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