,,,##,,#,, #,,,,,,#,,
##,,,,,,,# ,,####,,,#
#,,#####,, #,,##,,#,,
,,,,###,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
###,,#,,## ##########
##,,,,,,,# # ==================== # ##########
#,,#####,, * 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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¨§¤#£.,£¤¨ ,¤§¨.,.@§¨