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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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