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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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