#@@#£*=~-. .-~=*£#@@#
@#££**=~-. .-~=**££#@
@#**=~-... ...-~=**#@
#@@#£*=~-. .-~=*£#@@#
##@#£*=~-. .-~=*£#@##
#@@#£*=~-. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .-~=*£#@@#
@@@#£*=~-. = 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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