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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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