/~^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^~/
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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. .¨...¨,,.,
,..¨¨..,.¨ ¨.,..¨¨..,
~:.,,¨,,¨. .¨,,¨,,.:~
:~~,¨¨...¨ ¨...¨¨,~~:
*;«^.,.,,¨ ¨,,.,.^«;*
%%†=~.¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨.~=†%%