¨:«^†$§###                                          ###§$†^«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:^$§§                                          §§$^:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:^††§§#                                          #§§††^:¨¨¨
¨¨¨::^†$$§                                          §$$†^::¨¨¨
¨:«^†$§§§#                                          #§§§$†^«:¨
¨:«^†$§###     ¨¨ ferrets                           ###§$†^«:¨
¨¨¨:«†††$#                                          #$†††«:¨¨¨
¨«^†$§#### ¨¨¨:::«^^^†$$$§##########§$$$†^^^«:::¨¨¨ ####§$†^«¨
¨:«^†$§###                                          ###§$†^«:¨
¨¨¨:^^†$##  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     #§†«:::¨¨¨
¨:«^†$§§##   evolved as well, bred for use as a     ##§§$†^«:¨
¨::::«^^$#   predator. it's made more dangerous     #$^^«::::¨
¨¨:::^$$§#   by the fact that it's almost           #§$$^:::¨¨
¨:«^†$§###   completely unknown to biologists.      ###§$†^«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«†§                                          §†«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«^†$$$$§                                          §$$$$†^«:¨
¨:«^††††$§                                          §$††††^«:¨
¨:«^^^†§##                                          ##§†^^^«:¨
¨¨¨¨:^^†$§                                          §$†^^:¨¨¨¨