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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#@## ¤,§,¤,¨§¨,
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¨§.¤¨,#£§. AND, #&.§@.¨&§¤
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@.,.,@#£,£ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨&@,§§££§.
§¤,¨¨§.,¤£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. &#¨@£,,,,¤
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