#$$*~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~*$$#
###$††*~-¨ ¨-~*††$###
#####$†*-¨ ¨-*†$#####
###$$†*~-¨ ¨-~*†$$###
####$†*~-¨ ¨-~*†$####
####$†*~-¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨-~*†$####
####$†*~-¨ * THE WOLF POOL EXISTS * ¨-~*†$####
####$†*~-¨ * IN A STALE TIMELINE, * ¨-~*†$####
##$*~~-¨¨¨ * BRANCHED WAY BACK * ¨¨¨-~~*$##
####$†*~-¨ * WHEN KIRUGU VARGIR * ¨-~*†$####
####$†*~-¨ * WAS ALMOST BARREN, * ¨-~*†$####
####$†*~-¨ COMPRISED MOSTLY OF ROCK AND ARID SOIL, ¨-~*†$####
#$$*~¨¨¨¨¨ AND PLANTS WERE ONLY STARTING TO GROW, ¨¨¨¨¨~*$$#
#†~~-¨¨¨¨¨ * 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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###@%†*»,, ,,»*†%@###