Ayumu is a character from my novel in-progress "Tengu's Summer". He is a four-tailed kitsune, having lived a long time as well as having much power and prowess in the area of magic. He is wise, and is often called upon by the residents of his territory to settle disputes and act as mediator between human and myths. Still, at his heart he is but a fox; mischief and manipulation are and always will be his forte.
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Foxes, or kitsune, are a common creature in Japanese myth, and their incarnations in the modern day are numerous. The number of tails indicated not only the fox's age, but also their magical power and skill. At most they could have nine tails, and a nine-tailed fox represented the peak of the animal's might and wisdom, as a fox could live for one thousand years...

Also it is interesting to note that, like many animals from Japan's mythology, the fox could assume human form. Usually they became a woman - even if the fox itself was male - to seduce and/or bear children from human men.