##@§&%;~:¨ ¨:~;%&§@##
##@§&%;~:¨ ¨:~;%&§@##
@§&&&%;~:¨ ¨:~;%&&&§@
###@§&%;:¨ ¨:;%&§@###
##@§&%;~:¨ ¨:~;%&§@##
##@§&%;~:¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨:~;%&§@##
##@§&%;~:¨ ; 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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