#@@@¤%;-.¨ ¨.-;%¤@@@#
#@@@¤%;-.¨ ¨.-;%¤@@@#
@¤¤;;--.¨¨ ¨¨.--;;¤¤@
@@@%--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--%@@@
@@@@¤%;-.¨ ¨.-;%¤@@@@
@@@@¤%;-.¨ # -------------------- # ¨.-;%¤@@@@
#@@@¤%;-.¨ ; 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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