.~«^$*@###                                          ###@*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##                                          ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##                                          ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*@###                                          ###@*$^«~.
.~«^$***@#                                          #@***$^«~.
~«^$*§@###     .. ferrets                           ###@§*$^«~
.~«^$*§@##                                          ##@§*$^«~.
....~~^*@@ ...~~~«^^^$***§@@@####@@@§***$^^^«~~~... @@*^~~....
.~«^$*§§@@                                          @@§§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##  you see something move in the corner of ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$***§§     your eye - probably one of these.    §§***$^«~.
.~«^$*§###                                          ###§*$^«~.
.~«^$*@###            backbone animals.             ###@*$^«~.
.....«^$§@         cat-snakes, or so called.        @§$^«.....
...«^^^$§§       comes in different flavours.       §§$^^^«...
.~«^$*§@##                                          ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the mink ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$**§@@ ~                                      ~ @@§**$^«~.
.....~«$§@ ~ minks, also called the snow ferrets, ~ @§$«~.....
.~«^$*§@## . make up the "wandering food supply"  . ##@§*$^«~.
.....«$$§§ . used by the shamans and underlings   . §§$$«.....
.~«^$*§§@#   of kirugu vargir. when called upon,    #@§§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§###   they present themselves, and can be    ###§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##   caught.                                ##@§*$^«~.
.~«««««$*§                                          §*$«««««~.
.....~«$§@ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the marten ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @§$«~.....
.....~~^*§ ~                                      ~ §*^~~.....
.~«^*§@### ~ the marten is the sneakier one here, ~ ###@§*^«~.
...«^^**§@ . often used for spying, or stealing.  . @§**^^«...
.~«^$*§@## . in the older tales about vidmi,      . ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@@@   these are probs the ferrets that she   @@@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##   was said to control. this connection   ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##   might explain why many denizens have   ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*@###   this as their main "pet" god.          ###@*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##                                          ##@§*$^«~.
....~^**§§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the ermine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §§**^~....
...~~^^*§# ~                                      ~ #§*^^~~...
....~^$§@# ~ the lusher one in the family is the  ~ #@§$^~....
.~«^$*@### . ermine. used as bedwarmers, or       . ###@*$^«~.
.~«^*§@### . harvested for their beautiful fur,   . ###@§*^«~.
.~«^$*@###   the white coat, very pretty,           ###@*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##   although rare.                         ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^^$*§@@                                          @@§*$^^«~.
....««^**§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the mewn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §**^««....
.~«^$*§### ~                                      ~ ###§*$^«~.
.....««$*§ . one of the most notable in kirugu    . §*$««.....
.~«^$$$*§@ . lore, the otter ferret? it goes in   . @§*$$$^«~.
.~«^$*§@@#   rivers. there are a lot of ferrets,    #@@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##   but for some reason, this otter one    ##@§*$^«~.
..~~««$§§#   is hardly ever seen. it might be       #§§$««~~..
.....~^*§§   that it is unbound...?                 §§*^~.....
..~«^$**@#   locals use it for sport fishing.       #@**$^«~..
.....«$**§                                          §**$«.....
....~^^*§§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the husky ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §§*^^~....
.~«^$*§@## ~                                      ~ ##@§*$^«~.
.~««^^^$§§ . the husky may seem like a dog, but   . §§$^^^««~.
...~««$$$§ . it is actually a kind of ferret.     . §$$$««~...
.......«$§   this makes it the largest of the       §$«.......
.~«^$*§@##   phylum, and it's the most recently     ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$*§@##   evolved as well, bred for use as a     ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^^^$*§§   predator. it's made more dangerous     §§*$^^^«~.
.~«^$*§§§§   by the fact that it's almost           §§§§*$^«~.
......~^*§   completely unknown to biologists.      §*^~......
.~«^$*§@##                                          ##@§*$^«~.
.~«^$§@###                                          ###@§$^«~.
......~^*@                                          @*^~......
......~«$§                                          §$«~......
......«$§#                                          #§$«......