.,»***&&## ##&&***»,.
...,,,***# #***,,,...
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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. ##@£%%†«^¨
..«;*%&@@# #@@&%*;«..
.^-\^%£@## ##@£%^\-^.
,:-:†%#¶## ##¶#%†:-:,
.,...-†§&£ £&§†-...,.
,,=:†&¤@## ##@¤&†:=,,