¨~=;%¤£@## ##@£¤%;=~¨
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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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