@@@%«..... .....«%@@@
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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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¶@¤*^;,,-. .-,,;^*¤@¶
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