.:~†%$§#@@                                          @@#§$%†~:.
.:~†%$§#@#                                          #@#§$%†~:.
...:::~%§@                                          @§%~:::...
....::†$$§                                          §$$†::....
......~%$#                                          #$%~......
......:~%§     .. 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.      #§%~......
.....::†$#                                          #$†::.....
...~†%%$##                                          ##$%%†~...
.:~†%$§###                                          ###§$%†~:.
...::~†%%§                                          §%%†~::...
.......~%§                                          §%~.......