.-~:$***£# #£***$:~-.
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.-~:$****£ £****$:~-.
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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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