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