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