&§§§\\\«-¨ ¨-«\\\§§§&
###¶&¤\«-¨ ¨-«\¤&¶###
#¶&&¤§\«-¨ ¨-«\§¤&&¶#
&§«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«§&
##¶&¤§\«-¨ ¨-«\§¤&¶##
##¶&¤§\«-¨ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¨-«\§¤&¶##
&¤§«---¨¨¨ \ 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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