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