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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. , ,,.###&#¨§
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§¨,£,,£.#& ~ :~ - . ¨§&.,,£.,@
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££,¨,¨.@&¨ AND, @@,¨&&¨.¨#
¨&..,,£,#£ ¨&.£.@¨¨@,
#§¨..££§¨. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. @¤§#£&,#&,
.&,,@,.&,@ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .¨¨,,¤&¨§#
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