¨:«^%§#£££ £££#§%^«:¨
¨:«^%§#@## ##@#§%^«:¨
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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. @#@#£§\».,
.~-:^$§@## NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ##@§$^:-~.
.^«\^%¤#@# #@#¤%^\«^.
.:-†%¤&¶## ##¶&¤%†-:.
,,=\†*&@## ##@&*†\=,,
.,-^=;^†=# #=†^;=^-,.
.,~;*¤§@#@ @#@§¤*;~,.