,:-††£§¶@# #@¶§£††-:,
,:-††£§¶@# #@¶§£††-:,
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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. ##¶¤£=†»,¨
¨,~:$*@@@# #@@@*$:~,¨
,,»†:§¤#£@ @£#¤§:†»,,
¨-==*%&### ###&%*==-¨
..,¨,,-%#@ @#%-,,¨,..
.,^=«»«\*# #*\«»«=^,.