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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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,-~*^§&£## ##£&§^*~-,