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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. #§£@¤¤@§§#
£@£&£¤@§ £§§£¤£¤£#&
£&&£#@§& ¤@&§@#&¤¤#
##@#§§@£§§ ¤£¤#¤§£§##
&£¤£#¤&§§§ §&§@¤££§&§
¤#&¤£#§@@# #£§¤@¤§§@§