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