##*;::::¨¨ ¨¨::::;*##
##£#%*;=:¨ ¨:=;*%#£##
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#£%**;=¨¨¨ ¨¨¨=;**%£#
##£#%*;=:¨ ¨:=;*%#£##
£%;;;::¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨::;;;%£
##£#%*;=:¨ ; 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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