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