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