##@@§=^~~, ,~~^=§@@##
##@@§=^~~, ,~~^=§@@##
##@@§=^~~, ,~~^=§@@##
##@@§=^~~, ,~~^=§@@##
##@@§=^~~, ,~~^=§@@##
##@@§=^~~, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,~~^=§@@##
##@@§=^~~, ^ 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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###§$$=»:, ,:»=$$§###