##@&£§:--. .--:§£&@##
&§:--..... .....--:§&
&££:::-... ...-:::££&
&£:--..... .....--:£&
###@£§:--. .--:§£@###
&§--...... # -------------------- # ......--§&
#@£::----. : 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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