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