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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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