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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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