=~.,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.~=
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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¤$AWARENESS# ,.,,¨:=:*¤
#§§*~:.... #%OF§£EXACTLY§#HOW&THEY£HAD#TRAVELED,@# ....:~*§§#
#@£=^-:,,, #&OF@THE@WAY@HOME##TO@THE¶TIME@FROM## ,,,:-^=£@#
##¤%*\-.,¨ #¶WHERE#THEY#CAME,#@#####AND#THEN#@## ¨,.-\*%¤##
##¶&@^:»,, #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE=~ ,,»:^@&¶##
#£§*†\~~¨¨ ~~BEING = STOLEN -- FROM -«- THEM. , ¨¨~~\†*§£#
@£¤*†=-,,, -« , «-= ¨ ». ,- ~ ,,,-=†*¤£@
&£%/~,,¨¨. - ^. , , .¨¨,,~/%£&
&%†«^,..,¨ , , . * ¨,..,^«†%&
*^=~¨.,¨., ,.¨,.¨~=^*
;~-.¨.,¨.. .#. ..¨,.¨.-~;
«,..,¨¨¨.. ..¨¨¨,..,«
,¨.....,.. AND, ..,.....¨,
=:.,,,,¨.. ..¨,,,,.:=
/~^.¨¨,¨., NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,.¨,¨¨.^~/
%:»~,¨¨¨¨, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,¨¨¨¨,~»:%
**/--,.,¨, ,¨,.,--/**
#$=†=.¨¨., ,.¨¨.=†=$#
#£%^^«-¨,. .,¨-«^^%£#
##@***»,¨¨ ¨¨,»***@##
#@@§¤%^~., ,.~^%¤§@@#