^~:,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,:~^
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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. ¨¨..,.,¨,¨
-,,.,¨,.., ,..,¨,.,,-
«^..¨¨,¨,, ,,¨,¨¨..^«
^«-,..¨,,¨ ¨,,¨..,-«^
$;=,¨,...¨ ¨...,¨,=;$
¤$^=:,¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨,:=^$¤