%†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†%
†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨     ¨¨ 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.      ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†%
¤%†=~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~=†%¤
#¤%†=~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~=†%¤#
##¤%†=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=†%¤##
###¤%†=~¨¨                                          ¨¨~=†%¤###
####¤%†=~¨                                          ¨~=†%¤####