¨,~;§@#£££ £££#@§;~,¨
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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. ####§$=~:.
.-==†§§@## ##@§§†==-.
,¨¨,»-:=#£ £#=:-»,¨¨,
,¨,-»^*$§@ @§$*^»-,¨,
¨,,^~~*\@# #@\*~~^,,¨
.,»:$@#@## ##@#@$:»,.