.@@@.@.... .....@@@.@
@..@@@...@ ....@..@@@
@.@..@..@. ...@@.@...
@@@.@@.@@@ ..@.@@@..@
..@@.@@..@ .@@@..@.@.
.@.@@.@.@@ # -------------------- # @..@.@@@@.
@@@.@@@@.@ = 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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