##@#¤^\=,¨ ¨,=\^¤#@##
#@@#¤^\=,¨ ¨,=\^¤#@@#
#^\\=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=\\^#
#^^=,,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,,=^^#
###^^=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=^^###
#@@#¤^\=,¨ # ==================== # ¨,=\^¤#@@#
@@@#¤^\=,¨ \ 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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