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