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