§..§§§§..§ .§§.§§§.§.
§§.§...§.§ .§.§§..§§§
..§§§..§§§ .§§§.§.§..
..§..§.§.. §§..§§§§§.
..§§.§§§§. §.§.§....§
§.§.§§...§ # -------------------- # .§§§§§...§
.§§§§.§..§ † 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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