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