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