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