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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. ¨¨.¨,.»/†§
$/--,,¨.., ,..¨,,--/$
;--.¨,.¨,¨ ¨,¨.,¨.--;
»:,.,.¨.,¨ ¨,.¨.,.,:»
...,..¨,.¨ ¨.,¨..,...
¨¨¨¨¨¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨¨¨¨¨¨