,^~*$£££££ £££££$*~^,
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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 ##@§@$;-:,
¨^«=\=;^*£ TO,THEM,-,SUDDEN,-¨THOUGHTS¨OF, £*^;=\=«^¨
,^«/%%§### .~=DARK«WOLVES«¨CLIMBING,OUT.OF.:.- ###§%%/«^,
,:»^*@£@## «-«THE»POOL,~SURROUNDING/THEM*-*=; ##@£@*^»:,
,¨¨,¨^«;&& ^SUDDEN\THOUGHTS\OF«»=CLIMBING:^= &&;«^¨,¨¨,
¨,=;*£&£## INTO§THE†POOL,%THEIR†THIRST*FLARING* ##£&£*;=,¨
,,~-;;†£§@ =§†BRIGHT*-§%A§SUDDEN%&AWARENESS# @§£†;;-~,,
.¨.^-=%§ #§OF&§EXACTLY§#HOW@THEY¤HAD¤TRAVELED,@# #&§%=-^.¨.
,:~*^§#¶## #§OF#THE¶WAY@HOME@@TO@THE£TIME@FROM¶¶ ##¶#§^*~:,
,^==§¤£### #@WHERE#THEY#CAME,#@###@@AND#THEN#### ###£¤§==^,
¨^~«^/ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS^KNOWLEDGE=~ #&/^«~^¨
,~-†§%¤@## =~BEING ~ STOLEN »~ FROM ~«» THEM. , ##@¤%§†-~,
¨,,~\\*# »~ . ~-~ ¨ ~, .= » ##&*\\~,,¨
..«^=£@### . :- . ¨ ###@£=^«..
.:==%#@### . . , % ###@#%==:.
¨,~=$¤&@## ##@&¤$=~,¨
.~=\*£## ¨#. ###&£*\=~.
.,~/%$#@@@ @@@#$%/~,.
¨,.-.-.^£& AND, &£^.-.-.,¨
¨,,¨,:**%@ @%**:,¨,,¨
¨:«:*£## NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ###&£*:«:¨
¨-~==;^:*£ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. £*:^;==~-¨
¨,-;*§$@@# #@@$§*;-,¨
¨,»\†£@£@# #@£@£†\»,¨
.^=\$&¶@## ##@¶&$\=^.
,.¨:,\%#¶# #¶#%\,:¨.,
.,,.;=;%¤# #¤%;=;.,,.