##¶#$§^~:¨                                          ¨:~^§$#¶##
#¶#$§^~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~^§$#¶#
¶#$§^~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~^§$#¶
#$§^~:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:~^§$#
$§^~:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:~^§$
§^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨     ¨¨ 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.      ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
§^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^§
$§^~:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:~^§$
#$§^~:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:~^§$#
¶#$§^~:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:~^§$#¶
#¶#$§^~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~^§$#¶#