@@*;;--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--;;*@@
@*;-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-;*@
#@£@$*;~-¨ ¨-~;*$@£@#
£@***;~~-¨ ¨-~~;***@£
#@£@$*;~-¨ ¨-~;*$@£@#
£$$*~~~¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨~~~*$$£
£@@*~~~¨¨¨ ; 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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