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