I might sound fe_ _ _ _
Yet I'm in the opposite.Do not count my _ _ _ _s
It was one originally.But you can spell out
A bright star in me!And please be sure that you're
Going to the right direction!
What animal am I?
(Each underscore indicates a redacted letter.)
Subtle Hint:
If you were indeed going to the right direction, I'm just an animal. Otherwise, I might turn mythical!
Moderate Hint:
The second 4 underscores conceal a body part.
Decisive Hint:
Cardinal directions
The animal is:
A fox!
Yet this riddle actually conceals the word
"Kitsune", which is the Japanese word for a fox.
I might sound fe_ _ _ _ Yet I'm in the opposite.
feLINE (confirmed by poster) → KITsune
Do not count my _ _ _ _s It was one originally.
TAILs — Though "kitsune" means just a fox in Japanese, in English, it means a mythical fox, especially those with nine tails.
But you can spell out A bright star in me!
kitSUNe
And please be sure that you're Going to the right direction!
Because Japan is an eastern country.
New guess: Are you a
DHOLE?
I might sound fe____
Insert 'line': I might sound feline - A dhole might sound feline because according to Wikipedia, a dhole is often described "as being "cat-like" on account of its long backbone and slender limbs". They also do not howl or bark, unlike some other canines.
Yet I'm in the opposite.
The opposite of Feline is Canine. A Dhole is a Canine (member of the dog family).
Do not count my ____s
It was one originally.
Again insert 'line': Do not count my lines. There are many subspecies of Dhole, but according to Wikipedia, they all evolved from a single line of Caninae.
But you can spell out A bright star in me!
The scientific name for Dhole is 'Cuon alpinus'; the last three letters spell out SUN backwards. The Sun is a bright star.
And please be sure that you're Going to the right direction!
This explains that the bright star is spelled backwards, not forwards.
So, you could be a
DHOLE!
You are an
Australian Kelpie
I might sound fe_ _ _ _ Yet I'm in the opposite.
"Feline " - The Australian Kelpie is a CATtle dog (lol)
Do not count my _ _ _ _s - It was one originally.
I can't seem to solve this one!
But you can spell out A bright star in me!
Sun inside Australian
And please be sure that you're Going to the right direction!
The Kelpie is a mythical creature from Scottish folklore, so please be sure to go to the south direction (Australia) NOT north direction (Scotland).
Are you a
Raccoon?
Because:
Procyon is the Little Dog Star “Procyon” is the genus designation of raccoons (before the dog)
opposite of feLINE is canine - raccoons have lines/stripes
do not count my MASKs (can't figure out "it was one" but raccoons wear masks
Correct direction - the dogs' constellation is in the southern hemisphere, the northern hemisphere would lead me to polaris
The name Procyon is from Greek and means “before the dog,” a reference to the rising of this star shortly before Sirius, the larger Dog Star in the constellation Canis Major.
The order that these two stars rise in has changed and the lesser (Procyon) used to go first (hence before the dog) leading to it being in the naming of raccoons which used to be thought to be ancestors of dogs
You are the magical, shapeshifting
I might sound fe____
Yet I'm in the opposite.
Kitsune does sound feline because its last syllable, "ne" is related to neko, the word for 'cat' in Japanese. However, it is fox-like, which is more like a dog, which can be considered the opposite of a cat.
Do not count my ____s
It was one originally.
All kitsunes start off with just one tail; however,
From wikipedia:
Kitsune have as many as nine tails. Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful Kitsune; in fact, some folktales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived 100 years. (In the wild, the typical lifespan of a real fox is one to three years, although individuals may live up to ten years in captivity.) One, five, seven, and nine tails are the most common numbers in folktales. These kyūbi no kitsune (九尾の狐, 'nine-tailed foxes') gain the abilities to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world. Other tales credit them with infinite wisdom (omniscience). After reaching 1,000 years of age and gaining its ninth tail, a kitsune turns a white or golden color,[10] becoming a tenko (天狐, 'heavenly/celestial fox'), the most powerful form of the kitsune, and then ascends to the heavens.
But you can spell out
A bright star in me!
The sun is a bright star.
And please be sure that you're
Going to the right direction!
Maybe northeast is the right direction to face a Kitsune statue because...
More from wikipedia:
According to beliefs derived from fusui (feng shui), the fox's power over evil is such that a mere statue of a fox can dispel the evil kimon, or energy, that flows from the northeast. Many Inari shrines, such as the famous Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, feature such statues, sometimes large numbers of them.
