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