also: やこ
wild fox
Refers to a fox living in the wild, as opposed to a domesticated or tame fox. Neutral term.
I spotted a wild fox in the mountains.
mythical fox capable of possessing people
Only with reading やこ
A fox spirit from Japanese folklore that can possess humans. The reading やこ is specifically associated with this supernatural sense.
In old tales, stories of a 野狐 (やこ) possessing people often appear.
Standard kanji spelling for the common reading のぎつね.
Rare reading used specifically for the mythical fox sense. The kanji form is the same, but the reading differs.
Compound of 野 (の, 'field, wild') and 狐 (きつね, 'fox'). The reading やこ is an older, less common reading of the same kanji, used in folklore contexts.