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