,,,,,,,:«\ \«:,,,,,,,
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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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