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