@##%§^»^.. ..^»^§%##@
##%§^»^... ...^»^§%##
#%§^»^.... ....^»^§%#
%§^»^..... .....^»^§%
§^»^...... ......^»^§
^»^....... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .......^»^
»^........ ^ 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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