¨¨¨~==*£¤# #¤£*==~¨¨¨
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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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.¨...~†=@§ §@=†~...¨.
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,¨-~\†%¤#@ @#¤%†\~-¨,
¨~«/*@@@## AND, ##@@@*/«~¨
.,,-^**§@@ @@§**^-,,.
,¨,.»/=%@¶ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¶@%=/».,¨,
,¨.,,~†*§£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. £§*†~,,.¨,
,,¨.¨^~\†£ £†\~^¨.¨,,
.¨¨¨,.-=*% %*=-.,¨¨¨.
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