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