,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
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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. ,.¨...¨,.,
,,,.¨¨¨,,, ,,,¨¨¨.,,,
¨..,¨.¨,,, ,,,¨.¨,..¨
¨.,...¨.,¨ ¨,.¨...,.¨
,¨,..¨,¨,. .,¨,¨..,¨,
,,,,¨¨,¨¨. .¨¨,¨¨,,,,