He wanted to become a ninja and since he was so bright he painted himself black so he wont be seen as easily at night. Although he forgot he had the flame on the tip of his tail and he wasn't able to become a ninja. As a result he became very depressed and tried killing himself by jumping off a cliff, but when he jumped he started flying. He didnt want to fly it was just second nature to him so he became VERY depressed, and ended up becoming goth.