Yuriban Fox

The Yuriban Fox is the formal name for the Yuriban subspecies of the Red Fox. It is often simply called the Fox locally. Though derived from original red fox stock, the Yuriban fox has developed in isolation for thousands of years, along the way becoming a fixture in local mythology and religion.

Physiology

The Yuriban fox is about in line with your baseline red fox in terms of size. It reaches about two to three feet long at adulthood in terms of body length, with the tail reaching a foot and a half to two feet in length. The Yuriban fox is notable for being a little lighter in overall build than the average red fox subspecies, with a longer, fluffier tail and somewhat thicker fur to better handle Yuriba's more temperate climate. The fox is quite long-bodied, with long limbs capable of accelerating it to a running speed of about 50 kilometres per hour. The eyes are large, with vertically-oriented pupils, while the head is long, light and sleek.

The fox is known for its athletic ability, able to bound more than two metres up, climb steep surfaces and swim adeptly. It is also known for its exceptional intelligence.

It is believed the Yuriban fox population originated with individuals transplanted from Japan in prehistory. The foxes colonized the island and are now relatively common.

Colour morphs

The typical Yuriban fox shows a relatively standard red fox colouring - reddish above with a diffuse, subtle pattern of darker chestnut hairs along the spine, with white fur along the chin and belly and at the tip of the tail. However, the species also displays unusual colour morphs. These are particularly unusual because there is enormous overlap among coat colours in the fox's range, and whatever genes decide what colour morph a fox takes do not appear hereditary. However, it is commonly held by natives that a fox's colour may indicate its personality. A few of the more common morphs are as follows.

• Red: The typical colour. Natives believe these foxes are typically clever and playful.
• Grey: The back is typically grey, fading to rust on the sides and white on the belly. Natives believe these foxes are incorrigible tricksters who can keep a straight face impeccably.
• Black: The upper body is deep black with some subtle brown tinges, fading to white across the chin and belly. Natives believe these foxes are the most troublesome of all. See also Badfox.
• White: The entire body is white, with typically thicker, fluffier fur. Natives believe these foxes tend to be among the most solitary and inscrutable.

Behaviour

Yuriban foxes seem somewhat more clever than the average fox and have on occasion demonstrated basic tool use and ability to cunningly circumvent traps, locks and other mechanisms set out by bipeds. That said, the foxes are unquestionably wild and tend to interact with humans and other species in the village largely on their own terms, and they've been known to play tricks and misdirect hunters. Actually catching a fox is extremely rare. Natives believe capturing a fox will displease the Lady, not to mention the fox, while killing one may result in the hunter living their next life as a mushroom. The distantly related Yuriban Kit Fox is a domesticated Vulpes species, and most interested in foxes as pets are directed to them.

Pinning down a standard behaviour pattern for local foxes is somewhat difficult because they tend to live a diverse range of lifestyles. Typically they eat small rodents like mice, ferrets and squirrels, though many foxes also favour the Yuriban Game Hen as prey. A minority of foxes have adapted to streamside conditions and have become expert fishers, with Blue Spinner comprising much of their diet. Other foxes have been observed to eat primarily berries, tubers and fruits, particularly in autumn. They are somewhat discriminating and have in particular been known to uproot and destroy any Angstflowers they may come across.

Their mating patterns are polyamorous, with a fox typically taking on a handful of partners throughout her life. Foxes tend to establish fair-sized territories for themselves, but there is substantial overlap, and they will often cross territorial boundaries to find mates. Most, though, will have one or two foxes they seem to consider primary mates, with whom they will reside in a group. They tend to raise their kits in warm, secure dens but otherwise roam freely. The mated groups raise their kits collectively and tend to be extremely protective of them, to the point they will try to chase off even bears that approach their young.

Lore

The fox plays a large role in native Yuriban lore, largely due to the presence of their multi-tailed, shape-changing counterparts, the kitsune. Foxes commonly appear in ancient and modern native art and are prominently figured on ancient native and Lilian menhirs and pottery art. It is believed the fox is the favoured animal of the Lady. Dipping into the Hunyanniichuan will impart the bather with the blessed form of a fox-human, though the spring is one of the most notoriously difficult to find.

One old story told sometimes to native children tells of a day when Yuriba was young and inhabited only by animals. Curious, the Lady went to a forest clearing and met Hen, Wolf, Cat and Fox and asked them to share with her the most wondrous thing they had ever seen. Hen gathered a few sticks and built a semblance of a nest. Wolf ushered her pups over and displayed them proudly. Cat frolicked to a nearby sunbeam and basked in it. But Fox reached out with her paw and began to draw a spiral in the turf, curving it out to touch Hen's nest, then Wolf's pups, then Cat's sunbeam, and finally to touch the Lady. The Lady was so pleased she gave Fox the gift of a new shape, that of the kitsune, and told her she would always have a special place in her heart. Fox also appears as a light-hearted trickster figure in some other bits of native lore.