##¶@£*;=:¨ ¨:=;*£@¶##
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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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