&=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=&
#@£&&=:~~¨ ¨~~:=&&£@#
#@£&&=:~~¨ ¨~~:=&&£@#
&&=~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~=&&
&==~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~==&
£&:~~~~~¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨~~~~~:&£
#@£&&=:~~¨ : 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:- .--/%$@£¶#
#@@¤%§/«-, ~»BEING » STOLEN ~~ FROM ~~» THEM. ¨ ,-«/§%¤@@#
#@@¤&§^~,, =« , -«« . », ~« ~ ,,~^§&¤@@#
##=^%««,^¨ ~ .. ^ . ¨^,««%^=##
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###&£†:-:. .:-:†£&###
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#£@¤%=†=:. .:=†=%¤@£#
#@@#*$†»-. AND, .-»†$*#@@#
#£¤@%\:~:¨ ¨:~:\%@¤£#
¶¤§-.¨.¨,. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .,¨.¨.-§¤¶
###¤£†*~.¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨.~*†£¤###
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