@@#£*^:-,. .,-:^*£#@@
#@#£*^:-,. .,-:^*£#@#
#££^^-.... ....-^^££#
#£*^--.... ....--^*£#
£^^:-,,... ...,,-:^^£
£^^::,.... # -------------------- # ....,::^^£
#@#£*^:-,. : 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. ,,,,.,~§@#
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£&&:-.:,¨. .#¨ .¨,:.-:&&£
#££@$=\«:, ,:«\=$@££#
#@#&¤%:~-, 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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