There were few things that could drive a Northern-Tailed Fox crazy, but as I'd long since learned at this point, the prospect of devouring an elf was one of them.

And, as mother dumped four very fresh corpses onto the feasting table, I was once again reminded of that fact as everyone, including myself, threw ourselves at them with gaping maws.

I latched onto one of the female corpses, snarling at Arias as she did the same. She responded back with an equally ferocious snarl, and within moments, the two of us were ripping the corpse to shreds, ripping entire chunks out and shoving them into our waiting jaws.

It felt like I was shoving pure ambrosia down my throat, and I soon found myself having to consciously prevent unwanted moans from coming out of my mouth,

Within less than half a minute, the corpse was gone, half of it having gone to Arias, and the other half to me. Without hesitation, we threw ourselves at the next closest elf to us.

It had practically already been completely devoured, but that didn't stop us from fighting over it anyway, as was proper.

A good feast just didn't feel right if you didn't come out of it without both receiving and giving some scratches and bruises, you know?

Unfortunately, all good things eventually come to an end, and as the hunger-induced madness slowly cleared away, I realized that every single scrap of elfin flesh had already been eaten.

A shame. I'd have loved to get some more.

Then, someone began to groan. My eyes snapped towards them, and the moment I saw what was happening, I gasped.

Liao was hunched over, steam rising from all over his body as he groaned and grunted, digging deep furrows into the table with his claws as he did.

The other foxes around him were backing away, looking at him with... was that awe? Why?

What was going on?

Trying my best not to goggle stupidly, I kept my distance and continued watching intently.

"Hrrr..." Liao hissed, more and more steam rising from his body, hot enough that his poorly-made fur clothes came apart, leaving him stark naked.

Normally, we Northern-Tailed Foxes looked remarkably similar to humans. Sure, we had hands that could transform into claws at will, had fox-like ears and tails, and we even had a layer of fur that covered our legs, arms, and a portion of our torsos, but other than those details, we weren't all that different from regular humans.

Liao, right now, looked a lot more like a demon than a human.

His exposed skin had turned stark-red and looked as though something was boiling away underneath it. His veins were ridiculously inflated, especially around his face, creating a grotesque image that made it look like worms were crawling under his skin.

Then, as more and more steam began to rise off of him and his veins only got more inflated, Liao thrust his head back and howled.

I flinched at the incredibly loud sound, my ears flattening against my head. At my sides, I saw many of my fellow foxes doing the same, and yet, none of us took our eyes away from the now completely hidden Liao.

It took minutes for the steam to finally clear, leaving behind a still incredibly hot longhouse. When it did, it revealed what had happened to Liao.

The oldest fox-kin of the tribe staggered to his feet, completely covered in sweat and panting in exhaustion. His skin had returned to normal, and other than one little change, so had everything else.

Except for the fact that the 'little change' happened to be a brand-new third tail.

"Oh..." I murmured, staring at Liao's new appendage with a mixture of awe, envy, and wonder.

The fox in question was no different as he slowly managed to cool off from the rather drastic transformation, his face growing happier and happier by the second as he stared at his new limb.

"Liao." Mom suddenly spoke up, forcing her way through all the foxes surrounding Liao. Once she did, she examined him, her eyes roaming over his naked form. "So... You've finally done it."

In response, Liao just chuckled tiredly. "About time, no?" He shot back.

"Mhm..." Mom just hummed, her tails twitching chaotically behind her in what I knew was a mixture of excitement and eagerness. "Perhaps." She acknowledged after a few more moments. "But... what will you do now?"

"..." For almost an entire minute, the entire longhouse remained silent. As it did, I looked around at my tribemates, who were staring at the two three-tailed foxes intently.

What was going on, I wondered.

Finally, Liao spoke again, his voice soft. "There are too few of us for the tribe to split." There was a note of sorrow in his voice as he spoke, raising his eyes until he was looking directly into mom's own. "The old traditions have failed us. If we are to resist the ever-increasing manling incursions, we must remain united."

I blinked, my mouth slowly falling open. Split? What? Where was this coming from?

What were they talking about?

"You're right." Unfortunately, before I could ponder on it further, I was taken out of my daydreaming by my mother's words. "Let us remain together, then." She said, giving Liao a firm nod.

Then, her eyes flickered over to the rest of us. "Does anyone contest this?" She asked, an aggressive grin forming on her face as she did.

Naturally, nobody did. After a few moments of mom scrutinizing us, she nodded and stepped back, allowing the rest of the tribe to swarm Liao. Many immediately began congratulating him and admiring his new tail, with Arias even going so far as to grab it.

The newly-evolved fox took it in good humor, generally tolerating the tribe's curiosity and excitement with the same stoic demeanor that he'd always held himself with.

"Mom?" I asked, approaching her as she watched the rest of the tribe gather around Liao. Her head tilted in my direction, meeting my eyes with her own. "What... What was all that about?" I asked her.

She remained silent for a few seconds before sighing, her eyes dropping down to the floor. "Kira... Did you ever wonder why there are so few of us? Why we have never encountered other tribes?" She asked rhetorically.

I blinked at her strange question but nonetheless answered honestly. "I have, mom," I admitted. "But... Not for a while. I used to wonder about it when I was younger, but I've been focusing too much on other things these past years."

Mom smiled slightly. "Ah. Too busy hunting and training to think. A good mentality." She praised, and I preened slightly at it. "But perhaps it's time I tell you our history in more detail. You're old enough to understand, too."

Spinning on her heel, mom marched straight out of the longhouse, and I scrambled to follow her. "Come, my daughter. Let's not ruin the mood for the others with this tale." She said.

My lips pursued. Yeah, this wasn't going to be a happy story, was it?

Unsurprisingly, I was right.