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