##@&%*^~~¨ ¨~~^*%&@##
#@&%*^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^*%&@#
@&%*^~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~^*%&@
&%*^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^*%&
@&%*^~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~^*%&@
#@&%*^~~¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨~~^*%&@#
##@&%*^~~¨ ^ 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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