.@.@@..@.@ @..@.@@.@.
...@@@...@ @@...@@..@
@..@.@@..@ @@@..@@@..
.@...@@@.@ @.@@.@.@@.
..@..@.@.. ..@@...@@@
@..@....@. # -------------------- # ..@@@..@.@
@@..@....@ : 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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