&%*/~.,,,, ,,,,.~/*%&
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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. ¨,~:%%¤£##
@##@†^»~,. .,~»^†@##@
£¤£%:--,¨¨ ¨¨,--:%£¤£
£%$==^¨.,¨ ¨,.¨^==$%£
$=*»~..,.. ..,..~»*=$
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