¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨¨¨¨¨&&&
¨&&&&&&&&& ¨¨¨&&&¨¨&¨
¨¨&&&&&&&& &&¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨
&¨¨&&&&&&& &¨¨¨¨¨&&&&
¨¨¨¨&&&&&¨ ¨¨&&&¨¨&&&
¨&&¨¨&&&¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # &¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ * 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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