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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# ¨&¨¤@§£,¨.
.,#.,§,.&. #%OFEXACTLY¤¶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. ¨,&¤@&¨&.&
##£@¨#§,£¨ ¨£¨.,¤#§@¤
,,¨&§.#£#¨ &¤,¨£¨¨¨,,
,,£.¤¤..@@ ,¤¨#¤.,,,.
,&§@,&¨&¨¤ ¤@#.&¨,,..
#.¨&¤#§@&¨ ¨,§&¤¨,..¨