£§$*=^.... ....^=*$§£
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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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#£=†=~.¨.¨ .#. ¨.¨.~=†=£#
@#¤$=~:¨.. ..¨:~=$¤#@
#@£**\-.,. AND, .,.-\**£@#
###@%=:~~¨ ¨~~:=%@###
#@@%%^--¨, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,¨--^%%@@#
#££§:=^.,. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .,.^=:§££#
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