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