&&&&&.&... &.&&..&...
&....&&&.. .&&.&.&&..
&&...&..&. &&.&&&&.&.
&.&..&&.&& &.&&...&&&
.&&&.&.&&. &&&.&..&..
.&..&&&&.& # «««««««««««««««««««« # ...&&&.&&.
.&&.&...&& * 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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