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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. ¨ ¤,§,.#¨¨#.
.&.&¤§#¨ =- , ~~= . =. ~~ « §#¤¤.¤¤,
¨.££¤§.¨.# . -, - ¨ ,¨¨,#§¨¤¤,
.,¤,.,@,.& ¨ . , § ,...£¨££¨#
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,&&¨#¨£,¤£ .#, §§,,@,,¤¤.
.&.@£#@£&. @¨£,¤§.¤,§
#¤#¤,¨¨..¤ AND, &£@££¨@£
¨.,¨§.¨..£ ,,,..§@¨¨.
,¨,¨#¤..,§ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,....§¨§¨,
.¨¨¨&¨§,.§ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .¨..,¤@@@,
,,.,¤###¨# ¨.,¨,¤...¤
@¨.,§..¨£# ¤,¨¨,&§,¨§
¨£,,¤&¨,@, ¤@,¨,§¨£,@
¤.£¨@¨#¤ ,,§,.&£@@#
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