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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. @#£@@££&§#
@@#&§@£@ &¤@£#¤¤¤
§¤#£#@£££¤ @@@#&¤¤@§@
¤@§¤#£&@§¤ ¤#§##&@@&&
###§§@§£&& §§£&@¤##
§#&§£##¤¤¤ £££¤&&@#