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