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