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