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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. ¤£@¤@#§§#£
@§£¤¤£@¤£# &¤§§#§£&@&
@@¤#¤#¤¤ £&¤##@§¤£¤
&£@@@#@# @#§£@£&£&@
£&¤£#§£§¤§ @&£¤£@&¤£§
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