&=*****~~¨ ¨~~*****=&
@@$*~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~*$@@
@&=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=&@
#@@&$=*~~¨ ¨~~*=$&@@#
##@&$=*~~¨ ¨~~*=$&@##
&==*~¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨¨~*==&
##@&$=*~~¨ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ¨~~*=$&@##
##@&$=*~~¨ * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ¨~~*=$&@##
&&==~~¨¨¨¨ * 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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