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