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