Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there was a fox who lived in a forest. The fox's name was Kirsune, and she had an extraordinarily fluffy tail.

Most foxes have very fluffy tails, but Kitsune's tail was something else entirely.

It was so big and furry and puffy that bears would sometimes flirt with Kitsune, thinking that the tail was a she-bear.

Granted, only one bear ever did this. And he was a very old bear who had astigmatism in both eyes. But it made Kitsune wonder all the same:

Why was her tail so fluffy?

Every day, Kitsune's tail trailed behind her like a giant cumulus cloud. Every night, Kitsune fell into its soft white-and-brown bristles, as if the tail were a furry sea.

Hunters would shoot arrows and bullets at Kitsune's tail, thinking it to be some sort of sizable forest creature. But Kitsune's body was so small compared to her tail that the missiles only ever hit fur, never flesh.

Why?

Why was Kitsune's tail so fluffy?