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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# ,,¨:»\*$&£
#¶#£%^»~,, #&OF§@EXACTLY§@HOW#THEY&HAD£TRAVELED,*# ,,~»^%£#¶#
##¶§£=^~., #@OF#THE#WAY#HOME#¶TO£THE#TIME@FROM@@ ,.~^=£§¶##
##@@^†-,., #@WHERE@THEY#CAME,###@##@AND#THEN#@@# ,.,-†^@@##
£#¤%\~:,,¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS†KNOWLEDGE*= ¨,,:~\%¤#£
@§%/=.,.¨, »~BEING ~ STOLEN =~ FROM «~« THEM. ¨ ,¨.,.=/%§@
*$=~-¨¨¨,. ~» . «-~ . -. ^~ « .,¨¨¨-~=$*
=^»,.,,¨¨. ~ ,- : . .¨¨,,.,»^=
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**/«^¨..,. ¨#. .,..¨^«/**
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#@@$=-,¨,. AND, .,¨,-=$@@#
#£&%§^»:,¨ ¨,:»^§%&£#
##@££§\»,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,»\§££@##
##£¤$†«~,. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .,~«†$¤£##
¶¤§§*~~¨,¨ ¨,¨~~*§§¤¶
£$$/».¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨.»/$$£
%$:=-,¨.¨. .¨.¨,-=:$%
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