££....£..£ ...£....£.
£££....£.£ ....£.....
£.££.....£ .....£....
..£££..... ......£...
..£.££.... £......£..
....£££... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .£......£.
....£.££.. * 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. . &¨¨¨,,@@§¨
.¨¨.,@.&¤, =~ ¨ »=» . «. .- » ,@,.,¨&¨¤§
#¨.,..,@&# , ~^ ~ , ¨.#..,¨¨#@
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&&#¨..¨.¨@ ,,¨.&,.,..
#¨£@....,£ .#¨ ¨,,,.&...¨
¨,#§£...., ¨¨,,.¨#,..
.¨@,¤@.,., AND, §..,,,,&¨,
.,¨¨@&§.,¨ ,§¨,,,.,&¨
..,.¤¨£&.. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨,#.,,.,.£
§,.,¨¨§#@. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,.¨#,,,...
¨@,,..@,&¤ ..,,£..,¨¨
¨¨¤,...,§¤ &¨¨,.@¨¨¨.
,,,&,..¨#¨ .¤..¨.#,,.
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