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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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