Is it possible Razi was wrong about the safety of this endeavor??? Find out here:
[spoilery stuff to follow, so read first, then come back here]
Why yes, the creature our protagonists are currently fleeing from is indeed based partly on the star-nosed mole. This has less to do with wanting to incorporate mole-like characteristics per se, and more to do with making a dangerous animal look extremely ridiculous. Sort of like how a hippo is a killing machine but looks like, y’know, a hippo.
The yonge (for it is called a yonge) does have some mole features, most notably the predation of tasty critters it finds underground. Oops!
Check back next week to find out if it’s snack time.
Cheers,
Dylan