.....~~*£¶ ¶£*~~.....
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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;« ##@¤@*;-~,
..¨-*$*££@ «~BEING « STOLEN ~» FROM »~« THEM. . @££*$*-¨..
..,.,.,*%# ~- ¨ »~= ¨ =, ~- ~ #%*,.,.,..
¨.~*§£&### : ~: . . ###&£§*~.¨
.,~;=&#### ¨ ¨ , % ####&=;~,.
¨¨.¨..;^&# #&^;..¨.¨¨
,,,~:;$§¤£ ,#. £¤§$;:~,,,
¨,«\§&@£@# #@£@&§\«,¨
¨:~\*£¤### AND, ###¤£*\~:¨
¨.,¨.,-~$@ @$~-,.¨,.¨
,,==£¤#### NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ####¤£==,,
¨~-/$@£@## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##@£@$/-~¨
,..^-***%# #%***-^..,
.,«^^%¤@## ##@¤%^^«,.
,,==*@£¶£# #£¶£@*==,,
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