##..##.### .####..##.
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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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