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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##@# ,.,,-\$§&@
¤%$*=,,,.¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE\« ¨.,,,=*$%¤
$§/=-¨.,.¨ ~-BEING ~ STOLEN =~ FROM «=~ THEM. ¨ ¨.,.¨-=/§$
%=-~..,¨,, ~= , -~~ , =, ,« ~ ,,¨,..~-=%
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~^,,¨,,.., ¨#. ,..,,¨,,^~
:«~¨.,.,¨, ,¨,.,.¨~«:
*/«^.,.,,, AND, ,,,.,.^«/*
%^;».¨¨,., ,.,¨¨.»;^%
@§^/-^,,.¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.,,^-/^§@
@&%*^~,,¨¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨¨,,~^*%&@
##££†:«.,, ,,.«:†££##
##@&£§^».¨ ¨.»^§£&@##
##£**=»^,¨ ¨,^»=**£##
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