@§%%^,,,,. .,,,,^%%§@
#@@§%%^~,. .,~^%%§@@#
@§§§%%^~,. .,~^%%§§§@
#@@§%%^~,. .,~^%%§@@#
@§%^^^~~,. .,~~^^^%§@
§%^~~..... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .....~~^%§
##@@%%^~,. ^ 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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