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