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