##¶&*§*».. ..»*§*&¶##
###&*§*».. ..»*§*&###
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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. ¨¨¨-~\§=¤#
##@¤%%:-,, ,,-:%%¤@##
@$=:¨,,¨,¨ ¨,¨,,¨:=$@
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