##@&@$*«:¨ ¨:«*$@&@##
###&@$*«:¨ ¨:«*$@&###
##@&@$*«:¨ ¨:«*$@&@##
#&@*:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:*@&#
#@@*«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«*@@#
###&@$*«:¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨:«*$@&###
@&@*«:¨¨¨¨ * 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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