.^«**&#@##                                          ##@#&**«^.
......^*&@                                          @&*^......
.^«**&#@##                                          ##@#&**«^.
.^«**&&#@#                                          #@#&&**«^.
....««*##@                                          @##*««....
.....««*&#     .. 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.      @@#&***«^.
.....^**&#                                          #&**^.....
.^«**&#@##                                          ##@#&**«^.
.^«**&#@##                                          ##@#&**«^.
.^«*&#@###                                          ###@#&*«^.
....^^«*&@                                          @&*«^^....