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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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