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