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