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