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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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