$=~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~=$
=~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~=
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, = 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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