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