#@@@$§\-:, ,:-\§$@@@#
#@@@$§\-:, ,:-\§$@@@#
@@@@$§\-:, ,:-\§$@@@@
@@@$$§\-:, ,:-\§$$@@@
@$\:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:\$@
@§-:,,,,,, # -------------------- # ,,,,,,:-§@
##@@$§\-:, \ 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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