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