&*^^~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~^^*&
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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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