###££†\~^¨ ¨^~\†££###
###££†\~^¨ ¨^~\†££###
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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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