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