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#@@¤¤†/~,, ,,~/†¤¤@@#
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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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