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