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