##@¤@^=~^, ,^~=^@¤@##
@¤@=^^,,,, ,,,,^^=@¤@
##@¤@^=~^, ,^~=^@¤@##
##@¤@^=~^, ,^~=^@¤@##
@@@¤@^=~^, ,^~=^@¤@@@
@@@@^==~^, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,^~==^@@@@
@¤¤¤@^=~^, = 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/~ ,,-\%$¤£##
#@¶&¤§\«:¨ «~BEING « STOLEN ~~ FROM -«~ THEM. . ¨:«\§¤&¶@#
£$^:.¨.¨.. ~- , »=~ ¨ ~. ,~ = ..¨.¨.:^$£
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#@£#%††=:¨ ¨ . . ^ ¨:=††%#£@#
###&%§\=:, ,:=\§%&###
&£&%%^†»^¨ ,#¨ ¨^»†^%%&£&
££;~~.,,,¨ ¨,,,.~~;££
###@¤$^--, AND, ,--^$¤@###
¶$==*\-¨¨. .¨¨-\*==$¶
#@%\=¨.,¨. NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. .¨,.¨=\%@#
@#=^/*-»:. NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. .:»-*/^=#@
###@%§†~,. .,~†§%@###
#@£&$*^~~¨ ¨~~^*$&£@#
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