#@§$††^=:.                                          .:=^††$§@#
§$^:......                                          ......:^$§
§§§§$†^=:.                                          .:=^†$§§§§
@@§§$†^=:.                                          .:=^†$§§@@
@@$†==:...                                          ...:==†$@@
##@§$†^=:.     .. ferrets                           .:=^†$§@##
##@§$†^=:.                                          .:=^†$§@##
§†^=:..... ...:::=^^^†$$$§@@@####@@@§$$$†^^^=:::... .....:=^†§
@§§§$†^=:.                                          .:=^†$§§§@
§†=:......  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     ...:==^^†§
##@§$†^=:.   by the fact that it's almost           .:=^†$§@##
##@§$†^=:.   completely unknown to biologists.      .:=^†$§@##
§†=:::::..                                          ..:::::=†§
§††===:...                                          ...:===††§
@$^=......                                          ......=^$@
##@§$†^=:.                                          .:=^†$§@##
§$^^:.....                                          .....:^^$§