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