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