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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. ,¨¨,:~/*@£
&=^-^¨,¨¨. .¨¨,¨^-^=&
%†~-¨.¨¨¨. .¨¨¨.¨-~†%
^«-,¨¨.¨.. ..¨.¨¨,-«^
«.¨,,.,,., ,.,,.,,¨.«
-¨,¨,,..,. .,..,,¨,¨-