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