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