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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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