##¶#£%:~-¨ ¨-~:%£#¶##
¶##£%:~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~:%£##¶
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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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