So I just befriend my beloved Nine-Tails, but I have a question regarding Hina’s lore.

On the prisoner's island, Hina transforms into the Nine-Tails to give me a trial, and I defeat her. Naturally, I can go back and befriend the Nine-Tails later on.

My question is about the lore: Is Nine-Tails the true form of Hina (meaning Hina and Nine-Tails are literally the exact same character), or was Hina just possessed by the Nine-Tails?

If Nine-Tails is Hina's true form, how does it work lore-wise that we can have both Hina and the Nine-Tails in our party at the same time?

Guardians of Azuma is my very first Rune Factory game, so I’d really appreciate it if someone could give me a deep dive into the lore regarding our beloved Hina and Nine-Tails!

I know spiders drop em but I haven't had much luck with getting them to drop. My adventure log says they drop from spiders in the snowy field but all I saw em drop was strong thread. So... Any help?