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