"A long time ago, back before the humans ever built their first cities, our kind used to roam the lands uninhibited." Mother narrated as we sat across from each other, two tree stumps serving as our seats.

"We were strong, back then. United, numerous, and free to do as we pleased. It's hard to imagine, but at that time, only three-tailed foxes were considered adults, and our leaders even had five tails."

I stared at my mother with a dumbfounded gaze. Five tails? Considering just how significant even just our third tail was, and the fact that our power increase was exponential with each new tail, I honestly struggled to understand just how strong our people were back then if that was the case.

"What... happened?" I asked slowly after a moment of silence, bringing back mother from her unfocused staring.

She shook her head, clearing whatever thoughts were running through it. "... I don't fully know." Mother admitted, clasping her hands together as her eyes met mine.

"But... Legends say that our downfall was a quick one. The dragons came and turned us and our homes into ash. The human gods awoke, and through them, great champions emerged, each one leading great crusades that butchered us. Then came the demon king and his armies, carving out their own lands."

I remained silent, feeling my lips tighten. To be honest, I... wasn't sure if I believed everything that mother was saying. It sounded honestly pretty made up, and considering that I could easily tell that even mother herself didn't fully believe it, well...

"But enough about that." Mother dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Those are old legends that my mom told me. They happened many generations before mine and yours."

I nodded at mom's words. "Okay. But... Can you tell them to me, later?" I asked her, receiving a beaming grin in response.

"Of course." She easily accepted. "But for now, let us speak of the lost tribes, and their cultures."

I smiled slightly. Finally. I'd never been too bothered about this stuff, but now that it was being dangled in front of me, I couldn't help but be curious.

"Firstly, you must know that us Northern-Tailed Foxes are one of those very tribes." She explained, bringing her three tails in front of her. "Our most distinguished trait is our copper coloration, as well as our atrocious fertility."

"We are?" I asked curiously. "I thought that by tribes you meant like, separate groups like our own. Not wholly different species."

Mother just shrugged. "That was once the case. However, we are a dying race, Kira. Our tribe is the last one that I know of, after the annihilation of our sister-tribe. Perhaps the other lost tribes are different, but I do not know enough about them to say for sure."

... I had quite a few questions about that. "Sister-tribe? What do you mean?"

Mother just chuckled. "Dear, I know you are intelligent. Much smarter than even me, perhaps. Do I really need to explain, right after what you saw at the feast?" She amusedly asked.

I blushed slightly. Right. Stupid question, she probably meant a tribe that had split in two but had kept in contact because of the bond between them.

"Still." I insisted. "What happened to them? Why did no one ever tell me anything?" I asked even as I crawled closer to her, perhaps a bit more whiningly than was warranted.

Mom laughed at my expression, pushing me back gently with a single hand. "They..." She hesitated. "My mother believed that it was a vampire that killed them. An Old Blood, she called it. I do not know the story, for I was very young still when they died." She explained. "It killed them and drank all of their blood, and yet did not touch their flesh, the vile creature." She spat.

"..." Vampires were a thing? I shivered slightly. Well, let's hope I never have to meet one.

Unsurprisingly, mom noticed my small tinge of fear. "Oh, do not worry, dear. The vast majority of vampires are weak, cursed things, unable to walk under the sun, and barely strong enough to survive the night. Besides, their kind tends to keep to themselves." She explained.

"Oh," I said, feeling a bit stupid. "Well, okay then. Then, how about the other 'lost' tribes?" I asked, putting an emphasis on the 'lost' part.

Mother's lips curled. "Ah. Them. Well, to be honest, I do not know too much about them. I know of the 'orthodox' tribes, who dare call themselves the 'fox-kin'. They live in the eastern forests, wasting away amongst the other so-called 'civilized' beast-kins."

"Then, there are the desert foxes, the Sand-Tails. They... live in the western desert?" She trailed off, brows furrowing.

I remained silent, staring at mother expectantly. But alas, it seemed as though nothing more would be coming out from her on the matter. "Are there any others?" I finally asked.

Mother shrugged. "I don't know." She admitted. "If you truly are curious, I would suggest talking to Liao. He is older and wiser than me on these matters, and he would be of greater help than me."

I nodded and accepted her advice, adding that to the rather short list of my to-do things. "Okay. Could you tell me more about our own culture?" I offered, knowing that that was what she really enjoyed talking about.

Unsurprisingly, I was right as mother grinned widely and began explaining.

As I walked back over to my tent, I couldn't help but keep on thinking about my mother's words.

The way she'd explained it, Northern-Tailed culture was a simultaneously brutal and yet surprisingly progressive one.

Basically, strength meant almost everything, but it also came with responsibilities. It was the strongest's duty and privilege to lead the tribe. It meant that they had first picks on food, mates, spoils, and the ability to decide the tribe's direction, but it also meant that it was the leader's duty to care for those weaker than him or her.

That was nothing that I hadn't already known. What I hadn't known, however, was the fact that back when we weren't reduced to a single family-tribe, splits and divisions were rather common.

It was actually pretty similar to what those elves had done, with stronger foxes taking the lead of some younger or more adventurous foxes and heading out into the world to forge new tribes,

That was actually how this particular tribe had been formed, starting off as a splinter made up of grandma, mom, Liao, Leiran, and Wiss, with the other foxes either slowly joining up as other tribes died out or being outright born here, as was the case for me and Arias, who was apparently Wiss's child.

It was... a strange thought. We were the last of our race, or at least, we were fairly sure we were.

I wasn't sure what to think about that, honestly. It made me simultaneously sad, and yet somewhat also happy. We were the last, after all, and that made us special, in a way.

I shook my head, clearing away those useless thoughts. I'd dwell on them more when I had the time, because for now, I had a prisoner to interrogate and squirrel out quite a few secrets from.

I wonder... What would a mage taste like? I was pretty eager to find out.