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