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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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