«,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,«
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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. ¨.,¨,.,~*§
$*/»-¨..¨, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,¨..¨-»/*$
#£†\«:.,.¨ ¨.,.:«\†£#
@£&†/«.,¨. .¨,.«/†&£@
###$*^=~¨. .¨~=^*$###
##@#@%;-:, ,:-;%@#@##
###¤$/=~,, ,,~=/$¤###