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