#££%=».... ....»=%££#
££%=»..... .....»=%££
£%=»...... ......»=%£
%=»....... .......»=%
=»........ ........»=
»......... # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .........»
=»........ = 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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=/=,.¨,,.¨ ¨.,,¨.,=/=
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