####@=/=., ,.=/=@####
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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. , ¨¨..¨,~^£@
£%$$¤§*«-, ~= ¨ »== , «, ,« » ,-«*§¤$$%£
##¶£§%\=:¨ - :. ^ , ¨:=\%§£¶##
###@%%\~^. . . ¨ § .^~\%%@###
£#%~¨.,¨,, ,,¨,.¨~%#£
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£##&%%\»,. .,»\%%&##£
@$%~-^-,,¨ AND, ¨,,-^-~%$@
##£§%$†=., ,.=†$%§£##
¤*=*:=:-,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,-:=:*=*¤
£*§»»¨¨¨¨. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .¨¨¨¨»»§*£
§$&*/=-.,, ,,.-=/*&$§
#£&@£%=~:, ,:~=%£@&£#
##@&¤^:=~¨ ¨~=:^¤&@##
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