Thanks for all your answers. I will stick with my fox and make it work.

I have seen some powerful foxes in my adventures. They seem very good at darting in and out, leaping, and timing skills. I don't know that I will ever reach that level of coordination, but I appreciate the tips.

So, some follow up questions:

Some skills (evade, for example) seem to take a while to use. While my fox is howling, I am getting pounded, right? So does it do as much harm as good?

There are status icons that appear by the health bars. I looked on the forums but couldn't find a key for these icons. Can anyone point me toward a key?

Thanks again.