¨¨¨¨¨¨-=\§ §\=-¨¨¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨-=\§$£ £$§\=-¨¨¨¨
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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. ¨ =«.¨,,,,¨,
,..¨.¨,.:~ «« . =~= ¨ ~, -~ - ~:.,¨.¨..,
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¨.¨¨¨,,¨., ¨#. ,.¨,,¨¨¨.¨
¨,,....,,¨ ¨,,....,,¨
,.,,¨¨¨¨,, AND, ,,¨¨¨¨,,.,
¨,¨¨.,,,., ,.,,,.¨¨,¨
.¨,,¨..,.¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.,..¨,,¨.
¨,.,,.¨.,- NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. -,.¨.,,.,¨
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