@@§§§»»¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨»»§§§@@
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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.        ¨^~*%%¤£##
££%*†=«--.                                          .--«=†*%££
@£$$%=~~~,                                          ,~~~=%$$£@
#&#^^=::¨,                                          ,¨::=^^#&#
#@#£%§/-..                                          ..-/§%£#@#
£%£$\*~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~*\$£%£