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