...¤¤..... ..........
¤¤....¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
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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. ¤&¤&@£&£¤§
§§¤&@§@¤#£ §££&@§&@
£§@#¤£¤¤ &§¤¤§£#@#§
@&§&@§&§@§ ¤#§£¤&££##
&£#¤£#§@¤& @&@#¤§&£
#¤§£@¤£@@# ¤#&§§§#@££