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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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