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