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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. ..,&&§@,.§
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¤.,,,@§@¤@ .#¨ ,¨,¨..¨#£#
¨,¤§¨.§¤&¤ #¤#&£¤¨¨&§
,,¨,,¨,&§¨ 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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