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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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.-»\%§&@@# #@@&§%\»-.