#@%%†«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«†%%@#
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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. ¨.,,,....~
.,¨¨.¨¨,,. .,,¨¨.¨¨,.
¨,¨,¨.¨,.. ..,¨.¨,¨,¨
,.,..¨,,¨, ,¨,,¨..,.,
¨¨.¨.,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,.¨.¨¨
^,.¨.,¨,¨¨ ¨¨,¨,.¨.,^