@@$:«,,,,, ,,,,,«:$@@
#@@$:«,,,, ,,,,«:$@@#
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###@@$:«,, ,,«:$@@###
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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. ¨,,.,:»:†§
##§=«,..¨¨ ¨¨..,«=§##
#£&§=«^,,. .,,^«=§&£#
##¶§*;=... ...=;*§¶##
###£&%^~,, ,,~^%&£###
##¶&§==~.. ..~==§&¶##