,,,,,~~=§$ $§=~~,,,,,
,,,,~~=§$£ £$§=~~,,,,
,,,~~=§$£# #£$§=~~,,,
,,~~=§$£## ##£$§=~~,,
,~~=§$£### ###£$§=~~,
,,~~=§$£## # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ##£$§=~~,,
,,,~~=§$£# = 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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