££££$%\--¨ ¨--\%$££££
##£$%\-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-\%$£##
###£$%\--¨ ¨--\%$£###
#£%\\--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--\\%£#
###£$%\--¨ ¨--\%$£###
###£$%\--¨ # -------------------- # ¨--\%$£###
#£%%%--¨¨¨ \ 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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