-.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.-
\-.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.-\
§\-.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.-\§
¤§\-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-\§¤
§¤§\-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-\§¤§
@§¤§\-.¨¨¨ # -------------------- # ¨¨¨.-\§¤§@
#@§¤§\-.¨¨ \ 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. ,¨¨..¨¨¨,,
.¨,.¨¨¨,.¨ ¨.,¨¨¨.,¨.
,¨,,,¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨,,,¨,
=..,.¨.,,, ,,,.¨.,..=
\=-.¨¨.,.¨ ¨.,.¨¨.-=\
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