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