##**:::«-. .-«:::**##
##@@:«.... ....«:@@##
####@*:«-. .-«:*@####
####@*:«-. .-«:*@####
####@*:«-. .-«:*@####
####@*:«-. # «««««««««««««««««««« # .-«:*@####
####@*:«-. : 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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