##@#¤£§-^. .^-§£¤#@##
@¤£§-^.... ....^-§£¤@
#¤§§§§\-^. .^-\§§§§¤#
#£££\\^... ...^\\£££#
@@#¤£§\-^. .^-\§£¤#@@
¤¤££§-.... # -------------------- # ....-§££¤¤
##@¤£§\-^. \ 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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