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