£=*~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~*=£
=*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*=
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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. ,,,=^*£@£#
@¤$§:=,¨,¨ ¨,¨,=:§$¤@
#&%:«~¨¨¨. .¨¨¨~«:%&#
§*†~,,.¨.¨ ¨.¨.,,~†*§
$;«,,¨¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨¨,,«;$
^»~.,.¨¨,. .,¨¨.,.~»^