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