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