#@£@@^*«.¨ ¨.«*^@@£@#
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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. ¨,-»††¤@#@
@§$$†~^.¨¨ ¨¨.^~†$$§@
##¤*$:»~.¨ ¨.~»:$*¤##
###£$^/-:¨ ¨:-/^$£###
#¶§$=\»:,¨ ¨,:»\=$§¶#
¶#&*;=:¨¨. .¨¨:=;*¶