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