##¶¤%^:--, ,--:^%¤¶##
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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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