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