,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
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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, ..¨-~/%§§@
#£@§†:~:¨¨ ¨¨:~:†§@£#
###&&$;«~. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .~«;$&&###
#£&$%^~-.. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ..-~^%$&£#
¶@&%==^.¨. .¨.^==%&@¶
¤&*=~..¨., ,.¨..~=*&¤
**†«-.,¨., ,.¨,.-«†**
§^~,¨¨.¨.¨ ¨.¨.¨¨,~^§
=-~¨.¨¨,¨, ,¨,¨¨.¨~-=