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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, ##@#$**»,,
.,-«/%¤¤£# #£¤¤%/«-,.
..¨^=^=£&# NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. #&£=^=^¨..
¨¨,,^-\%%§ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. §%%\-^,,¨¨
¨..,.,~*%$ $%*~,.,..¨
¨,¨,..-~== ==~-..,¨,¨
.,.,,,,.~= =~.,,,,.,.
...,,,,,~- -~,,,,,...
..,,.,,,,~ ~,,,,.,,..