,.-/†£¤#@# #@#¤£†/-.,
,.-/†£¤¤¤# #¤¤¤£†/-.,
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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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