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