#@@§%§†--, ,--†§%§@@#
@@§%§†--,, ,,--†§%§@@
#@@§%§†--, ,--†§%§@@#
@@§%§†--,, ,,--†§%§@@
#@@§%§†--, ,--†§%§@@#
@@§%§†--,, # -------------------- # ,,--†§%§@@
#@@§%§†--, † 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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##@§$†*«~¨ ¨~«*†$§@##