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