¨¨¨@¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨@@¨¨
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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*@EXACTLYHOW¤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. ¤@§#@@@@#&
£¤@§££¤@ #¤§@@£#§§&
££¤¤&£@¤ £§#¤@§&¤@§
&§£&&§§@¤# &£¤@&@&§@&
&¤@§@&@£§@ £&£@££&§#¤
#§#§@§#&@¤ ¤§£££§§£§£