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