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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. ¨¨.,~;%%££
###§^^-.., ,..-^^§###
##@§%^^~,¨ ¨,~^^%§@##
@¶@$**-^,. .,^-**$@¶@
@@§=;~,.,, ,,.,~;=§@@
£¤$/=~,..¨ ¨..,~=/$¤£