#@#@£*;~~, ,~~;*£@#@#
@£;~~~~~~, ,~~~~~~;£@
@##@£*;~~, ,~~;*£@##@
@@@***;~~, ,~~;***@@@
#£***;;~~, ,~~;;***£#
##@@£*;~~, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,~~;*£@@##
#@#@£*;~~, ; 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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