###£$/«:,, ,,:«/$£###
####£$/«:, ,:«/$£####
###£$/«:,, ,,:«/$£###
##£$/«:,,, ,,,:«/$£##
###£$/«:,, ,,:«/$£###
####£$/«:, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,:«/$£####
###£$/«:,, / THE WOLF POOL EXISTS / ,,:«/$£###
##£$/«:,,, / IN A STALE TIMELINE, / ,,,:«/$£##
###£$/«:,, / BRANCHED WAY BACK / ,,:«/$£###
####£$/«:, / WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR / ,:«/$£####
###£$/«:,, / WAS ALMOST BARREN, / ,,:«/$£###
##£$/«:,,, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,,,:«/$£##
###£$/«:,, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,,:«/$£###
####£$/«:, / AT ALL... / ,:«/$£####
###£$/«:,, # «««««««««««««««««««« # ,,:«/$£###
##££\~,.,¨ ¨,.,~\££##
###£*/-~., 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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