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