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#..##..#.# ...#...###
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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. , ..&§,.&###
,£§,&£§¤.& «= . --= , ~. -» « ,#.¤,#¨,,§
&.¤@,,¨@@¨ ~ ,. ~ ¨ £#£¤£@.,@@
&&.@¨¨@,## ¨ , , $ .,¨,,£¨@¨,
,£¤&.£@@,, ,.,¨§@¤&,§
¤.,@§.,£,& ,#. ,¨,¤,.¨&§@
£,#¨£.§§&. .¨¤@.¨§,.,
@#£#£§¨.&@ AND, ,&.§,£#¨.&
¨¨,.¨&¨@¨& @§£@§¨&.¤,
,¨.¨¤¤#¤&§ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ..,¨¤&&#@,
,..§.¨¨..¤ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .,,#¨.¨¨&.
,,£§.,..£# ,.#&,¨,#&¨
.&.¤,.¨¤,& .§,£¨¨&,£.
¤&§#¨.§¤@. ££&@,¤#££¨
.,¨§.@,,#. ,,.&@¨,,@@
¨¨#§£¤¨#¤¨ ¨.@.£.,#.#