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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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