*\=.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.=\*
$*\=.,,,,, ,,,,,.=\*$
£$*\=.,,,, ,,,,.=\*$£
#£$*\=.,,, ,,,.=\*$£#
##£$*\=.,, ,,.=\*$£##
###£$*\=., # ==================== # ,.=\*$£###
##£$*\=.,, \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ,,.=\*$£##
#£$*\=.,,, \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ ,,,.=\*$£#
£$*\=.,,,, \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ,,,,.=\*$£
$*\=.,,,,, \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ ,,,,,.=\*$
*\=.,,,,,, \ 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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