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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. ,.~=*†§§¶@
#@#¤£%^~^. .^~^%£¤#@#
####@%*/~: :~/*%@####
##@£$*/~,¨ ¨,~/*$£@##
@@@%*=~,,, ,,,~=*%@@@
#££%^«:..¨ ¨..:«^%££#