Vulpes vulpes
Is a fox magical? Contemporary wisdom says no. One of the benefits of an information-rich society is that we can have each creature mapped, learned, and counted, and once we've shone the light on them we can pat ourselves on the back knowing there is no magic to the creature at all. The fox belongs to the canine family, along with jackals, raccoons, and, of course, the domestic dog, and it has 6-8 nipples. Yet the magic remains--what else compels us to learn about each creature to begin with? What drives us to watch and write and draw them with such earnest observation, to learn every behavior and cycle? Despite their solitary nature and rare interaction with men, foxes are considered among the wisest of all creatures in virtually every culture on Earth in contact with them. The Japanese Kitsune changes shapes, but in truth is indistinguishable, even one and the same, with the mundane fox. They call youth to themselves, seducing them like sirens. Even in the west we may call such