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¨-=\†£££¤@ @¤£££†\=-¨
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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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