###§@§=~-. .-~=§@§###
##@@=~-... ...-~=@@##
####§@=~-. .-~=@§####
###§@§=~-. .-~=§@§###
###§@§=~-. .-~=§@§###
###§@§=~-. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .-~=§@§###
##§§@§=~-. = 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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