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