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