.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
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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. ¨¨,,,¨.,,~
,.,¨.¨¨¨.. ..¨¨¨.¨,.,
¨.¨.¨¨¨.¨¨ ¨¨.¨¨¨.¨.¨
..,..,,¨,. .,¨,,..,..
...¨,..,,¨ ¨,,..,¨...
¨¨.¨¨.,.¨. .¨.,.¨¨.¨¨