#@#@$%\--, ,--\%$@#@#
@%----,,,, ,,,,----%@
@%\--,,,,, ,,,,,--\%@
@%\-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-\%@
###@$%\--, ,--\%$@###
##@#@%\--, # -------------------- # ,--\%@#@##
@@$%\-,,,, \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ,,,,-\%$@@
@@#@$%\--, \ IN A STALE TIMELINE, \ ,--\%$@#@@
@#$%%--,,, \ BRANCHED WAY BACK \ ,,,--%%$#@
@@#@$%\--, \ WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR \ ,--\%$@#@@
@#$%\--,,, \ WAS ALMOST BARREN, \ ,,,--\%$#@
#@#@$%\--, COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ,--\%$@#@#
#@$$%%\--, AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ,--\%%$$@#
@%%\---,,, \ 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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