^-~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~-^
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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. .,¨¨¨,.~==
$:~..,¨... NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ...¨,..~:$
£^\=,.¨..¨ ¨..¨.,=\^£
££§\~,.,., ,.,.,~\§££
##@*^=:,,¨ ¨,,:=^*@##
#¶££§;»,.¨ ¨.,»;§££¶#
##@@%%^»,¨ ¨,»^%%@@##