##@¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤@##
#@#¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤#@#
@##¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤##@
@##¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤##@
#¤†:~..... .....~:†¤#
@¤¤†~,.... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ....,~†¤¤@
##¤:~~~~,. : 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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