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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. ##@§&§*~,,
¨.~:**§££# #££§**:~.¨
¨¨¨,,«/&£@ @£&/«,,¨¨¨
¨~~†^£&¶## ##¶&£^†~~¨
¨~«*=%@@## ##@@%=*«~¨
.,~:%@&#£# #£#&@%:~,.