»^,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,^»
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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. ¨.«\=¤§¶##
#@#%†/»-¨¨ ¨¨-»/†%#@#
#¤$*=»-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-»=*$¤#
#@*=«-.,.¨ ¨.,.-«=*@#
¤§†«.,¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨,.«†§¤
*:~~¨,...¨ ¨...,¨~~:*