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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. ¤¨,.¨¨@¨
¤,&¨¨¤,&., ¤&¨¨@,&¨@@
,¤££,##§@, @¨#,¤&£@#,
¨§¨¨&§.¨¨§ #¤§@¤¨,¨,&
£#&¨£.@,¨¤ ..,.,#,,¨§
¨,,¤£&¤£,@ ..¨,¨&@¨.¤