##£#@*\~^. .^~\*@#£##
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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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