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