@@@@£*/--. .--/*£@@@@
##@@@£*--. .--*£@@@##
@@£*-..... .....-*£@@
#@@@£*/--. .--/*£@@@#
@@@££*/--. .--/*££@@@
@*---..... # -------------------- # .....---*@
##@@@£/--. / 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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#@#£&*=~,, ,,~=*&£#@#