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