,,,,,,~~/% %/~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~/ /~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,, 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. ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,