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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. . ,§.#,#¨@.#
.£@,¨#,.@¨ «~ ¨ -~~ ¨ =¨ :« = ¨£¨¤¨#¨&,§
¨.&.@@.£¤¨ . ~, ~ , ¨§¨@¨#¨#,&
.¤£¨.#¨,§, ¨ . , % ,#,@.¤.&¨§
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¨§£,,#¨¨&. .#. ,§¨#¨£,#.§
.,£.££.&&. ,#¨¤.£,§,£
.@#.,§,.&. AND, ,#.§.&,¤,§
.¨&.@£,£#¨ .¤,&¨&¨£¨#
.§#¨.&,¨&¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .@¨@,¤¨&,#
,,£¨§§¨#¤. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨£,§.#,#,#
,§&¨¨£.,¤. ¨@,§¨£.@¨&
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