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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. . £.&#,£¨,#&
.,.¨£,#,,, ~~ , ~»= . «¨ :- « &¤.&#@¨¤,¨
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¨.&.¨¨#.¨£ , ¨ . % #.£¨§,,#.,
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£¨§.¤.§¤¤¨ ¨#¨ ,..,¤£.#¨¨
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,..,¨#,@¨£ AND, ¨.§¤§¨.£§.
.¨,.§#£#£# .&,.£,&¨@¨
.¨,£¨¨..,# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. &¤¨§£@§&#.
¨,££,¨¨,&¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨@¤.¨,,¨#,
¨£.¤.¨.£¤§ &,@¨.¨,£#.
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