#@@$^-.... ....-^$@@#
##£@$*^»-. .-»^*$@£##
##£@$*^»-. .-»^*$@£##
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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,$# .,~\*&£¶@#
#@¶&£†*=:¨ #¤OF#THE¶WAY¶HOME##TO@THE@TIME#FROM#£ ¨:=*†£&¶@#
&¤#§£%/~,, ##WHERE#THEY@CAME,#@##@##AND#THEN###@ ,,~/%£§#¤&
#@£^†:,,¨, #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS=KNOWLEDGE=~ ,¨,,:†^£@#
##£@¤=†-^, ~=BEING = STOLEN »= FROM ~~» THEM. , ,^-†=¤@£##
@¤£*%=,..¨ »- . «~~ ¨ ». ^« ~ ¨..,=%*£¤@
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@#%$£*†«-¨ ¨-«†*£$%#@
#@$;:,.,,, AND, ,,,.,:;$@#
@%*/«»-,,. .,,-»«/*%@
@##££%^-~¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨~-^%££##@
###¤§§=»., NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,.»=§§¤###
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