##@&£†^~~, ,~~^†£&@##
#&&†^~~~,, ,,~~~^†&&#
#@#&£†^~~, ,~~^†£&#@#
#@#&£†^~~, ,~~^†£&#@#
#@#&£†^~~, ,~~^†£&#@#
&&&†††^~~, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,~~^†††&&&
&£^~~~,,,, ^ 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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