####$††-,¨ ¨,-††$####
####$††-,¨ ¨,-††$####
##††,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,††##
#†-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-†#
####$††-,¨ ¨,-††$####
####$††-,¨ # -------------------- # ¨,-††$####
##$†††,¨¨¨ † THE WOLF POOL EXISTS † ¨¨¨,†††$##
#$$†,¨¨¨¨¨ † IN A STALE TIMELINE, † ¨¨¨¨¨,†$$#
####$††-,¨ † BRANCHED WAY BACK † ¨,-††$####
#†---¨¨¨¨¨ † 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@¶ ¨,~:$¤#@##
@#¤#£*;«:, #@WHERE#THEY@CAME,######@AND@THEN@##@ ,:«;*£#¤#@
£**=/,,.¨¨ #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS%KNOWLEDGE^~ ¨¨.,,/=**£
&¤@§§§\»~. --BEING = STOLEN =- FROM »~= THEM. , .~»\§§§@¤&
##@&@$*»^. »» , »~= ¨ »¨ ^= = .^»*$@&@##
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##¶#*==«~. AND, .~«==*#¶##
##¶£%$*=,. .,=*$%£¶##
###@£$\»-, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,-»\$£@###
#&*$/,.¨.¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨.¨.,/$*&#
##@£&=*~:¨ ¨:~*=&£@##
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