##££$~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~$££##
###@£$\~,¨ ¨,~\$£@###
#@$~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~$@#
###@£$\~,¨ ¨,~\$£@###
###@£$\~,¨ ¨,~\$£@###
@@$\,,¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨¨¨,,\$@@
###@£$\~,¨ \ THE WOLF POOL EXISTS \ ¨,~\$£@###
###@£$\~,¨ \ 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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