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