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