#@@@£†^»-. .-»^†£@@@#
@@@@£†^»-. .-»^†£@@@@
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@@£££†^»-. .-»^†£££@@
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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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