¨¨¨¨~»^^££ ££^^»~¨¨¨¨
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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. #%*=^^¨¨¨¨
,¨.^::;*¤# #¤*;::^.¨,
¨,=†**&#@# #@#&**†=,¨
.~=\%&¶### ###¶&%\=~.
,--;%&¤@## ##@¤&%;--,
,:=;=%§¤#¤ ¤#¤§%=;=:,