/~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~/
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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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. .¨..¨¨.¨¨¨
.¨..¨,¨¨¨. .¨¨¨,¨..¨.
,¨¨.,,.,.¨ ¨.,.,,.¨¨,
.,¨,¨¨..¨¨ ¨¨..¨¨,¨,.
^¨,.¨¨.¨¨. .¨¨.¨¨.,¨^
=^.¨¨¨..,. .,..¨¨¨.^=