.......§§. .§........
§§§§§§.... ...§§§§§§§
§§§§§..§§. §§..§§§§§§
§§§§...... §....§§§§§
§§§..§§§§§ ..§§..§§§§
§§....§§§§ # ==================== # §......§§§
§..§§..§§. / 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. ¤#§¤¤#£¤@#
##¤@£@£##§ @§§#¤£#§
@§##@&§¤#& §§@£§&@§@¤
£#@##¤£#§# @¤&&£§#¤
@£#£##@#&& #£¤£#&@@&¤
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