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