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#####.##.# ....#.#...
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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. §#&£§.£,.£
.@£#§,&, ¨¨.¨&£#.#,
£,,.&£.,¤§ ...&..£££¨
#¨,¤¨&.&.@ ¨.@§¨#¨¨@¤
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