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