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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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