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