####,##### ##,##,,##,
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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. @£¨#&§¨,.¨
.,¨¨£@¨..¨ .§£,,£..¨§
...@,¤.¨,, §.§,§£,.¤#
¨,¤#§§,.¨, &£§@¨@.§¨&
,@,..¤¨.¨. ..¨&¤&&#££
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