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