&¨&¨¨&&&&¨ &&¨&¨&&¨¨&
&¨&¨&¨&&&¨ ¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨
&¨&¨&¨¨&&¨ ¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨
&¨&¨&¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨
&¨&¨&¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨
&¨&¨&¨&¨&¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨
&¨&¨&¨&¨&¨ \ 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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