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