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