One Tail at a Time

Control

My fourth tail is now well under way to taking on its full length and according to Shifu, strength.  But what I am noticing more and more each day, is the longer and stronger it grows, the harder it is for me control them all.  Having three tails isn't too hard to manage and for the most part, I just let them do their thing, only now that I have another, I am finding them all a little cumbersome and heavy on my butt.  So today, Shifu is going to teach me how to get them under control.

"It is natural for any beasts tail to move about freely, however, there are times when our tails give away our state of mind, our health and even our thoughts." he says as I sit quietly in my fox form before him.  

Over the years, Shifu has learned our fox tongue to fluency, so teaching me in my natural form is now far easier than in the early days, but Shifu is a quick learner, and with fathers help, he has even learned our slang words and even tones distinct to us foxes, which are not words but emotional sounds we use for emphasis.  Only I cant help but snicker under my breath, because the sight of a War God grunting and hissing under a tree would look far too hilarious should an unexpected visitor happen to arrive.

"Seventeenth!  Pay attention." he chides me softly before going into the advantages of gaining another tail.

He only calls me Seventeenth when he's losing patience with me, or when we are out and about on official Kunlun business, so my ears stand up and my tails flatten out behind me as I listen most attentively.  Most of our lessons are fun, but the older I am getting, the more training I am receiving and the harder they are becoming, but being the only girl of Kunlun Mountain and Qing Qius next Queen does make me take my responsibilities seriously so I am all ears when he points at my tails now.

"Fear, sickness, emotional disturbance, and even thoughts will give away your thoughts, emotional state and even your intentions." he says as he smiles at my tails that are flat against the ground behind me rather than in a flurry of fur about my butt.

"The way to controlling all of these things including your tails, is through the mind." Shifu chuckles before lightly tapping my snout.  "When you are happy your tails take on a life of their own, when you're sad, they tend to curl under and when you're angry, thye stiffen above and ......" he says as I find myself being transferred to his lap....  "When you are afraid or unsure of where your thoughts should be, they flatten out behind you." he says.

Shifu is so clever like this.  He knows my fox traits even better than I do and he's not even a fox so I am both impressed with his knowledge and lapping up the physical attention, which I don't get much of now that Im a big girl.  But there are moments like this one that Shifu surprises me and gives me cuddles when he thinks I need it.  And not only am I smiling as cutely as I can to stay in his arms, but my tongue is lapping at his chin which is making him chuckle at attention seeking me.

"In battle, what we show, will determine how our enemy will react, so strengthening the mind will bring those tails under control." He says which makes me laugh.

"But Shifu, in a battle, I won't be in fox form."I remind him most heartily only to duck my head into his lap when he shakes his head at me.

"Whether you are in this form or human, you are far too expressive, so what I want you to do today is to deflect everything I say by remaining unaffected." he says and to me this not only sounds like a challenge which I like but its also a game which I love even more.  

"Alright Shifu." I reply before I am gently placed on the grass in front of him and ordered to sit up straight with my tails relaxed behind me, which I do and the moment my eyes are on his, then Shifu starts my lesson for the day, and being mid morning, it will probably go on until dinner.