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