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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. ¤¤§§@¤¤££&
#¤@&£#&§ #£¤§&££¤@@
£&@§¤@&@ ##£@§&££##
¤@&¤@§#¤¤£ £¤¤£@£££#¤
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