.-~:*£§### ###§£*:~-.
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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. ##¤==~-:.¨
.:==:=*@&# #&@*=:==:.
.^~=†@¤#£@ @£#¤@†=~^.
¨,,.~»*¤@@ @@¤*»~.,,¨
,.,¨,.,~=¤ ¤=~,.,¨,.,
.:»»:*£¤£@ @£¤£*:»»:.