&%^:«,.... ....,«:^%&
#&%^:«,... ...,«:^%&#
##&%^:«,.. ..,«:^%&##
###&%^:«,. .,«:^%&###
##&%^:«,.. ..,«:^%&##
#&%^:«,... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ...,«:^%&#
&%^:«,.... : 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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~~.,...,.¨ ¨.,...,.~~