Are Everyone's Tails Striped?

Hey hey! Did you guys know? Tanuki tails aren’t striped! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

…Where did that come from, nya

Picture books totally lied to me~. The striped one is a raccoon — tanuki (the Japanese raccoon dog) are just plain brown with a bit of black at the tip

…Didn’t know ですです

Right?! And I didn’t know either — until yesterday (≧∇≦)

…Yesterday, nya

Okay so quiz time~! Out of the three of us, who has the tail closest to a tanuki?

…None of us are tanuki, nya

Just show ‘em already, everyone’s tails

Mine’s super fluffy, golden, white at the tip~. Super proud of it (´∪｀)

…1, nya

Miko that has NOTHING to do with it!!

…Count is a tail feature too, nya. Tanuki have 1. You have 1. Something in common, nya

You’re only saying that ‘cause YOU have 2~!

…ふふ, 2, nya

…Wait — was that a compliment just now? Or an insult?

…Miko’s is pitch black, nya. White only at the tip, nya

…Hold on — black with white at the tip is kinda close to tanuki coloring actually? Tanuki tails are dark on top with lighter underneath

…Miko is a cat, nya. Don’t lump me in with tanuki, nya

What about Luna?

…Short, white, round ですです

…Oh

Short, one color, round… Luna, you might actually be closest in shape

…Color’s white though

…Luna is a rabbit, nya. Different order, let alone family, nya

True~. Tanuki are Canidae, raccoons are Procyonidae, rabbits are Lagomorpha. Totally different animals. But just going by shape alone? Luna wins (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

…Happy, maybe ですです

…Luna: official tanuki certified, nya

…Please don’t

But wait — actually — who here even HAS a striped tail? Out of the three of us? (￣ー￣)ﾆﾔﾘ

…Nobody, nya

…Nobody

Not me either. Zero stripes in this whole room

…There are

Huh?

…Look

…The shoji shadow, nya

…Oh — for real. The evening sun through the shoji lattice, falling across the engawa

…On everyone’s tails ですです

My gold, Miko’s black, Luna’s white — all of them, evenly striped

…Move and the stripes move too, nya

…Not tanuki anymore ですです

Now we’re all raccoons ｷﾀ━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━!!

…Don’t want that either, nyan

…In five minutes we’ll be different creatures again ですです

…Luna, what’s gotten into you today. That’s way too philosophical~

…When the light shifts, we’re all someone else again, nya

So anyway — what color is a tanuki’s tail, actually~

…The color of the light at that moment ですです