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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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