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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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