¨~~**£@£## ##£@£**~~¨
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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\- £$\/†=;=.,
¨^»^%£&##@ ~~BEING - STOLEN ~= FROM «~~ THEM. . @##&£%^»^¨
.,¨,.»=£&# ~~ . »»~ . -¨ := ~ #&£=».,¨,.
,,~:§*&### , :^ ~ ¨ ###&*§:~,,
¨:~:*&££## , ¨ . = ##££&*:~:¨
¨¨¨.,=$£§# #§£$=,.¨¨¨
¨,~^§§§£@# ¨#. #@£§§§^~,¨
,:«;%&&£@# #@£&&%;«:,
~-:=@#@### AND, ###@#@=:-~
,.»†%%¤@#@ @#@¤%%†».,
,,.¨,~,»^# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #^»,~,¨.,,
.^~\§%#£## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##£#%§\~^.
,¨¨.^=-*§@ @§*-=^.¨¨,
¨:~==¤&@## ##@&¤==~:¨
,,~*=$@### ###@$=*~,,
,,~†%$£@@# #@@£$%†~,,
,-†*%@¶### ###¶@%*†-,