###¤§^;«^. .^«;^§¤###
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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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