@@@$$:--:, ,:--:$$@@@
##@@¤$:-:, ,:-:$¤@@##
@@¤$::::,, ,,::::$¤@@
@¤::,,,,,, ,,,,,,::¤@
@¤¤::,,,,, ,,,,,::¤¤@
#@¤:::,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,:::¤@#
##@@¤$:-:, : THE WOLF POOL EXISTS : ,:-:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:-:, : IN A STALE TIMELINE, : ,:-:$¤@@##
#@$--::,,, : BRANCHED WAY BACK : ,,,::--$@#
@¤$-,,,,,, : WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR : ,,,,,,-$¤@
##@@¤$:-:, : WAS ALMOST BARREN, : ,:-:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:-:, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,:-:$¤@@##
###@@¤$-:, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,:-$¤@@###
#@¤¤¤$:-:, : AT ALL... : ,:-:$¤¤¤@#
#@¤¤::,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,::¤¤@#
##@#$$^~~, ,~~^$$#@##
#@£¤%*†«-¨ 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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#@£££§:=,. .,=:§£££@#