This little creature is inspired in Japanese mythology, where the Kitsunes (foxes) has the ability of Shapeshifting, they may take on human form!
But kitsunes have difficulty hiding their tails when they take human form; looking for the tail, perhaps when the fox gets careless, is a common method of discerning the creature's true nature. Sometimes the kitsune reflects a fox-shaped shadow, that shows its true form.
There are many legends about kitsunes converted into a woman, that fall in love with a human. The stories are very sad because they always ends up discovering them, and with great pain the kitsunes must abandon their love and return to its original form and the forest.