§§......§§ .§..§..§..
.§.....§.§ §§.§§.§§.§
§§....§§§. .§§.§§.§§§
.§...§..§§ §.§§.§§...
§§..§§.§.§ §§.§§.§...
.§.§.§§§§. # -------------------- # .§§.§§§..§
§§§§§...§. / 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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