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