:......... .........:
«:........ ........:«
:«:....... .......:«:
=:«:...... ......:«:=
£=:«:..... .....:«:=£
§£=:«:.... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ....:«:=£§
¶§£=:«:... : 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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