........:~ ~:........
.......:~\ \~:.......
......:~\% %\~:......
.....:~\%@ @%\~:.....
....:~\%@& &@%\~:....
...:~\%@&@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @&@%\~:...
..:~\%@&@# \ 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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