.^-*%£#¶## ##¶#£%*-^.
.^-*%£#¶## ##¶#£%*-^.
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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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¨,¨¨,,-$£§ §£$-,,¨¨,¨