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