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