#%^†»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»†^%#
%^†»^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^»†^%
^†»^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^»†^
†»^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»†
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†»^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»†
^†»^¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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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