###£@$:~~¨ ¨~~:$@£###
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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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