†......... .........†
%†........ ........†%
*%†....... .......†%*
§*%†...... ......†%*§
#§*%†..... .....†%*§#
##§*%†.... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ....†%*§##
###§*%†... † 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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