##@&$^\»^. .^»\^$&@##
&^»^^..... .....^^»^&
#@&^^»»»^. .^»»»^^&@#
#@@&$^\»^. .^»\^$&@@#
#&^\\\\»^. .^»\\\\^&#
##@&$^\»^. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .^»\^$&@##
@$$^\^^^.. \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ..^^^\^$$@
&^^^^^\»^. \ 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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