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