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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. . .££,&.¤.£¤
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£.§§@¨.¨,. AND, .@&£§#,#,£
#&..£.,... #,,¨¨§§@¤¨
¨§,@&.,¨,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. &.,,§.¨.§#
@@¤.¤,,,., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. #¨,&¤,,§.@
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