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