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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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