..@....... @...@..@..
...@...... .@...@..@.
....@..... ..@...@..@
@....@.... ...@...@..
.@....@... ....@...@.
..@....@.. # -------------------- # @....@...@
@..@....@. / 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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