#@@%=;~~,, ,,~~;=%@@#
##@@%=;~~, ,~~;=%@@##
#@@%=;~~,, ,,~~;=%@@#
@@%=;~~,,, ,,,~~;=%@@
@%=;~~,,,, ,,,,~~;=%@
@@%=;~~,,, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,,,~~;=%@@
#@@%=;~~,, ; 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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#@&$^†»:.¨ ¨.:»†^$&@#