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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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