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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. #@¶@*$^~-¨
.,»»^§£$£¶ ¶£$£§^»»,.
,^~-^=/%¤§ §¤%/=^-~^,
.,~/*^=§§# #§§=^*/~,.
,¨.,,~\$^# #^$\~,,.¨,
.~«~=^£££@ @£££^=~«~.