##@£@§~~,, ,,~~§@£@##
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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* .,~§@&#@##
##¶£**-,.¨ *=$BRIGHT†-%*A*SUDDEN@¤AWARENESS# ¨.,-**£¶##
@¶¤&†-~... #*OF@£EXACTLY¤¶HOW@THEY¤HAD@TRAVELED,§# ...~-†&¤¶@
#@#££*~~,¨ #§OF§THE¶WAY¶HOME#¶TO@THE@TIME#FROM@@ ¨,~~*££#@#
##@#&&=«,¨ #@WHERE#THEY#CAME,@@@@###AND#THEN#@#@ ¨,«=&&#@##
#@@§¤%~,,. #####THE#FEELING#OF#THIS^KNOWLEDGE:~ .,,~%¤§@@#
#¶&@†=,.,, »«BEING - STOLEN »~ FROM ~«» THEM. , ,,.,=†@&¶#
#@@¤¤*»~., ~» ¨ ~~« . -¨ ,= » ,.~»*¤¤@@#
###@#@%-,. . ~- ~ . .,-%@#@###
##¶§*^»~¨¨ ¨ , , ^ ¨¨~»^*§¶##
#£&%*~^,¨¨ ¨¨,^~*%&£#
#@@£$†-^,¨ ¨#¨ ¨,^-†$£@@#
####¤$*-^¨ ¨^-*$¤####
#@#&¤=-^¨, AND, ,¨^-=¤&#@#
#£#$^«-.,, ,,.-«^$#£#
##@¤**-:,, NOW THE REACH OF THE POOL HAS WIDENED. ,,:-**¤@##
###@@§%=,, NOW ITS WOLVES SEE FURTHER. ,,=%§@@###
#@@§%$=~,, ,,~=$%§@@#
#£#§%=:.,¨ ¨,.:=%§#£#
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