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