#@@@£$*~~. .~~*$£@@@#
@@@@£$*~~. .~~*$£@@@@
#@£££$*~~. .~~*$£££@#
##@@£$*~~. .~~*$£@@##
@$*~...... ......~*$@
##@@£$*~~. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # .~~*$£@@##
@£*~...... * 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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