable Narcissistic Fox

A long long time ago , in the forests of Nandi there was a Gurukul . It was taught by a middle-aged bear. Everyone at the Gurukul addressed him as Guru , as was the custom in those times. So we shall address him the same. The guru also had one assistant teacher, a middle aged Swan. Both Guru the Bear and Ms Swan were well loved and respected in the entire Gurukul, and even in further lands.

The Gurukul had ten kids. Life was peaceful . Birds chirped in the trees and rivers flowed steadily. One day a bunny joins the school. He was from a distant land, he was exploring new lands and honing his knowledge. For he had a dream. To one day himself be a Guru. He liked the new school, the guru, the teacher and all the kids in his class. They were very nice and peaceful and helpful and he really liked it. Bunny was shy at first at approaching the kids, but he made a friend , the Hippo and he eventually opened up a bit. School went on. Bunny got busy in his new books. It passed on nicely. Bunny did observe that the kids were quite afraid of Guru and Ms Swan, and Guru would even sometimes make fun of little kids, to other kids laughter. Bunny always found Guru funny and wise. He did see that Guru had a friend among the kids. A red-tailed fox with big eyes. He would often see them on walks by the river after classes. Bunny had locked eyes with her before but never got to talking to her. The fox and the bunny however shared something between them, their common love for eating maggots. Unknown to both of them.They both kept stashed of maggots under their tree and would eat them often after class. One day the fox saw the bunny eating maggots near the river and asked him if she could join him. They spent hours by the river speaking about their love for maggots and other things. Bunny could also sense that the shadows made by the fox on the grass were deeper than any other kid he had seen. Bunny had seen such shadow only once before. Since that day the bunny and the fox were inseparable. They became the best of friends and would always be laughing and talking, making jokes during class, much to the dismay of others in the school.

Bunny started to like the new school and everyone in it. He started to study even harder. Eventually he became the Guru’s most cherished student. He loved it as this allowed him to understand the process of teaching and learn the naunces of teaching. He could observe Guru at close and learn from him and discuss the upcoming courses with him. And he owed a lot of it to his friend, the fox. For it was her who had showed him the way of the school. He wanted to celebrate with her over a dinner of maggots. He went to her to invite and she brushed him off saying she isn’t into maggots anymore. Bunny felt hurt, but he knew better than to convince the fox of anything, since she only and only ever listened to herself. Bunny eventually backed off.Fox continued to stonewall him, like he didn’t exist. Sometimes even making small barks in his direction. Bunny got angry at this, he couldn’t understand why all this was happening. For it was the fox who had told him that it would be the two of them to top the class. Bunny kept improving , the fox kept deteriorating in studies. Bunny and fox stopped talking. Bunny would often look at the fox, never knowing which fox he would see back , his friend or the shadowy beast.

In this while the bunny made new friends. Even new kids joined the school and bunny welcomed them with warm hands of friendship. He would talk with them, study with them, go on runs with them; but he would always think about his fox friend. Alone and bitter now. He tried to offer her friendship still, but she would wave him away. The bunny would even notice how the fox would want to sabotage his friendship with other kids and manipulate them. Somedays she would deliberately be rude to him while working on a common assignment. One day the Bunny said to her “fox, if you keep behaving like this me I might get angry and tell other kids about your dark shadow’ . Fox initially dared him to tell , as if she cared, but then would beg to not as she had worked hard to hide her shadow for all these years. He said he would never, and he just wants her to be nice to him, and maybe give friendship a chance. She still waved him away. But the bunny knew. He knew what he had done. He had put the beast in a corner, and beasts don’t like to stay there for long. He knew he will have to be prepared. First thing he did was hide his maggots, for he really didn’t want to lose them. He was also confident on his Guru, who he believed must be aware of Fox’s shadow. How could he not, for he is the wise Guru of Nandi . The creator of many shlokas and stories of Gods.

One morning the Guru invited the class early. His new story had gotten published in the new installment of the weekly Puranas. He wanted to take everyone out for barbecued pineapples by the river. That day Bunny wanted to discuss an assignment with the Fox, something Guru had given him. He approached the bunny to ask when they could discuss the same and she tried to brush him off telling him to block her wooden calendar next time as she plans her days one day in advance. The bunny found it very disrespectful as they both had shared all those moments without a calendar in between. It was nothing big, but he knew it was the beast he was talking to and not his old friend. He got angry at her and told the entire class about how the fox is so annoying and petty. The fox heard this and now realising that she could lose the support of the school for they may see her beastly shadow, went to The Guru and Ms Swan to tell on the Bunny. She cried and cried, said she will leave this school for she can’t bear to see the bunny. Told them of how much bunny is a jerk and is always fighting with others and no one likes him even. When she came back to class Bunny could see the tears in her big eyes. When before he would always feel his heart drop at that sight , this time he knew what she had done. That evening the kids went to the river for pineapple, while the bunny sat alone under his tree eating maggots. It was a Friday and next class to be was on Monday. The entire three days the Bunny thought about what had happened and what should he do. He didn’t want to leave the school just yet, there was so much to learn, so much to do. He sent a letter to the fox asking why she did it and it was against there old friendship pact, she assured him nothing would happen and if anything did she would leave the school first. He tried to tell her he didn’t want anything to happen to her on to him, he just wanted to learn and be her friend and if she let him he would fix it. She never replied back.

Monday when the bunny went to the classes hoping to talk to Ms Swan, she told him to return in a while. Bunny saw Ms Swan and a few kids sitting and she called him over. She told him how his behaviour in school was not good and his grades were also not good and also that his last school had complaint about him. So he had to leave today. The bunny was distraught. He knew what had happened but he just couldn’t believe it. Where did he go wrong? He had always believed the Guru to be wise and strong, to not come in the influence of the fox. But it was the year of the fox, and he just couldn’t do anything. He tried to talk to Guru, but his guru didn’t see him the same, he told him he is helpless as the past school had complaint and the king of Nandi would not be okay with the bunny staying in this land anymore. Bunny was distraught. Helpless in the face of injustice. Helpless in the face of what could only be pure evil, and pure cunning of the fox. He felt stupid. He felt angry. He wasn’t surprised though, at the fox. For he had always heard — If you befriend a snake, its not the snake’s fault if it bites you. Bunny felt it was his fault for making the beast take a bite at him, and its strongest bite. The shadow of the beast grew stronger that day . The Bunny left the lands to walk to further lands. He even went to his old Gurukul to ask about what had been said, however they only said that nothing but good was said about Bunny to the people who had asked. Bunny wasn’t surprised. He kept walking and walking. He didn’t feel like seeing any Gurukul for a while. So he would read on his own from now and one day hopefully create a Gurukul which would the most fair and the most loved.

One thing the Bunny never could understand . What did the Fox whisper to the Bear, for the Bear to do this onto the Bunny.

A few months later the bunny met his old friend hippo. Bunny got to know from hippo that the fox had infact been telling everyone stories of how bunny used to bully and torment her and keep pursuing her and looking at her tail. She had told the bear that she would leave the school if he didn’t send the bunny away. The bear unable to see beyond the red of the fox’s tail had abided. Bunny felt heartbroken after hearing this for he had always only willed good for the fox, while she had used her sharpest claws on him.

The Gurukul continued like always. The fox had yet again managed to hide her shadow from everyone and now had friends in all kids and again had become the beloved of the school.For it was the year of the fox.