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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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,.£,¨¨¨,§¨ ¨¤¨##¨,¨,§