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