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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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