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