@@@#§$;=-¨ ¨-=;$§#@@@
#@@#§$;=-¨ ¨-=;$§#@@#
##@#§$;=-¨ ¨-=;$§#@##
##@#§$;=-¨ ¨-=;$§#@##
#§;=¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨=;§#
#§§$;=-¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨-=;$§§#
@#§§;=¨¨¨¨ ; 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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