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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. £%=«~¨¨,.,
¨,,.^~^%$£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. £$%^~^.,,¨
.,,.~/$@§@ @§@$/~.,,.
..,«††%&## ##&%††«,..
¨:~†%$¤@## ##@¤$%†~:¨
~~;=@#¶@## ##@¶#@=;~~
,^=;*¤#¶## ##¶#¤*;=^,