#@@£*~-,,, ,,,-~*£@@#
##@@£*~-,, ,,-~*£@@##
###@@£*~-, ,-~*£@@###
##@@£*~-,, ,,-~*£@@##
#@@£*~-,,, ,,,-~*£@@#
@@£*~-,,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,,-~*£@@
@£*~-,,,,, * 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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