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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. ##§§=;~,,¨
¨.~*%@§¶## ##¶§@%*~.¨
,¨~-;*$#£# #£#$*;-~¨,
..=\†%&#@# #@#&%†\=..
.,^«:*%¤#@ @#¤%*:«^,.
.,~†%%£### ###£%%†~,.