\«.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«\
*\«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«\*
¤*\«.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.«\*¤
@¤*\«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«\*¤@
@@¤*\«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«\*¤@@
#@@¤*\«.¨¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨¨.«\*¤@@#
##@@¤*\«.¨ \ 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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