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