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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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