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