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