####£%^-,. .,-^%£####
##%-,..... .....,-%##
###£^,.... ....,^£###
#%-,,,.... ....,,,-%#
##£^,..... .....,^£##
####£%^-,. # -------------------- # .,-^%£####
####£%^-,. ^ 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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