,#,####,#, ##,,#,#,,#
####,,,### #,#,####,#
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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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