¤@@;,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,;@@¤
#@#¤@%;~,¨ ¨,~;%@¤#@#
#@#¤@%;~,¨ ¨,~;%@¤#@#
#@#¤@%;~,¨ ¨,~;%@¤#@#
@##¤@%;~,¨ ¨,~;%@¤##@
@¤%%%;~¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨~;%%%¤@
¤@@%~¨¨¨¨¨ ; 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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