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£¨£¨£¨££¨£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £¨¨£¨¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£         * the wolf pool exists *         £¨££¨££¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨££¨£         * in a stale timeline, *         £¨¨£¨¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£         *  branched way back   *         £¨££¨££¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨££¨£         *  when kirugu vargir  *         £¨¨£¨¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£         *  was almost barren,  *         £¨££¨££¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨££¨£  comprised mostly of rock and arid soil, £¨¨£¨¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£  and plants were only starting to grow,  £¨££¨££¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨££¨£         *        at all...     *         £¨¨£¨¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £¨££¨££¨£¨
§,§¨&¨¤¤,@                                          ¤¨¨¤¨¨&.&¨
£,&¨£.¨&¨@     misplaced explorers traverse the     §¨#¤¨&&¨&.
#,£,#,#&¨§   landscape, searching for a way back,   @¨.#.¨@,£¨
§¨&.§.¨§,# finding instead only stone and dirt and  §,#&¨§@¨¤.
£.#¨§,£#.#   roots that are as hard as the ground.  &¨.&¨,#.@,
¤,¤.£¨,¤,§   it's getting dark, they are thirsty,   #,@¤.¤#,#,
#,#¨¤.§¤.&     and about to find the wolf pool.     §.¨@,.£,¤,
@¨¤,¤¨,¤,£                                          @,@§¨&&,#.
£,#¨#¨§£¨£                   ,#,                    ¤..@¨,§.@¨
#,&¨§.¨¤¨&                                          #¨£@.@#.¤¨
¤.£¨@.£&¨@    the pool lies in a small meteorite    §¨.§..£,¤,
§,@¨¤.,£,£    impact crater, sixty meters across.   §.#@.#§,§,
#,§,£¨§§,@   it's surface is pitch black and even   &¨,#¨.£,&,
§¨&,£¨.@.@  though it's not well protected, it is   §¨&§¨@§¨@,
#.¤¨§,&#.#           undisturbed by wind.           §.¨§¨,§¨&.
&.£¨£..&.£                                          #.&@.&&.@,
§¨¤.£,£&.£                   .#,                    #,¨#¨.@.#.
@¨¤,@.¨&.£                                          §,&#¨@@.@,
#.@.#.£@¨#     as they stumble on the pool, the     @,,¤,.#¨¤.
#.#¨#¨.#,&  explorers first believe it to be water, §.@£¨££,#.
#¨&¨¤.@#,#    which is something they all desire    ¤..¤,¨£.#¨
@,§,£¨,¤¨¤    greatly at this point. they fail to   §,@¤.#£.&¨
¤¨@,&.&@,§  notice that the stars do not reflect on ¤¨¨§,.#¨&.
&¨@¨@,.£,¤   its surface. one of them crouches to   £,&&.£#,£¨
£¨¤¨#¨@¤,§    drink, forms a cup with his hands,    ¤¨¨&.¨£.¤,
#¨£,#¨¨@,&      lowers the cup into the pool.       §.¤¤.#£.¤¨
£,§.£,§&.§                                          §¨,§,,&¨#,
&,¤¨&..#¨§  he tries to resist at first, but is too #,&£.#§,#,
&.¤.#.£@.#   close, and he quickly gives up as the  £..£.¨£,&,
¤¨¤¨#.¨@¨§ liquid flows into his mind. the others,  ¤.§§,#¤¨#.
#.¤,&¨#¤,§   - not understanding the~danger, move   #..#.¨§¨#.
#,¤¨#,¨£¨¤       closer to help their.friend.       #,&#¨@&¨@¨
@,§.&.&§,§       ,      -    ~            ^ ¨       ¤,,§..¤.@.
£¨§,£,,@,¤    and¨then,the.pool,announces¨itself    ¤¨£&,¤¤.¤¨
¤,£,§,&£,@      to¨them¨-¨sudden,,¨thoughts.of.     £¨.@.¨@¨&,
£.@.£.,£¨§    ,^=dark~wolves«,climbing,out~of~.^«   &¨¤@.¤&,&¨
¤,§.&,£@,£    =~«the«pool,~surrounding\them=-;;†    @¨,£¨¨¤¨#¨
@¨@,&,¨§.&     †sudden^thoughts=of»-†climbing*%†    §,@¤.§#¨&.
@¨@,¤,@&¨&   into*the^pool,%their%thirst=flaring%   §¨.£¨,£,#,
£,¤,¤¨,§,&    ^%=bright=-=¤a%sudden&£awareness#     §.#§¨§@.§,
£.§.#,&@¨£  #¤of£§exactly&#how¤they@had¤traveled,%# £¨,¤..&.§.
§,&.¤,.§¨@  ##of#the£way#home@#to#the@time¶from@@   ¤,#£.&#¨#,
§,§¨£,£¤.@  #£where@they#came,##@#@##and#then#@##   #.,#,¨§.§¨
#¨@,¤¨.@,&   #####the#feeling#of#this%knowledge;«   &,@§,@§¨§.
§,@¨&,§£¨@   «-being « stolen «~ from ~»~ them. ,   &¨¨§,.£,@,
@¨@.&¨,#,£          -« ¨  »«« ,  ~,  ,-  =          &,¤£.§@¨£.
@,£¨#¨#¤,#    ,   ,^          ~                ¨    ¤..#.,£,§,
¤.¤¨£¨¨£¨¤        ,      ¨          ,      %        &,¤#¨§§¨&¨
¤,&¨@¨@&.&                                          #..£¨,&,£,
@.@,§,,&,£                   .#.                    #¨#§.§£.&¨
§.@¨&¨§&¨¤                                          ¤,,£,.#.@,
§¨£¨#..@,¤                   and,                   #¨#&¨#&¨£.
¤.&.@¨&&¨§                                          §¨,¤..¤¨#¨
#,¤.§¨.#.§  now the reach of the pool has widened.  &¨§£¨¤§.¤¨
¤.¤.@,@#¨§        now its wolves see further.       ¤,¨£.¨&,§¨
£.£,@,¨#¨&                                          §¨@£,#&¨£,
§,&.¤,¤@.@                                          ¤¨,@,,¤.§.
¤.#.&¨¨§,§                                          §,@¤,@¤,#¨
§¨&,@.@&,£                                          £..&,.#.#¨
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