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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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