###@§*;=,. .,=;*§@###
@§;;,,.... ....,,;;§@
@@*;===... ...===;*@@
###@@*;=,. .,=;*@@###
#@*;==,... ...,==;*@#
@@§***;=,. # ==================== # .,=;***§@@
##@@§*;=,. ; 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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#$*\,¨,... ...,¨,\*$#
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