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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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§¤†=-,,,.¨ ,#¨ ¨.,,,-=†¤§
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#@¤$*†«^,, AND, ,,^«†*$¤@#
##@§£%*-:¨ ¨:-*%£§@##
#@£$$†»:¨. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .¨:»†$$£@#
£¤£%:-,,¨, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,¨,,-:%£¤£
¤£^\»:,¨.¨ ¨.¨,:»\^£¤
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