Originating from Shona mythology, mashave were wandering spirits who latched onto living humans. Zinzi’s Sloth, Benoît’s Mongoose, and Amira’s Marabou—mashavi­—guide each person through life and have magic and intelligence about them. Some people believe that animals are witches’ familiars. Others see them as physical manifestations of sin. Still others believe that climate change and pollution have disrupted the realm of spirits, causing people’s next reincarnations to join them in this lifetime.

For some who are animalled, animals are a source of shame; for others, they are loved companions. For all, they are inescapable: Humans experience intense separation anxiety when their familiars are not around. Animals symbolize the love/hate relationship that marginalized people in the real world often have with their physical characteristics. Skin, hair, or gender traits can be a beloved source of personal pride and power, but they can also invite abuse, for no reason—and they can rarely be altered. 

Because those who are animalled have committed crimes, many people believe that only animals stand between their humans and the final punishment for their sins. When an animal familiar dies, the formerly animalled person disappears into a black cloud referred to as “the Undertow.” No one knows what the Undertow is or what happens to people consumed by it, but it elicits fear in even the bravest heart.