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