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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. ..,.,.^~\=
\»-¨.¨¨,.. ..,¨¨.¨-»\
=.¨¨...,,. .,,...¨¨.=
~¨¨¨,¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨,¨¨¨~
-.,¨¨¨¨,¨. .¨,¨¨¨¨,.-
†=,.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.,=†