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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. ¨¨,¨~-^£#@
#¶@£\~.,¨¨ ¨¨,.~\£@¶#
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###¤*/=~,¨ 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. , ¨.¨.,.,«\¤
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@¤=-^¨¨¨,¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨,¨¨¨^-=¤@
*†=:¨..¨.¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨.¨..¨:=†*
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