¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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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, ##£%*=-,,¨
¨-~†=£¤### ###¤£=†~-¨
,¨^~†%$&@# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #@&$%†~^¨,
¨¨¨~»;$%§# NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #§%$;»~¨¨¨
,,¨¨,~\$&£ £&$\~,¨¨,,
¨¨¨.¨-«**$ $**«-¨.¨¨¨
.,,¨...~/§ §/~...¨,,.
,,.¨.,,^«/ /«^,,.¨.,,
¨.¨.,,¨.,« «,.¨,,.¨.¨