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