~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
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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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