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This was it.
It would be his first time leaving the foxhole in his newly-perfected human form.
He had spent years consulting with the elder kitsune, practicing his transformation, learning to keep enough concentration to hold it for hours, days.
He was gifted an old kimono from a female elder whose mate had passed on. He accepted her gift graciously, and was pleased to find that it fit his human form well.
He had carefully created his new persona, practiced with his new voice, learned human mannerisms from others in his clan. When it came time to choose his trade, he chose something few other kitsune did– the fine art of tebori. The human desire to decorate their skin was somehow intriguing to him- he told the elders as much, and his skills were granted.
He chose a name partly based on zodiac– it was the year of the dragon, so Ryuuhou seemed to be a fit name.
He sat in his den, looking at the human skull necklace in his paws. If asked by a human, these were clay, but truly they were actual human skulls, thieved from graves; a necessity for kitsune that desired to emulate humans.
He took a deep breath; one of his final breaths in his true form for quite some time. There was much to do.
He stood on his hind legs, then placed the necklace over his head, resting on his shoulders. Balancing unsteadily on two legs, he walked the short distance to retrieve his paper parasol –another necessary part of the transformation– and opened it up to cover his head. He shut his eyes tight, and began to pray silently for his transformation. He felt his head spinning.
When he opened his eyes, he was tall, and clean of fur save for the silky grey-blonde strands on his head. And what humans called…naked.
He dressed quickly, gathered his courage, crawled out of his den, and walked into the forest.
He would not be back for a very long time.