##£§$§/»,, ,,»/§$§£##
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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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