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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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¨,,¨£,£#., ,.@,&@¨.,,