##¶@@§†«-, ,-«†§@@¶##
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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. ,,,,..,~^§
^=,..,,... ...,,..,=^
~-¨.¨.,¨,¨ ¨,¨,.¨.¨-~
,.,,¨¨..,, ,,..¨¨,,.,
~:¨.,.,.,¨ ¨,.,.,.¨:~
\~~,¨.,.¨¨ ¨¨.,.¨,~~\