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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. ¨..¨¨.£.&£
§¨...§¨¤£¨ ,.¨,,,¨,¤#
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