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