,,,,,./£#@ @#£/.,,,,,
,,..///££¤ ¤££///..,,
,,,..»/^^¤ ¤^^/»..,,,
,.»/^£¤#@# #@#¤£^/».,
,.»/^£¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤£^/».,
,.»/^£¤#@@ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # @@#¤£^/».,
,.»/^£#@## / 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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,-~/§&££@# #@££&§/~-,