##@¤£*^~^¨ ¨^~^*£¤@##
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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. ,,,,..,.,.
,,,¨.¨,.,¨ ¨,.,¨.¨,,,
,¨¨.¨¨..¨, ,¨..¨¨.¨¨,
:,¨.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.¨,:
«,.,¨...¨, ,¨...¨,.,«
:=:¨,.¨,., ,.,¨.,¨:=: