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