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