,,,,,#,,,, ,#####,,,,
####,,,### ,,###,,###
###,,#,,## ,,,#,,,,##
##,,,,,,,# ##,,,##,,#
#,,#####,, #,,#,,,,,,
,,,,###,,# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,####,
###,,#,,,, † 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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