@.....@@@. @@....@@..
@@....@..@ @.@...@.@.
@.@...@@.@ @@@@..@@@@
.@@@..@.@@ @...@.@...
.@..@.@@@. @@..@@@@..
.@@.@@@..@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @.@.@...@.
.@.@@..@.@ : 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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