@##††††»~. .~»††††##@
#@##*††»~. .~»††*##@#
@#††»~~... ...~~»††#@
@###*††»~. .~»††*###@
@##*††~... ...~††*##@
#@##*††»~. # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # .~»††*##@#
#@##*††»~. † 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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