##@¤%$:=~¨                                          ¨~=:$%¤@##
#@¤%$:=~¨¨                                          ¨¨~=:$%¤@#
@¤%$:=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=:$%¤@
¤%$:=~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~=:$%¤
%$:=~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~=:$%
$:=~¨¨¨¨¨¨     ¨¨ ferrets                           ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=:$
:=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=:
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~=:::$%%%¤@@@####@@@¤%%%$:::=~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  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     ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=:
$:=~¨¨¨¨¨¨   by the fact that it's almost           ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=:$
%$:=~¨¨¨¨¨   completely unknown to biologists.      ¨¨¨¨¨~=:$%
¤%$:=~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~=:$%¤
@¤%$:=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=:$%¤@
#@¤%$:=~¨¨                                          ¨¨~=:$%¤@#
##@¤%$:=~¨                                          ¨~=:$%¤@##
#@¤%$:=~¨¨                                          ¨¨~=:$%¤@#