¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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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. »~,.,.¨¨¨,
,,.,,,.^«; ;«^.,,,.,,
,¨.,.¨^=;* *;=^¨.,.¨,
,¨¨¨¨~»^%£ £%^»~¨¨¨¨,
,¨,,-«/=$¤ ¤$=/«-,,¨,
¨,.-»^%%## ##%%^»-.,¨