####@=:=^¨ ¨^=:=@####
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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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###@$^:-^¨ ¨^-:^$@###
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