###¶£==~.. ..~==£¶###
##¶£==~... ...~==£¶##
#¶£==~.... ....~==£¶#
¶£==~..... .....~==£¶
£==~...... ......~==£
==~....... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .......~==
=~........ = 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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