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A kumiho has different stages it has to pass in order to get certain tails which are like it's signs of authority. There are 10 stages, nine of them involving tails, which mostly involve character advancements which serves a dual purpose: character development of me in real life and development of Dom in my stories. So here they are:

Stage 1: The first tail- Acknowledgement of Exsistance
Of course by this time, you're thinking, "What! But we all exist!" Well that is why it is the first tail. One tail means that the kumiho is still a normal fox, and all animals know that they exist. Some foxes don't acknowledge this, and they are locked up in the asylum right now. At this stage, Dom doesn't have any powers.

Stage 2: The second tail- Knowledge
This is the last easy trait that a Kumiho will have to master. Knowledge can be gained anywhere, and it is the last thing that won't be affected by wisdom. If Dom has a second tail, then expect him to know alot. Other than that, he doesn't have any powers.

Stage 3: The third tail- Passion
This is the start of the hard work. Dom must have a passion for something in order to gain this tail. His passion is usually in music and travelling, and these still burn within him. He is also an avid storyteller and likes looking into people's pasts. Because passion is symbolized by fire, Dom has control over fire.

Stage 4: The fourth tail- Feeling of Usefulness
In order to get the fourth tail, Dom must overcome this obstacle. Dom must feel like he accomplishes things that are usefull to people. He wants to help people and work for something progressive. This is very delicate and he will need help from many friends. At this stage, Dom usually becomes connected with a partner or a mentor, possibly even resulting in bonding. Once this is mastered, Dom will achieve the controlling of earth. Dom has finished this stage.

Stage 5: The fifth tail- Anger and Fury
This will be one of the hardest stages for Dom, controlling his fury. Normally Dom is a passive fellow, but he can fall upon hard times and go into a destructive fury over himself. He must know what times are best for fury and what times are not. He must also understand that fury can also be productive, giving him an extra burst of energy to accomplish something. When this stage is completed, Dom will have control over the element of wind and air.

Stage 6: The sixth tail- Compassion and Understanding
At this stage, Dom will need to learn what real compassion is. He will have to help people he will not want to help, giving people encouragement. He will have to love his neighbor as himself and become more social. This is a very complicated stage and will need much help from his mentor. Dom will be able to control water after this point.

Stage 7: The seventh tail- Body
The body is the seat of the soul, therefore in order to manipulate the soul, you must manipulate the body. At this point, Dom will learn how to control physics and his surroundings. This will take much time and concentration, since any disruption in the fabric of time and space will cause massive shockwaves across the universe. People must seldom mess with time, since it is the most fragile of paths. When Dom can master his surroundings, then he will gain the ability to manipulate physics itself as well as other people to a certain extent.

Stage 8: The eigth tail- Dark and Light
Darkness is the destroyer. Dom will have to overcome obstacles in his hatred once and for all. He must be able to control himself on monthly killing sprees and change people's thoughts about him. He must also be a master of disguise. At this point, Dom can have control of light, bending it at will to make allusions and such.

Stage 9: The ninth tail- Soul
This is when Dom can become a full-fledged kumiho, once he learns how to manipulates another's soul. He will have control of bodies, so now he must change a person's soul and mindset from evil to good. Many a kumiho have fallen to this trap, wanting to make people into their servents. They, however, remain with only eight tails. When Dom masters this, he will be a full kumiho with power over other's souls but only to a certain extent.

Stage 10: Yin-Yang- Love and Balance
This is the ultimate test and will take all that Dom has learned throughtout the years. The first stage will be balance, being able to keep an equilibrium between good and evil, darkness and light. How this is to be done, noone knows. The next stage will be the hardest for anyone, love. Dom will have to love someone sincerely, not for how they look but for who they are. That person will have to love Dom back. This does not count lust, since every year Kumiho's go into heat for about a month. This task of finding love has taken some Kumiho's millions of years. After this stage, Dom will have the status equivalent to a demi-god and will have mastered the biggest roadblock to his progress, himself.

Note: The first three stages only allow Dom to transform into either fox form or spirit form unless there is an alter in his DNA (like arcane magic or a DNA readjuster). In the next three stages, Dom's default form is semi-human. He still has years and nine-tails, but everything else about him is human. Towards the next three stages, Dom can take the form os a full human and start expiramenting transforming into things that he can see (even taking the shape of people, like Cana or Dusty). The last stage allows Dom to turn into anything he wants, anywhere he wants since he is a demi-god.

Up next...Dom's past!