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