#@#§§*:»:. .:»:*§§#@#
@§*»»:.... ....:»»*§@
#@#§§*:»:. .:»:*§§#@#
#§§§**:»:. .:»:**§§§#
#@#§§*:»:. .:»:*§§#@#
#@#§§*:»:. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .:»:*§§#@#
@§*»...... : 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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#@¶#%§^~:¨ ¨:~^§%#¶@#