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