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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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