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