####¤^=~^¨ ¨^~=^¤####
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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†- ¨--†%£####
##¶§$/»~.. -~BEING « STOLEN ~» FROM -=- THEM. , ..~»/$§¶##
##@£¤*;-^. «= , =~= . ~. .~ ~ .^-;*¤£@##
##¶&=^»~., , ,, , ¨ ,.~»^=&¶##
###@&§:-,, , ¨ ¨ % ,,-:§&@###
#@@§†\-:¨. .¨:-\†§@@#
####@^†~^. .#¨ .^~†^@####
####^\~,,¨ ¨,,~\^####
##@@§%/-,¨ AND, ¨,-/%§@@##
##¶&=^~,., ,.,~^=&¶##
###@&%*=.¨ NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ¨.=*%&@###
###¤*†-:,¨ NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ¨,:-†*¤###
###£§§=~-. .-~=§§£###
#@¶#%*«~., ,.~«*%#¶@#
####&%=-:. .:-=%&####
##££%\«~., ,.~«\%££##
###¶&$=«.. ..«=$&¶###