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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. @&§#@#&§§#
&£¤££§@¤#@ &&@#¤¤£§£#
#¤&&@¤&& #£#¤£¤#¤
££§#&££§#£ @§§£&§§#@&
#¤¤@¤#¤§£§ #£¤§#£#¤
@§&£¤§££#& &&¤¤§&§£