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