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