#¤†~...... ......~†¤#
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#§§§§†;~~. .~~;†§§§§#
#@#¤§†;~~. .~~;†§¤#@#
#@#¤§†;~~. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .~~;†§¤#@#
#@#¤§†;~~. ; 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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