,,»=*£&### ###&£*=»,,
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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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