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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. .,¨^»;*$@@
##@£^:~.¨¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨¨.~:^£@##
##@#$§\»:. .:»\§$#@##
##£&=:=:,¨ ¨,:=:=&£##
##£*==,,.¨ ¨.,,==*£##
@$=;-:¨..¨ ¨..¨:-;=$@
§*==:..¨.. ..¨..:==*§