##@£@=/»^¨ ¨^»/=@£@##
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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$KNOWLEDGE;» ,,»;\:=$&#
£#$/~-¨¨,. -«BEING » STOLEN »« FROM «»= THEM. . .,¨¨-~/$#£
##£&£†*-^¨ «~ ¨ ~-~ , =, ,~ - ¨^-*†£&£##
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@@$^»-^,¨. .¨,^-»^$@@
£££$%«^.., AND, ,..^«%$£££
¶*@%&=*~^. .^~*=&%@*¶
##@§%^^~~. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .~~^^%§@##
@@¤*-=¨.¨, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,¨.¨=-*¤@@
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